Microcontroller has on-chip flash memory
19 October 2009
Renesas has announced the SH72546R SuperH*1 Family microcontroller, for use in engine control systems.
The device combines high-speed operation of up to 200MHz with flash memory capacity of 3.75MB.
This is the third in Renesas Technology’s line of high-performance control MCUs fabricated using a 90nm process node to integrate large-capacity flash memory. It is designed for powertrain control applications, which demand a more fine-grained and agile response to achieve environmental goals such as reduced exhaust emissions and improved fuel economy.
It retains the 200MHz high-speed operation of the earlier SH72544R, while expanding the on-chip flash memory size by 50% to 3.75MB, enabling storage of even larger programs. The new SH72546R is fully compatible with the SH72544R’s functions, package and pin assignment. This allows system hardware and software design resources developed for the earlier device to be adapted to the SH72546R quickly and seamlessly.
The SH72546R incorporates the same SH-2A high-performance core as the earlier devices in the series. This core, having a superscalar structure and Harvard architecture, achieves 400MIPS at 200MHz operation, enabling it to achieve sophisticated real-time control involving more complex operation processing demanded by engine or transmission control applications.
Despite its large-capacity on-chip flash memory, it offers outstanding low power consumption across the complete temperature range, even when operating at 200MHz. The device is able to operate in ambient temperatures up to 125°C; an essential feature for automotive applications.
The SH72546R also includes 128Kbytes of flash memory with functions essentially equivalent to those of EEPROM for data storage, making external memory unnecessary, and thus contributes to reduced system costs. Generally, a flash memory has a slower maximum operating speed than a logic circuit due to its operating principle. In addition to using Renesas’ technologies to increase the speed of the flash memory in this product, the SH72546R also features a low-power cache system to optimize the use of flash memory. Not only do these technologies minimise power consumption, but they also boost performance to make it essentially equal to single-cycle access at 200MHz.
The SH72546R includes a wide range of peripheral functions. In addition to a multifunction timer (ATU-III: Advanced Timer Unit III), which is useful for both engine and transmission control, the new device also features a high-speed 12bit A/D converter, CAN*2 interface, and high-speed serial interface functions.
The SH72546R is fully compatible, in both functions and package, with the earlier SH72546RFCC, which was designed for program development and includes large-capacity emulation RAM*3 for highly efficient debugging. Customers can easily transfer systems developed using the SH72546RFCC to the new SH72546R, enabling a decrease in overall system development time.
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