Renesas Technology America introduced the dual-core SH7776 (SH-Navi3), a system-on-chip device with enhanced on-chip graphics functions and a high-performance image recognition processing function for next-generation high-end car information terminals.
Strategic Analytics ranks Renesas #1 in the global market for car navigation microprocessors. Renesas said the SH-Navi3 is among the first dual-core SoC products to incorporate an image recognition processing function. IP for image recognition processing was developed jointly with Hitachi, Ltd.
Compared with SH-Navi1 and SH-Navi2, SH-Navi3 delivers approximately 3.5 times faster processing through greater internal parallelism and a doubled bus width. It can execute multiple external environment recognition programs simultaneously - such as lane detection and detection and tracking of preceding vehicles - in real time.
The dual-core architecture supports symmetric multiprocessing (SMP), in which the operations of a single program running under a single OS are divided between two CPU cores for parallel processing, and asymmetric multiprocessing (AMP), in which different operating systems (or multiple instances of the same OS) and completely different programs run on each of the CPU cores.
Integrating two 32-bit SH-4A CPU cores, the SH-Navi3 achieves a processing performance of 1,920 MIPS when operating at 533 MHz. Its 3-D graphics engine incorporates PowerVR SGX IP from 3-D graphics IP specialist Imagination Technologies Limited, and is said to enable polygon performance approximately twice that of PowerVR MBX, which is used in SH-Navi1 and SH-Navi2 devices. Renesas said the extra performance provides support not only for 3-D rendering in navigation applications but also for HMI and other multimedia applications that demand more colorful and realistic 3-D rendering.
The SH7776 also incorporates a 2-D and 3-D graphics processor for detailed map rendering and operation screens that are easier to use. Features include 2-D rendering functions such as bold-line rendering, 3-D rendering functions such as triangle 3-D rendering, for enhanced three-dimensionality, and texture mapping, for more realistic textures. Renesas said the graphics features make it possible to realize a detailed and high-quality GUI incorporating maps, icons, and menus as well as colorfully rendered 3-D objects (such as high-rise buildings) in maps. The SoC‘s distortion compensation module enables transformation into any shape of image data captured by a camera. For example, image data from a camera fitted with a fisheye lens could be used to generate a bird‘s-eye view of the periphery of the vehicle.
A two-channel, 16-bit dedicated bus interface operating at 533 MHz is available for connecting high-speed DDR3-SDRAM, enabling data transfer at up to 4.27 gigabytes per second. Both channels can be accessed at the same time. Dedicated PCI Express interface I/O of allows high-speed transfer of data at up to 250 megabytes per second to and from an external device equipped with a PCI Express interface.
On-chip peripheral modules include a serial ATA interface for high-speed connection to hard disks, an audio encoder, a USB 2.0 Host/Function interface, a TS interface for receiving terrestrial digital TV broadcasts, and a GPS baseband processing module.
Hella KGaA Hueck & Co. has developed a digital throttle-body position sensor with a SENT (Single Edge Nibble Transmission) protocol interface. The sensor, planned for deployment later this year in select vehicles of a U.S. automaker, provides an alternative to analog sensors.
Martin Fischer, president of Hella‘s Corporate Center USA and Hella Electronics Corporation, said the SENT protocol, first approved by SAE International in 2006, was created for the transmission of accurate, high-resolution sensor data to an electronic control unit (ECU).
Fischer said digital SENT sensors provide a low-cost alternative to analog sensors on Controller Area Network (CAN) or Local Interconnect Network (LIN) digital buses. “For cost reasons, it‘s not necessary to use CAN- and LIN-bus systems in every case,” he said.
“Using the example of a throttle-body sensor, where a travel angle must be detected, the sensor acquires data and converts it into a digital value that is transmitted to the ECU, where it is decoded. Today, data is transmitted in an analog form, but digital technology is able to provide more functionality.”
Fischer said that unlike analog transmissions, where signals can be altered, the SENT protocol allows for a more robust signal transmission. He added that Hella‘s electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) design for the SENT interface makes the sensor insensitive to interference, so shielded or twisted cables are no longer needed to fulfill automotive EMC requirements.
The SENT protocol permits compact packaging since two signals can be transmitted over a single wire, reducing the need for additional cables and cutting costs.
Hella pairs the SENT protocol with its CIPOS (Contactless Inductive Position Sensor) technology. CIPOS sensors measure travel or angle changes regardless of high temperatures and vibrations.
Freescale Semiconductor and Dongfeng Motor Corporation plan to establish an automotive electronics lab in China aimed at jointly developing silicon, software and system-level solutions for chassis and safety and in-car infotainment and navigation technologies.
Last year Freescale announced similar collaboration plans with Chery Automobile Company. Ray Cornyn, global head of Freescale‘s microcontroller business, said Freescale operates other joint laboratories in the U.S. and Europe, and has a lab of its own in Shanghai.
Freescale and Dongfeng plan to cooperate in body electronics, powertrain control, and hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) technologies with 32-bit Power Architecture MCUs as well as16-bit S12X and 8-bit S08 devices, and analog ICs. Dongfeng has an S12-based electronic control unit in production, and has developed an engine control system based on 32-bit Freescale MPC5xx MCUs that it plans to migrate to MPC563x MCUs for green engine control. Dongfeng and Freescale will also work together on hybrid control and automated manual transmission technologies, AUTOSAR applications, in-vehicle networking solutions, and low-end body control modules.
CSR has launched its second development platform for Bluetooth hands-free car kits. Based on CSR‘s BlueCore5-Multimedia Bluetooth silicon, the RoadRunner2 includes Bluetooth version 2.1 + EDR, as well as CSR‘s Clear Voice Capture (CVC) echo cancellation algorithm, which promises excellent audio quality despite environmental demands.
RoadRunner2 can receive music from mobile phones, MP3 players, SD cards, or an audio jack-In, and then transmit to the speakers, or via FM to the car stereo system. It supports Phone Book Access Profile (PBAP) and can retrieve phone book entries from mobile phones that do not support PBAP by storing the entries in a serial flash memory. The kit‘s digital signal processor displays the caller‘s name for an incoming call. The BlueCore5-Multimedia chip can also control a screen and a rotary input.
CSR‘s BlueLab configuration software lets designers alter elements of their final product, including flash parameters, PIO assignment to buttons, MMI and ring tones.
NEC Electronics is targeting car audio and navigation systems with nine new 32-bit V850E/Sx3-H microcontrollers based on the V850E1 core and including up to 1.5MB of flash memory.
The additions to NEC Electronics‘ S Series are the V850E/SJ3-H and the V850E/SK3-H. They have 1.5 times more flash memory capacity than their predecessors, the V850ES/SG3 and V850ES/SJ3, and can execute 85 Dhrystone MIPS at a clock speed of 48MHz, compared to 32MHz. The improvements allow the new MCUs to store more software for system control while also speeding up execution time.
The six V850E/SJ3-H MCUs are available in 144-pin QFP packages. The three V850E/SK3-H MCUs are available in 176-pin QFP packages. Both packages have a 0.5-mm pin-pitch.
“In car audio and navigation systems, we are seeing a migration toward consumer electronics-based technologies such as USB, SD card and Bluetooth, in response to growing user demands for smooth transitions between in-car and out-of-car experiences,” said Shinichi Iwamoto, VP of NEC Electronics‘ microcomputer operations unit. “In turn, car manufacturers are demanding MCUs with more built-in memory capacity and lower radiated noise to support the significant increase in software that these media require.”
Integrated spread spectrum clock generators (SSCG) reduce the MCU clock’s oscillation (fundamental) and higher frequencies, which helps to reduce the risk of degraded radio performance and chip errors and also decreases the resources required to evaluate and investigate EMI in anti-EMI components, which lowers system development costs and shortens development time. Pin layouts and software in the new devices are backward compatible with those in V850ES/SG3 and V850ES/SJ3 models, making it easy for design engineers to leverage existing designs. Eight UART channels, eight CSI channels, and six I2C channels allow designers to support a larger number of media types.
Samples of the new MCUs are available now. Volume production is scheduled to begin in November. The V850E/SK3-H, with 1.5MB of flash memory and 92KB of RAM, is expected to be priced at $20 in 10,000-unit quantities.
Strategy Analytics‘ report,”Automotive Microcontrollers: Market Demand and Product Directions,” predicts that 32-bit devices will account for 58% of the $7.6 billion automotive MCU market by 2015 and that high-end MCUs will be key enablers of future emissions-controlling powertrain technology, advanced safety and driver assistance systems, and multimedia entertainment products. So that‘s what Freescale focused on at Convergence 2008:
Freescale FlexRay and BMW
Freescale‘s FlexRay controller technology was first implemented last year in the BMW X5 Sports Activity Vehicle, which was the first standard-production vehicle to use the FlexRay protocol. The Integrated Chassis Management (ICM) system in the BMW X6 Sports Activity Coupe, which manages the vehicle‘s drivetrain and suspension functions, uses two 32-bit Freescale Power Architecture MCUs. As with the X5, Freescale FlexRay controller technology is used in BMW‘s optional Adaptive Drive, which allows drivers to select a sporting or a more comfortable ride with the press of a button.
The MathWorks chose Convergence 2008 to announce Simulink Fixed Point version 6, which supports 128-bit (versus 32-bit) word lengths among other enhancements. According to Wensi Jin, automotive marketing manager for both North America and the Asia Pacific region, the application is designed to do the non-creative, repetitive, heavy lifting - including code generation - involved in converting floating point models to run on typically less costly fixed point processors. It‘s also said to create more efficient workflows in less time.
“Silicon space is getting more diverse,” Jin says. “It‘s no longer a case of choosing between a micro and a DSP. New ECUs have a lot of silicon options, and (Simulink Fixed Point version 6) supports design engineers deciding what goes on a micro and what goes on a DSP.”
Jin adds, referring to 128-bit support, “When hardware moves, design tools have to also. Otherwise you don‘t get the advantage of the hardware.” The new version works with floating point designs built in
Simulink, Stateflow, Embedded MATLAB functions, Signal Processing Blockset, and Video and Image Processing Blockset. It‘s available for Microsoft Windows, Solaris, Linux, and Macintosh platforms. Prices start at $1k.
Renesas (www.renesas.com) attracted some 300 customers and partners to its first Developers Conference, held in San Diego. More than 80 technical sessions were scheduled, with topics including CAN and FlexRay connectivity.
It used the conference to debut a system-on-chip, the SH77721, that it said is the first product in a new SH-NaviJ series. Microprocessor marketing manager Paul Sykes described the SH-NaviJ as a new SuperH processor tailored for low-end through mid-range car information terminals, including small portable navigation devices and dashboard-mounted car navigation systems.
Renesas‘ SH-Navi processors are being used in many high-end nav system designs, according to Sykes, and the new SoC leverages the same basic architecture and bus structure, CPU, graphics processor, and IP. The SH77721 lets developers “migrate desirable capabilities downward” into lower-priced mainstream products.
The SH77721 uses a fast (333MHz, 599 MIPS, 2.3 GFLOPS) 32-bit superscalar SH-4A CPU core with cache and a floating point unit (FPU). Software written for devices with SH-4 CPUs can be used as is or repurposed with modifications to shorten development time.
Sykes said on-chip peripheral functions have been selected and fine-tuned for mainstream navigation, and screen displays can rival those of high-end systems. The graphics processor has 2D and 3D drawing capabilities for creating recognizable map objects and distinctive GUI icons. Features include 2D bold-line drawing and anti-aliasing, and 3D triangle drawing and texture mapping. The 3D graphics library has an industry standard interface and API while the 2D library is GDI-Sub compliant with Microsoft’s Windows Automotive 5.0 Service Pack 2.
The SH77721 also features a USB v2.0 High Speed host/function interface, SD card host interface, GPS baseband processing module, FM multiplex decoder, and CAN in-vehicle LAN interface, all to help lower component counts. It operates from -40°C to +85x{02da}C.
The SH77721 is packaged in a 23mm x 23mm, 440-pin BGA, with is less than half the size of the 33mm x 33mm, 520-pin BGA that houses the SH7770. To decrease chip size, the SH77721 has fewer channels for the sound interface, DMAC and SCIF. Also, it can work with just one DDR333-type DDR2 SDRAM chip instead of the four external DDR1 memory chips required by the SH7770 SH-Navi. In addition to a 16-bit DDR2 memory interface, the SH77721 has a 32-bit extension bus for connections to external flash memory or SRAM. Its memory can be shared by various function modules, which minimizes if not eliminates the need for external memory chips.
The SH77721 features on-chip debugging at 333MHz. Development tools include the E10A-USB emulator, and the High-performance Embedded Workshop IDE with C compiler and project management capabilities. A new reference platform is also available. It includes application-oriented peripheral circuits and provides a user-system actual-device verification environment. The SoC is $47 in sample quantities, and should be available in Q4 of 2008.
As the number of electronic functions in a vehicle increase, so do the number of electronic control units (ECUs) required. That‘s unavoidable in some cases, but in others, it‘s possible and beneficial to reduce the total number of ECUs by controlling multiple functions from a single location. To that end, Robert Bosch LLC is developing what it calls a domain control unit (DCU). Kay Stepper, marketing manager for Bosch‘s Chassis Systems Control Division, says the DCU is based on a 32-bit, 130nm multi-core microcontroller that‘s optimized for advanced safety applications. In its current iteration the DCU will scale to 180MHz and come with up to 4MB of flash with error correction code. It will include a floating point unit, implement AUTOSAR, and include a FlexRay interface as well as CAN and LIN interfaces.
It‘s axiomatic that the sooner a design error is discovered the cheaper it is to fix it, so it makes sense to verify, validate and test early and often.
Jon Friedman, automotive industry marketing manager at The MathWorks, says that many errors originate somewhere between requirements and specifications in the design process, so it follows that verification tools should link requirements documents to specifications and verify that the specification meets the requirements. That‘s one of the fundamental principles that underlie The MathWorks new Simulink Design Verifier. Another is the importance of formal - mathematically provable - verification to complement simulation and functional verification in assuring that the requirements on which a model is based are met.
Based on a formal methods engine - Prover Technology‘s Prover Plug-in - the Simulink Design Verifier automates test generation and property proving for Simulink and Stateflow models. It generates test cases and counterexamples automatically and performs proofs by using automated mathematical reasoning to explore model execution paths.
Friedman says the Simulink Design Verifier removes the monotony and the heavy lifting from the process of creating test cases to cover all possible usage scenarios and workflows, after which production code can be generated from the verified model using Real-Time Workshop Embedded Coder.
For applications like human machine interface and body electronics, the problem facing test engineers is the sheer number of potential inputs and values. There may be a smaller number of variables in safety and powertrain applications, but the margin for error is also less.
What‘s been your experience with testing and verification?
This blog focuses on issues and trends in the design and deployment of automotive electronics products, including chips, embedded systems, network topologies, standards, and system components for infotainment, telematics, ADAS, and more. It's a forum for engineers at every link in the value chain.
