NATIONAL Semiconductor, represented in Australia by Arrow Electronics , has released four connectivity processors that connect different types of devices in automobiles via wide area, local area, or personal area networks.
The processors use Bluetooth wireless technology, controller area network (CAN), and universal serial bus interfaces. Additional software accelerates development of telematics applications such as hands free communication devices as well as information and entertainment devices such as off-board automotive GPS navigation systems. The connectivity processors also can be used in consumer, medical, and industrial applications such as remote sensors or personal health data loggers.
For wireless applications, the CP3000 processors include a fully embedded Bluetooth interface with baseband processing, a host protocol stack, and dedicated profiles. Additional features include a 12-bit analogue to digital converter, additional serial interfaces, and increased memory.
The CP3BT23, CP3BT26, CP3UB26 and CP3CN23 connectivity processors have the CompactRISC 16-bit microcontroller core as well as several on-chip peripherals. Each processor features 256 kilobytes of on-chip Flash, 32 kilobytes of on-chip static RAM, an additional 8 kilobytes of on-chip data Flash, and the ability to address up to 12 megabytes of external memory. Additional functions and interfaces include timer units, multifunction timers, audio interfaces, USART, UART, Microwire, and SPI interfaces, programmable I/O ports, an on-chip clock, a phased-lock loop, and a watchdog timer. The processors run from 0MHz to 24MHz and are available in an extended temperature range of -40°C to 85°C.
Both the CP3BT23 and CP3BT26 reprogrammable connectivity processors include the Bluetooth baseband and allow the implementation of a fully embedded Bluetooth stack with a customer's application code. The processors allow easy access from user-developed application code to Bluetooth functionality through an application programming interface (API). This allows a designer to program the host protocol stack and dedicated profiles into the on-chip Flash program memory, eliminating the need for a separate host/system controller and saving cost, board space, and power.
The CP3BT23 connectivity processor integrates Access.bus, SPI, dual-CAN, and four UART interfaces. The CP3BT26 connectivity processor integrates USB, Access.bus, SPI, CAN, and four UART interfaces. The USB interface is suitable for consumer and computing devices that require a high-speed serial interface, while the CAN suited to electrically noisy environments in automotive and industrial applications. The embedded interfaces enable easy communication with other automotive systems, such as car dashboard displays, CD-ROM-based navigation systems, and car radios.