Infineon Launches Green Automotive Microcontroller Family

To meet the performance requirements of next-generation emission standards, Infineon Technologies launched an integrated microcontroller family for automotive powertrain and chassis applications. The Audo Future family of 32-bit microcontrollers uses the TriCore core that combines microcontroller functions with digital signal processing and the industry's highest-density flash memory. The family also includes the first FlexRay communications block to be approved by TÜV Nord Group's Institute for Vehicle Technology and Mobility, as well as AUTOSAR software and a peripheral control processor for additional system performance. "The high performance and integration make Audo Future the microcontroller of choice for the next generation of hybrid diesel and other engines that can operate in either a gasoline or diesel mode to get the highest-performing engines with optimized fuel consumption and emissions," Jochen Hanebeck, senior vice president and general manager of the Microcontrollers business unit at Infineon Technologies, said in a statement. The Audo Future family is fully compatible with the company's previous Audo family of 32-bit microcontrollers, enabling easy upgrades. It's suitable for the coming OnBoard Diagnostics requirements (OBD2) for a vehicle's self-diagnostic functions like emissions monitoring, including EURO6 and Tier2 Bin5 in the U.S. It is also scalable, ranging from the 180 MHz TC1797 with 4 Mbytes of flash and integrated FlexRay controller, to the 133 MHz or 80 MHz TC1767 with 2Mbytes of flash, to the entry level 80 MHz TC1736 with 1Mbyte of flash. Pricing ranges from $14.50 to $29 in volumes of 100,000, and volume production is expected to begin in 2009.