Freescale Tower System Development Platform Automotive Sensor Module

Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE: FSL) has announced a new automotive sensor module for its popular Tower System development platform. The new module is designed to help engineers quickly design and build innovative automotive applications such as airbags, electronic stability control, electronic parking brakes, tilt angle measurement and engine control systems.

The Tower System Automotive Sensor Development Kit combines 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) microelectromechanical system (MEMS) based sensors and analog products into a single development board. The kit supports the full range of Freescale Xtrinsic automotive sensors.

Automotive sensors are used in vehicles to improve performance, comfort and safety. According to a survey by IHS iSuppli, as vehicle production continues to increase and mandatory safety system requirements take effect in North America, Australia, Europe, Japan and China, global demand for automotive MEMS-based sensors will increase significantly in 2012.

“The new automotive sensor modules for Freescale’s Tower System provide engineers with a ready-to-use selection of tools and software to help reduce development time for automotive systems,” said Seyed Paransun, vice president and general manager of Freescale’s Sensor and Actuation Solutions Division. “We are extending our automotive MEMS leadership by providing easy-to-use, affordable development tools that encourage innovative designs.”

The Tower System is a trusted development platform for sensor programming that goes beyond simple device evaluation. It provides a comprehensive and highly customizable embedded design environment that allows designers to mix and match MCUs with peripheral boards to create a reconfigurable development platform to fit their design requirements. Interchangeable modules promote hardware reuse in multiple architectures, while modular design reduces overall tool costs and does not require much expense to get started in the field.

Advanced sensor modules

The Tower System Automotive Sensor Development Kit includes a complete set of interchangeable sensor modules:

Low G (gravity acceleration) XY accelerometer (MMA6900)

Medium G (gravity acceleration) XY accelerometer (MMA6500/MMA6800)

PSI5 protocol high-G (gravitational acceleration) X and Z sensors (MMA5000)

DSI protocol high-G (gravitational acceleration) X and Z sensors (MMA1600/MMA2600)

Development boards for PSI5 (MC33789) and DSI (MC33781) communication protocols

In addition, the Tower System for the Automotive Sensor Development Kit has an onboard 8-bit S08 MCU with 6K RAM and 96K Flash. Open Source Background Debug Mode (OSBDM) hardware allows each board to serve as a standalone debug tool.

About Freescale Tower System

The Freescale Tower System is a modular development platform that helps developers quickly evaluate and prototype applications. Designers can choose from a growing family of controllers and peripheral modules. Simply select development boards (modules) with the required features and functionality and combine them to build a Tower System. In addition, standardized open source hardware allows Freescale customers and partners to design additional modules for more functionality and customization.