Cypress Introduces Single-Chip Automotive MCU Solution that Drives Hybrid Instrument Clusters, Head-up Displays and Traditional Gauges

Cypress Semiconductor Corp. announced a new addition to its Traveo™ automotive microcontroller family with more memory for program code and graphics to support hybrid instrument cluster applications. The new, highly integrated devices in the S6J32xE series provide a single-chip solution that can drive graphics on head-up displays or traditional gauges, but also provides scalability with Cypress’s low-pin-count HyperBus™ memory interface. The addition continues Cypress’s expansion of its broad automotive portfolio that delivers differentiating performance via its MCUs, memories, wireless radios, capacitive-touch solutions, Power Management ICs (PMICs) and other technologies.

The Traveo S6J32xE series features up to 4MB of high-density embedded flash, 512 KB RAM and 2 MB of Video RAM, along with an ARM® Cortex®-R5 core at 240 MHz performance. The MCUs have up to two 12-pin HyperBus memory interfaces that dramatically improve read and write performance of graphical data and other data or code. The devices can use a single HyperBus interface to connect to two memories for Firmware Over-The-Air (FOTA) updates, which enable end-users to get new software fixes, features and applications for their vehicles on-the-go. The series includes a Low-voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS) video output, providing a suitable interface to attach external displays such as Thin-Film-Transistors (TFTs). The MCUs support all in-vehicle networking standards required for instrument clusters, including Controller Area Network-Flexible Data (CAN-FD) and Ethernet AVB.

 

"These new Traveo MCUs are another example of our commitment to expand our automotive portfolio to meet the changing needs of our customers, in this case, addressing the strong growth trend of hybrid clusters and head-up displays", said Takeshi Fuse, senior vice president of the Automotive Business Unit at Cypress. "These new devices provide automotive manufacturers with a high-performance and cost-effective platform, adding to Cypress’s ability to bring advanced functionality to mainstream vehicles".

The new Traveo derivatives from the S6J32xE series integrate enhanced secure hardware extension (eSHE) for robust security. The HyperBus interface enables seamless connections with Cypress’s HyperFlash™ and HyperRAM™ memories, which deliver read/write bandwidth of up to 200 MBps per channel in combination with Traveo MCUs. The MCUs include 50 channels of 12-bit Analog to Digital Converters (ADC), 12 channels of multi-function serial interfaces and I2S interfaces and an AUDIO DAC to output the complex, high-quality sounds required in today’s instrument clusters. Support for Ethernet AVB delivers increased bandwidth in multimedia applications and reduced programming time, while a MediaLB interface enables communication with legacy media communication systems. The S6J32xE series supports a wide ambient temperature range of -40˚C to +105˚C.

Availability

The Traveo S6J32xE series is sampling now and will be in production in the early 2017. The MCUs are available in TEQFP-208 and TEQFP-216 packages.