Freescale Semiconductor offers its MPC5500 MCU family for engine and transmission control applications. Based on the e200 Power Architecture core and built on 130 nm technology, the MPC5500 family includes the MPC5534/33, with variable-length encoding (VLE) for improved code density; the MPC5553, with Fast Ethernet for engine control and other real-time management applications; the MPC5565, with 2 MB of flash, VLE, and floating-point capabilities for midrange powertrain applications, and the MPC5566, with 3MB of flash for memory-intensive powertrain applications.

Freescale is providing 32-bit Power Architecture MCUs for the hybrid drive train used in the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid and GMC Yukon Hybrid, GM's full-size hybrid SUVs. The vehicles use the two-mode hybrid system developed by GM, Chrysler, Mercedes, and BMW Group. In the first mode, at low speed and light loads, the vehicle can operate with electric power only, engine power only, or a combination of engine and electric power. The second mode, used primarily at highway speeds, provides full eight-cylinder engine power for passing other vehicles, pulling a trailer or climbing a steep grade.

The two-mode hybrid transmission is said to boost the fuel economy of the SUVs and large luxury vehicles by up to 50% in city driving compared to traditional gasoline engines. Powertrain control units based on Freescale MCUs monitor driving conditions and select the proper transmission mode automatically.

Freescale and STMicroelectronics have produced silicon for four 90 nm automotive Power Architecture microcontroller products resulting from the companies' joint design program, initiated two years ago. Target applications for the MCUs include powertrain.

Roger Forchammer, technical marketing manager for 16- and 32-bit MCUs at STMicro, explained that the collaboration with Freescale gives ST a leg up in powertrain applications, especially in North America, and also creates opportunities for Freescale, especially in Europe. Forchammer said the trend in North America is toward larger engines, while in Europe and Asia, designers opt for turbocharging four-cylinder vehicles.

“The market is very much in flux,” Forchammer said, “but we're seeing (semiconductor) sockets in all directions.” ST and Freescale are currently sampling a 32-bit Power PC MCU called Monaco that targets four-cylinder engines. It's based on an 80 MHz, e200Z3 core and comes with either 1 MB or 1.5 MB of flash memory. The part also features an engine control timer peripheral that offloads time- and angle-related calculations from the main processor. Forchammer said ST and Freescale intend to stress the reusability of code when marketing the Monaco and other processors based on the firms' collaboration.

Figure 2. Renesas’ 32-bit SH72546RFCC MCU targets real-time engine and transmission control applications.

Renesas Technology America touts the large memory capacity of its 32-bit SH72546RFCC microcontroller, which targets real-time engine and transmission control applications. Built with a 90 nm process node, the device achieves an operating speed of 200 MHz, can withstand temperatures up to 125 °C, and features up to 3.75 MB of on-chip flash plus 128 KB of on-chip flash with functions virtually equivalent to those of EEPROM. Amrit Vivekanand, marketing manager for Renesas' automotive business unit, said the chip's memory is sufficient for storing high-precision, real-time control algorithms.

The SH-2A CPU core of the SH72546RFCC is an enhanced superscalar design with a built-in double precision floating-point unit said to deliver about four times the performance of the 80 MHz Renesas SH-2E (SH-2 and single-precision FPU) core currently used in powertrain systems. A cache unit allows single-cycle access to the on-chip flash memory at 200 MHz for application processing.

The SH72546RFCC is a preproduction device optimized for control program development. It offers features tailored for software design and debugging, and forms the basis for a mass-production product family. The company promises that engineers who develop systems using the SH72546RFCC will be able to make a seamless transition to lower-cost mass-production devices.

Figure 3. Continental supplies the power electronics module in BMW’s X5-based Vision EfficientDynamics concept vehicle. Continental said the compact module is flange-mounted on the vehicle’s transmission housing.

Powertrain engineering provides ample opportunities for innovation. Continental is supplying the power electronics module that controls the flow of energy between the engine and the energy accumulator on BMW's X5-based Vision EfficientDynamics concept vehicle. Continental said the compact module is flange-mounted on the vehicle's transmission housing and added that engineers are working on an even smaller module — one that will fit in the space otherwise occupied by the alternator. Its design allows components to be used for different power categories and various installation circumstances.

Hella KGaA Hueck & Co. develops microcontroller-based throttle control actuators and fuel pump modules, and has designed an integrated chassis control module with diagnostic capabilities for a major U.S. automaker. Product marketing manager Roland Franz said Hella's products help reduce fuel consumption, lighten the electrical load within the vehicle, and eliminate components and associates costs.

BorgWarner subsidiary BERU AG has developed glow plugs that heat up in less than a second to help diesel engines start faster and more safely. Eduardo Vultorius, vice president and general manager of Beru's North American operations, said new glow plug control modules can maintain temperature more accurately and reduce cold start power requirements by two thirds. They also last longer than earlier models.