Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation has announced mass production of its Arm Cortex-M4 microcontrollers in the TXZ+™ Family Entry-Class M4L Group. The new Arm Cortex-M4 microcontrollers are aimed at single motor control applications. They also support next generation home appliances, consumer products and industrial equipment. The latest Arm Cortex-M4 microcontrollers deliver high-performance processing, integrated security and dedicated hardware for greater development efficiency and system reliability.
The need for energy-efficient products is rising in different industries. Meanwhile, manufacturers are looking for more compact designs, IoT connectivity and easier system maintenance. Hence, developers need motor-control microcontrollers that offer finer control, while minimizing product development efforts and improving operational reliability.
The new microcontrollers for single-motor control applications were developed by Toshiba. The devices integrate dedicated motor control hardware, security features and functional safety capabilities into a single chip. So this particular hardware handles the motor-control processing and alleviates the workload of the CPU. This allows developers to achieve more accurate and efficient motor control.
The microcontrollers contain an Arm® Cortex®-M4 core with a floating point unit (FPU). They work at frequencies up to 80MHz. They also feature a supply voltage range of 2.7V to 5.5V. This compatibility makes it simple to be integrated with existing 3V and 5V systems. It also adds another level of flexibility for new product designs.
Small Design Enables Flexible Product Development
The microcontrollers are available in four small packages with 44 to 64 pins. There are also two memory configurations available to meet different applications needs. The devices also feature a ±1% accuracy high-speed oscillator and an overcurrent detection comparator for emergency motor shutdown. These integrated features reduce the number of external components and minimize the space on the printed circuit board.
The microcontrollers also feature a low-power STOP2 mode. Thus, they may be a very efficient solution for battery powered applications.
The 256KB models have dual bank flash memory with two 128KB blocks. The architecture allows one program to be active while another area of memory is being refreshed. This allows developers to update firmware without affecting system operation. Also the design supports over-the-air firmware updates.
The 128KB models, on the other hand, have 64KB of data flash memory. This memory helps to store logs and manage configuration of connected applications.
Functional Safety and Security of IoT Applications
Toshiba has improved security with the integration of chip protection (CPRO), secure access memory (SAM) and non-rewritable flash protection (NRFP). These technologies help control memory permissions, protect critical data, and prevent unauthorized access. Thus, they enhance the reliability across the industrial machinery, consumer electronics and IoT devices.
The microcontrollers also support a number of communication interfaces such as UART, SPI, Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) and Serial Memory Interface (SMIF) for external memory connectivity. The devices also include functional safety features that check analog-to-digital converters, clock systems, RAM and flash memory for anomalies.
Toshiba also supplies certified software compliant with UL 60730 Class B, the functional safety standard for household appliances. This enables customers to reduce development time and simplify product certification.
Toshiba also provides product documentation, sample software and peripheral driver software to developers. The company will also offer evaluation boards and development environments through Arm® ecosystem partners. This help is offered from the first evaluation to full-scale production.
Toshiba will continue to expand its motor control microcontroller portfolio. They are also going to increase development support and help customers to accelerate next-generation product innovation.
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News Source: Businesswire.com
