Engines of change: microcontrollers evolve to meet the challenges of the open road, adding power, peripherals, and memory options.(GLOBAL REPORT: AUTOMOTIVE)

AWAY FROM THE BOOM-AND-BUST CYCLES of consumer electronics, the global automotive industry continues to thrive as an outlet for semiconductor vendors and equipment makers. According to market-research company IC Insights, automakers consumed $11.5 billion of automotive ICs in 2004, and their appetite continues to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 10%.

For semiconductor vendors, the growing diversity of automotive applications creates opportunities for microcontrollers, DSPs, and hybrids that combine elements from both disciplines, leaving designers to ponder the eternal "best-choice" question. This situation is especially true for new applications, which offer no code or tool-set legacy. At the same time, automotive-electronics designers recognize that with the proliferation of auto-motive ECUs (electronic-control units), they must view the vehicle's architecture as a whole and not simply keep adding new subsystems into what then becomes a structural nightmare.

Despite the fact that the automotive market is highly cost-sensitive, choosing among 8-, 16-, and 32-bit architectures is no longer a clear-cut issue. Given adequate computing power and the right mix of peripherals for the application, the choice of processor often reduces to issues such as a designer's preference for development tools and the level of support that a vendor provides. Additionally, the automotive industry is understandably conservative and unlikely to walk away from an established supply chain without a good reason.

Like his peers, Stefan Steyerl, director of marketing for embedded media processors at Analog Devices' European DSP and systems division, acknowledges that each vendor needs to focus on certain applications. "With our Blackfin architecture, we are leveraging our experience with the Sharc DSP to concentrate on entertainment, safety, and telematics systems," he says, adding that it's essential for vendors to identify what he calls "dislocations" in the market. "Although Blackfin is code-density-competitive with ARM and runs at up to 600 MHz at automotive temperatures, users with substantial code legacies require very convincing arguments to move to a new architecture--such as to solve new problems" he says.

In fact, the company's focus on "infotainment" and telematics applications is purely a strategic decision, as Blackfin has the technical ability to tackle, for instance, engine-management roles. Steyerl predicts a big future for the Blackfin family due to its ability to combine DSP and control functions in applications such as airbag deployment. Systems currently under development employ pressure sensors and cameras to dynamically assess an occupant's size, weight, and position within the vehicle to make the best deployment judgment in the event of a collision.

Available with a variety of peripherals, including embedded CAN (controller-area-network) controllers, Blackfin's ability to process video streams using its optional CCIR-656 interface is currently finding use in rear-seat entertainment applications, as well as within vision-based, driver-assistance systems. …

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