FPGA-based development platform
FUJITSU Microelectronics, represented in Australia by Crest Technologies , has released a FlexRay Evaluation Kit, an FPGA-based development platform that enables the design and verification of hardware and software applications before production silicon is available.
The kit consists of an FPGA board with the FlexRay communication controller, the physical layer, an MCU starter kit equipped with the MB91369, and a 32-bit FR50 core. Along with the hardware comes a software package featuring a ready-to-use communication example. The software package includes a communication stack, which meets series production requirements for evaluation purposes or prototype development of FlexRay products.
The modular design of the FPGA board assures that any updates in the protocol or physical layer specifications can be implemented quickly without the need for a complete redesign.
The board has pre-installed RS485 bus drivers. It provides sockets that allow the addition of third-party plug-in modules with FlexRay-compliant drivers. The package will meet all the design requirements for developing FlexRay applications.
The MB91369 FR50 RISC core is built with a Harvard architecture featuring a five-stage pipeline with single-cycle instruction execution. This makes the core powerful enough for the most demanding automotive applications. The 32-bit parallel bus interface of the FR50 core allows rapid access to the FlexRay controller.
12-Apr-2005