Renesas Intros MCU for Automobile Control Systems

Renesas Technology (News - Alert) America announced today that it’s rolled-out a new 32-bit microcontroller, SH72544R, which is said to be the new member of the company’s own 32-bit SuperH RISC family.

 

Renesas SH72544R MCU facilitates in designing of advanced electronic controls/ control systems for cars, automotive power trains and truck engines. The MCU mainly helps transmissions that enhance efficiency, decrease emissions, and even improves performance.

 

The new MCU is incorporated with 400-MIPS real-time processing CPU and a 2.5Mbyte flash memory that makes implementation of highly-precise control systems a reality.

 

Tokyo-based Renesas Technology Corp. provides semiconductor system solutions for mobile, automotive and PC/AV markets. The company also provides microcontrollers, LCD Driver ICs, Smart Card microcontrollers, RF-ICs, High Power Amplifiers, Mixed Signal ICs, System-on-Chip and System-in-Package. Renesas says it’s a joint venture between Hitachi, Ltd. and Mitsubishi (News - Alert) Electric Corporation.

 

Renesas says its SH72544R MCU features operational speed of up to 200MHz. It is incorporated with 2.5Mbytes of on-chip flash memory that stores highly precise real-time control algorithms, according to the company. The 400-MIPS real-time processing CPU present in it features high reliability and facilitates in producing next-generation automotive applications, company officials say.

 

Renesas’ SH72544R is incorporated with SH-2A superscalar 32-bit RISC CPU core. This provides with computing power that is required to execute very fine-grained, high-level, real-time control of engine/transmission systems.

 

SH72544R’s flash capacity is 2.5 times that of the company’s own SH7058, which is sufficient for storing larger application programs that are required to obtain high-performance.

 

Amrit Vivekanand, a marketing manager at Renesas Technology America, said, “Customers now using the SH72546RFCC software-development MCU that we introduced last year can directly use the system hardware, programs, and other design assets they have developed. Transitions of such assets to the SH72544R MCU will be quick and seamless. Leading-edge power-train control system designs that take full advantage of the capabilities and features of our new chip can provide smooth and outstanding engine and transmission performance while delivering enhanced mileage with fewer emissions.”

 

The new SuperH MCU that meets the specific requirements of advanced engine and transmission control systems has many peripheral functions as well. It features a multifunction timer (ATU-III: Advanced Timer Unit III), fast multi-channel 12-bit A/D converter, CAN interface, high-speed serial interface functions, multi-input signature generator, and more.

 

The new SuperH MCU with high level of integration is said to save costs and even enables compact controls that can fit into tight spaces such as engine compartments, transmission cases, according to the company.

 

The fabrication of the new SuperH MCU is done with 90nm process. It is said to consume less than 900mW power even while operating at 200MHz in +125°C environment.

 

Renesas’ SH72544R offers 128Kbytes of flash memory for data storage. The flash memory has functions and endurance similar to those of EEPROM, thereby eliminating the need for external EEPROM and thus reduces system costs, officials say.

 

Renesas with its unique technologies can increase the speed of the flash that is incorporated in to the chip, which usually features slower maximum operating speed than digital logic circuits when used in alternative devices.