SPRY345C February   2022  – October 2024 DP83TG720R-Q1 , DP83TG720S-Q1 , TCAN1043A-Q1

 

  1.   1
  2.   At a glance
  3.   Introduction
  4.   Overcoming E/E architecture challenges
  5.   Power distribution challenges and solutions
  6.   Decentralization of power distribution
  7.   Replacing melting fuses with semiconductor fuses
  8.   Smart sensor and actuator challenges and solutions
  9.   Zonal modules –new microcontroller requirements
  10.   Smart sensors and actuators
  11.   Data challenges and solutions
  12.   Types of data
  13.   Time sensitivity of data
  14.   Communication security
  15.   Conclusion

Zonal modules –new microcontroller requirements

The integration of different logical I/O functions – including control loops – in a single zonal module means that the module inherits the sum of the individual requirements per I/O function, resulting in these specific requirements for MCU:

  • High real-time performance
  • A large amount of program and data memory
  • Mixed-criticality support for functions with different Automotive Safety Integrity Levels through virtualization
  • High-speed communication interfaces toward the backbone
  • Multiple instances of low-end communication peripherals (such as CAN FD or LIN) to interface with smart sensors and actuators

Addressing this diverse list of requirements necessitates MCUs to support zonal module driven requirements. In the meantime, heterogenous system-on-chips (SoCs) with sufficient real-time capabilities such as the DRA821 or AM2x embedded processors from TI can bridge the gap until optimized zone MCUs are available.