Fujitsu Microelectronics America and Elektrobit have jointly developed two new drivers compatible with AUTOSAR release 2.1 for Fujitsu's MB91460 series of 32-bit microcontrollers. The drivers support the MB91F467DA dashboard controller and the FlexRay 2.1-compatible MB91F465XA. AUTOSAR 2.1 now encompasses FlexRay vehicle networking applications.

The MB91F467DA, an MCU with a CAN interface, is used in automotive instruments panels to drive meter needles and control odometers, trip meters, warning lights and other information displays. The MB91F465XA aims for sophisticated controls that provide communication speeds up to 10Mbps with high reliability.

Both companies will distribute the drivers, which are part of Elektrobit's EB tresos family.

"Electronic control technology is becoming pervasive in the new generation of onboard vehicle systems," said Akio Nezu, senior manager, Embedded Solutions Group, Fujitsu Microelectronics America. "As a result, the number of electronic components is increasing and the software that controls these components is becoming more complex, creating the potential for higher costs for manufacturers of vehicles and electronic control unit suppliers. By deploying AUTOSAR standards, application software can be reused on any microcontroller, enabling efficiencies and cost savings for users." Incorporating the FlexRay networking standard into the AUTOSAR specification leverages these benefits for leading-edge application designs, he added.