TMS570F MCUs with dual ARM Cortex-R4F CPUs reduce complexity and time-to- market for braking, steering, advanced driver assistance and chassis control
"According to Strategy Analytics, the number of microcontrollers per car is forecast to double by 2012," said Wayne Lyons, Director, Embedded Solutions, ARM. "Added to this growth, the sophistication of safety control functions is expected to increase substantially. TI's Cortex-R4F processor- based TMS570F MCUs offer designers a way to reduce that complexity while offering top-notch performance and the ability to differentiate their solutions."
Floating point adds precision and differentiation, speeds time-to-market
The TMS570F MCU is the industry's first dual core Cortex-R4F processor- based floating-point MCU, and allows automotive system designers to implement both single and double precision floating point math depending on performance requirements. Accelerated multiply, divide and square root functions enable physical model-based control through development environments like The Mathworks Real Time Workshop(TM) and ETAS ASCET(TM). These graphical-based environments help engineers accelerate complex safety application designs and add differentiation through custom vehicle control algorithms for unique handling, ride and user experience. As the demand for differentiated, safety- critical automotive applications increases, MCU-based systems that can meet these performance demands via integrated, intelligent systems will become increasingly important.
"Embedded control will continue to be a primary driver of high-end automotive microcontroller performance and functional development," said Mark Fitzgerald, senior analyst with Strategy Analytics. "However, going forward, multi-sensor advanced driver assistance system applications will increasingly emerge as high performance processor drivers. As a result, multi-core designs will increase for greater computational performance."
Developers typically begin creating algorithms in a floating point environment for validation, and then convert the code to run on fixed-point devices. Using the TMS570F MCU, however, developers can now eliminate the weeks - and often months - of time spent contending with scaling, saturation and adjustment of numerical resolution required in fixed point implementations. The dual core lockstep implementation also simplifies software development by removing redundant safety system requirements.
Safety designed from the ground up
Hardware built in self test (BIST) of both memory and CPU functions further increases integration and lets designers detect latent defects without using complex safety software drivers that reduce performance and have significant code size overhead. Hardware comparison of the CPU's outputs provides on line diagnostics with exceptional safety response time and no additional software overhead.
The Cortex-R4F processor-based MCU is designed to meet error-free automotive safety standards and provide system-wide protection through seamless support for error detection from the processor, through the interconnect and into the memories. The error correction code (ECC) logic is integrated into the Cortex-R4F CPU, which protects both the memories and busses. Because ECC is evaluated within the CPU, the system takes advantage of the eight-stage pipeline to allow time for ECC evaluation with no performance impact. In the event of a memory error, the ECC logic will correct it, rather than just communicating the error and stopping the system.
"As a leading consultancy for functional safety, Exida Consulting worked closely with TI and performed a detailed review of their development processes and conducted a reliability analysis, founding that the TMS570PSFC66 device meets all of the relevant SIL 3 requirements of IEC 61508," said Bill Goble, CEO, Exida Consulting LLC. "This partnership has enabled TI to further enhance their knowledge of IEC 61508 safety requirements and has allowed Exida to extend their safety expertise to the development of complex multi-core processors for automotive safety applications."
ARM at the heart of TMS570F MCUs
The TMS570F MCU platform uses two identical ARM Cortex-R4F processors combined with an initial two Mbytes of on-chip flash memory. Industry standard peripherals include FlexRay(TM) protocol controller, up to three CAN and two LIN modules along with TI's high-end timer co-processor and two 12-bit analog to digital converters (ADC). Targeted applications include chassis control, braking, electronic vehicle stability and steering as well as advanced driver assistance with higher and lower memory and performance variations in development.
Broadening portfolio of innovation and leadership in automotive applications
TI processors have a history of leadership and innovation in the automotive industry. TI's ARM processor-based TMS470 MCU, for example, is used in the majority of automotive safety systems around the world such as antilock braking systems, electronic stability control systems and airbag electronics, while TI's leading digital signal processors (DSP) offer innovative solutions for infotainment, navigation, and vision- and radar-based driver assist systems. The TI automotive portfolio also extends into mixed signal solutions, integrating analog-, power-, digital-circuits.
TI is committed to the automotive market, providing OEMs and system suppliers with a broad digital and analog portfolio of superior-quality, reliable, innovative and cost-effective solutions. TI products address electronics in the car for systems ranging from power train to braking to audio and infotainment. The company has achieved ISO/TS16949:2002 certification at 36 facilities worldwide. For more information on TI's automotive products, please see http://www.ti.com/automotive.
About Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) helps customers solve problems and develop new electronics that make the world smarter, healthier, safer, greener and more fun. A global semiconductor company, TI innovates through manufacturing, design and sales operations in more than 25 countries. For more information, go to www.ti.com.
Trademarks
ARM is a registered trademark of ARM Limited. Cortex is a trademark of ARM Limited. "ARM" is used to represent ARM Holdings plc; its operating company ARM Limited; and the regional subsidiaries: ARM, Inc.; ARM KK; ARM Korea Ltd.; ARM Taiwan Limited; ARM France SAS; ARM Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.; ARM Belgium N.V.; AXYS Design Automation Inc.; ARM Germany GmbH; ARM Embedded Technologies Pvt. Ltd.; and ARM Norway, AS.
FlexRay is a trademark of DaimlerChrysler AG. Real Time Workshop(TM) and ETAS ASCET(TM) are trademarks of The Mathworks and ETAS, respectively. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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