 In this Issue New 32-bit ARM-based microcontroller 'C240 DSP lets designers eliminate hydraulics PowerFLEX packaging designed for auto needs Automotive Solutions from Texas Instruments Value engineering in today's cars |
Value engineering in today's cars
By Gregg Lowe, worldwide automotive MCU business unit managerIt used to be said that necessity is the mother of invention. In today's automobile industry, though, the adage has been turned on its head. Invention has become the mother of necessity. Develop a new system, such as antilock brakes or the airbag, and consumers clamor for it. In a relatively short time, the feature is viewed not as a luxury, but as a basic requirement. It migrates from the list of optional extras to become a standard feature. The increasing pace of this migration intensifies pressures on auto makers to develop new electronic systems quickly and cost effectively. Getting to market first with a new option -- before consumers begin to perceive it as a necessity -- helps the auto maker and its suppliers recover research and development costs before competition forces the price down. Recent advances in IC design and manufacture promise to speed up system develop-ment and reduce costs. A system on a chip is now practical, and designers can take components from concept to production in as little as six months. Value engineering -- taking best advantage of semiconductor capabilities -- is the challenge now facing the auto industry. The challenge of value engineeringWith the capability to choose any level of integration up to and including a single chip system, it becomes incumbent on designers to identify and implement the most cost- effective solution. And they must do so within the context of the total electronics built into the automobile. To achieve maximum value, each system must be viewed as a component of the super-system, not as an isolated engineering problem.While integration generally is desirable, there often is a point at which it becomes more expensive than discrete components. The goal is to reach a level of integration that serves the system in a cost-effective way. In an engine management system, for example, the integration of relatively low technology, high current FETs on the same die with a highly complex microcontroller core and large memory would cost significantly more than using two devices to do the job. On the other hand, instrument clusters, with smaller microcontroller/memory requirements, are prime candidates for nearly total integration. Single chip systems can be configured to include control functions, power supply modules and gauge drivers. To achieve true value engineering, sharing resources is essential. For example, today's digital signal processing (DSP) solutions and high performance 32-bit RISC machines offer enough throughput to handle the computing needs of several systems simultan-eously. Well suited for the demanding environment, DSPs and MCUs already are widely used in various automotive electronic systems. Value engineering would consider shar-ing a single controller across several systems. The computing muscle available in today's processors has several implications for automotive electronics. First, it means that ever greater levels of integration will be possible. Second, it suggests that centralized processing, even in distributed systems, will make more and more sense. Third, it permits the development of more sophisticated electronic features than are practical in today's automobiles. Design imagination, not semiconductor capabilities, becomes the major limiting factor in the development of new options that will add value to automobiles.
Partners in value engineeringTo make the most of the performance capacity available while containing costs and slashing cycle time, TI has become a partner with its automotive customers in value engineering. Our company recognizes that the semiconductor maker not only must produce chips that meet design specifications, it also must be sure that the devices can be integrated into the rest of the system and that the system as a whole will work reliably through its product life. In other words, the semiconductor company must accept a share of responsibility for the design of the entire product even when key components -- switches, sensors, connectors, etc. -- are wholly mechanical. TI is working to develop a heightened awareness of the super-system in which a particular product will operate. Repartitioning the super-system and sharing resources among electronic systems will require increasing insight into the automobile industry as well as greater knowledge of OEMs' concerns.Whole vehicle systems design is not a new concept, but improved integration capa-bilities enhance the need for its implementation. As more functions move to a single chip and more features are implemented in silicon, the idea of independent systems operating in isolation becomes less and less appealing. |