NXP Automotive Electronics becomes more competitive with AI and ASIL-D

Recently, NXP announced the launch of two new automotive electronics products, including S32K39 MCU and battery management digital twin technology, to expand its influence in the field of automotive electrification.

S32K39 supporting dual traction motor control

S32K39 is the latest MCU for traction inverter launched by NXP. Its specific performance indicators are shown in the figure below:

On the processor, it contains four Arm Cortex-M7 cores running at 320MHz, configured as one lockstep core and two discrete cores, and a 160MHz programmable CoolFlux DSP. In addition, in order to have stronger performance on traction motors, S32K39 also integrates two 320MHz motor control co-processors.

Brian Carlson, global marketing director of vehicle control and network solutions at NXP Semiconductors, emphasized that the S32K39 supports dual 200kHz loop control, while a typical MCU can only control one inverter with a loop frequency between 50kHz and 100kHz, so In comparison, S32K39 can support more powerful performance and include a larger number of single, dual or even four-way traction inverter motors, making the traction inverter system more scalable.

In terms of memory, S32K39 integrates up to 6 MB flash memory and 800 KB SRAM, supports end-to-end memory ECC, and also integrates redundant peripherals, built-in self-test, safety structure, etc., making it easier to achieve ASIL D safety level certification requirements.

In terms of PWM output, NXP's patented NanoEdge high-resolution PWM achieves higher performance and precision control, thereby supporting wide-bandgap semiconductor applications including silicon carbide and gallium nitride.

In terms of peripherals, the S32K39 integrates multi-channel SAR and Σ-Δ A/D converters, comparators and sine wave generators for decoder excitation. In terms of interfaces, S32K39 supports up to 6 CAN FD interfaces, TSN Ethernet and multiple advanced programmable I/Os, as well as NXP's unique zipwire bus technology. This highly integrated feature reduces the user's development threshold and system costs.

In terms of information security, by using public key infrastructure (PKI) and key management, the hardware security engine (HSE) realizes trusted boot, secure services, and secure wireless remote upgrade (OTA).

In terms of ecology and development, NXP provides a complete set of software support for components, operating system middleware, motor control, motor demonstration functions, etc., and also has a series of tools to facilitate demonstration on MATLAB. In addition, there is also a complete set of software development toolkits such as Motor Control Application Adjustment Function (MCAT), S32 Design Studio (S32DS), and S32 Configuration Tool (S32CT).

Overall, S32K39 integrates performance, integration, network, information security and functional safety, supports edge intelligent drive applications through Time Sensitive Network (TSN) Ethernet, and meets and exceeds customer needs for future motors. Its high performance, high level of functional safety, high reliability, high integration and high scalability can promote the continuous development of electric vehicle traction technology.

In addition, NXP also launched the S32K37 without dual motor control co-processor, which can be used in scenarios including battery management, power conversion, on-board charging, vehicle control, etc.

It is worth mentioning that on August 24, 2022, NXP announced that its S32 series of automotive domain processors and regional processors will continue to gain wide recognition from customers. In Europe, America, Asia and China, NXP has received awards from leading automotive manufacturers, which highlights the appeal of the S32 platform and also demonstrates the rapid development of this product. This includes a major automaker that will begin using NXP's S32 family of automotive processors and microcontrollers across a full range of future models within several years. NXP has signed a multi-year supply agreement with the automaker for the S32 series of processors, which includes upcoming 5nm ASIL-D-level processors.

Make BMS systems smarter through AI

Another recent innovation of NXP is its cooperation with Electra to use its EVE-Ai™ 360-degree adaptive control technology to stimulate the potential advantages of cloud digital twin models to achieve better real-time prediction and management of physical BMS, improve battery performance, and improve battery health (improved by up to 12%) and supports a variety of new applications (such as electric vehicle fleet management).

Dr. Andreas Schlapka, director and department manager of NXP Semiconductor's battery management system, said that NXP's battery management system can accurately collect battery data of electric vehicles and support transmission to the cloud, including NXP's S32K3-based HVBMS reference design, which provides It achieves high precision and accuracy, safely extending the battery life. Accurately measuring a battery's SOH and SOC can unleash the battery's full potential and improve driving range through accurate diagnosis. 

The other is NXP’s S32G-based automotive network processing solution. NXP GoldBox provides secure high-performance computing power and real-time network performance, as well as secure cloud connectivity, for cloud-based, data-driven automotive services. Electra’s software will generate a battery digital twin model in the cloud, reflecting the data of each battery. At the same time, if it is an electric vehicle fleet, an adaptive model can be generated through artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to help the system simulate and predict the battery, improve battery charging efficiency, and extend battery life and safety.

Schlapka emphasized that with NXP's GoldBox, data can be safely transmitted between the car and the cloud. After the artificial intelligence algorithm is trained in the cloud, it can be downloaded to the MCU to improve battery management. Actual test results show that using AI can improve battery health by 12%.

Summarize

Not long ago, NXP announced the signing of a memorandum of cooperation with Delta Electronics. The two parties will cooperate to develop next-generation electric vehicle platforms, including traction inverters and power conversion platforms. Innovation in electric vehicles is constantly strengthening, and NXP is working with more partners to improve the power and endurance of electric vehicles.

We believe that NXP’s newly launched S32K39 and cloud AI BMS solutions will help customers solve the pain points encountered during development and mass production.