Freescale aims to make 32-bit MCUs “software engineer friendly”
Freescale observes that as silicon content and complexity continue to rise in cars, software becomes more and more important. New vehicles commonly incorporate more than 100 million lines of embedded code – more than some passenger aircraft. While offering opportunities for innovation, software increases complexity and creates significant code maintenance and time-to-market challenges. Automotive electronics suppliers now dedicate more of their development resources to software than hardware.
S32K is, says Freescale, the first automotive MCU product line designed to significantly speed and simplify software development. The S32K has an ARM Cortex architecture, bringing scalability and compatibility for a range of automotive electronics applications traditionally served by a mix of 8-, 16- and 32-bit MCUs, while providing a strong foundation for advanced tools and software platforms.
To streamline software engineering and advance automotive software development technology beyond the Autosar Microcontroller Abstraction Layer (MCAL), Freescale is introducing a comprehensive, automotive-grade software development kit (SDK) providing middleware for a set of drivers necessary to operate S32K MCUs. The comany has created an open integration environment for developers targeting S32K MCUs. The new S32 Design Studio (DS) provides a platform capable of supporting a host of time-saving software and tools. DS is intended to eliminate months of R&D time across all phases of development, from rapid prototyping to production readiness and re-use on the next project.
Freescale also works in close collaboration with IAR Systems on high-end development tools and AUTOSAR support. IAR provides a set of software tools for developing safety applications, including a C/C++ compiler and debugger tool chain.
With the combination of Freescale’s existing Cortex-M0+-based KEA MCU family and the new, more powerful Cortex-M4-based S32K product line, Freescale says it has a scalable ARM Cortex-based portfolio for automotive applications ranging from body and chassis control to touch-sensing interfaces, to communication gateways and applications requiring electrical motor control features. Sharing the same ARM Cortex architecture, software written for these product lines is compatible across numerous MCUs and automotive applications, allowing engineers to extend the value of automotive software investments via code reuse. Freescale’s combined Cortex M0+ and M4-based automotive MCU offerings span a broad memory space and include package options from 8k to 2 MByte with, initially, 16 to 176 pins.
In addition to software hurdles, automotive engineers can also face challenges associated with designing systems that comply with current and future standards. Freescale’s S32K MCUs are designed to help simplify and speed ISO26262 assessments by applying Freescale’s SafeAssure functional safety program throughout the portfolio. The increasingly interconnected nature of a vehicle’s control modules means there is no safety without security. To support broad vehicle-level functional safety and security, S32K MCUs incorporate a Secure Hardware Extension (SHE) compliant module to help secure communications and protect the integrity of subsystems. The S32K supports CAN Flexible Data rate (CAN-FD) as well as the new FlexIO configurable peripheral, allowing customers to implement future communication protocols not yet invented, as well as to expand channels to existing on-chip hardware protocol controllers. The S32K MCUs’ ARM Cortex-M4 core architecture includes an IEEE-754 compliant Floating Point Unit (FPU), accommodating model-based design flows. The combination of a fast CPU with flexible low-power modes and low-leakage process technology means customers need not compromise performance to realize power efficiency.
Sampling of S32K devices is planned for Alpha customers in Q3 2015. General availability is planned for 2016.
IAR adds development tools
In its related announcement, IAR Systems has extended IAR Embedded Workbench a support for the S32K product line. The new microcontrollers will be supported by the complete C/C++ compiler and debugger toolchain. AUTOSAR Microcontroller Abstraction Layer (MCAL) support for the toolchain will also be available.
Since the introduction of the Kinetis product series, IAR Systems has delivered development tools for Freescale’s ARM Cortex-based MCUs. The S32K product line is based on the ARM Cortex-M4 architecture and provides scalability and compatibility within an area of the automotive market traditionally served by a mix of 8-, 16- and 32-bit solutions.
Included in the S32K microcontroller product line is the S32 Design Studio, an open integration environment with software and tools plugin availability. Developers can use the IAR Embedded Workbench IDE and connect to S32 Design Studio through the available project connection functionality. IAR Systems also provides a complete toolchain plugin for Eclipse integration of IAR Embedded Workbench. The plugin enables developers to make use of IAR Systems’ compiler and debugger from within S32 Design Studio.
The complete IAR Embedded Workbench C/C++ compiler and debugger toolchain features comprehensive debugging possibilities and smart integrated profiling tools and is available with build chain certification according to the ISO 26262 automotive functional safety standard. IAR Systems offers fully integrated static and runtime analysis tools for complete code control.
Freescale Semiconductor; www.freescale.com
IAR Systems; www.iar.com/iar-embedded-workbench/arm/
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