32-bit microcontroller platform for automotive displays

18th October 2006

ES Admin

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Texas Instruments has announced an expansion of the 32-bit TMS470 microcontroller (MCU) platform, offering new devices for instrument cluster host controller applications. As the amount of information displayed in vehicles increases - from enhanced vehicle diagnostics and driver assistance features such as rear park assist cameras, to digital media and full real-time navigation systems - drivers demand higher performance graphics and more highly integrated displays.

To meet this challenge, new TMS470PLFx MCUs are targeted for systems with up to six stepper motors and are tightly coupled with TI's OMAP33x and DaVinci TMS320DM64x based graphics controller to drive high resolution liquid crystal display (LCD) and Thin-Film Transistor (TFT)

displays.

With the recent advances in vehicle digital display technology, traditional analog gauges complement, and in some instances, are being entirely replaced by digital displays. Consumers who are accustomed to

high-performance graphics in their personal computers and handheld devices demand no less from their vehicles displays - high quality graphic is a must.

The new TMS470 generation of MCUs for cluster applications will help developers build highly integrated cluster solutions that use a color graphics display controller with the real-time performance and

versatility inherent in OMAP and DaVinci technology. TMS470PLFx MCUs can directly drive small segment LCDs through its embedded 128-segment LCD controller, while the use of peripheral modules such as the High-End Timer (HET), Direct Memory Access Controller (DMA), and Multi-Buffered

SPI (MibSPI) allow the TMS470PLFx instrument cluster MCU family to directly drive some other types of digital displays with no CPU load impact. The TMS470PLFx MCUs can also drive up to 6 stepper motors

directly through the use of its intelligent peripherals, and supports modulated frequency and slew rate control to reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI).