®
Automotive Solutions
October 2002
Altera: Driving Innovation
Electronic systems are crucial to product differentiation in the
automotive market. Consumers are demanding advanced
vehicle safety systems and information services, compelling
automakers to add more complex and innovative electronic
features each model year. Microprocessors now control many
automotive functions—from antilock breaking systems (ABS)
and fuel injection systems to cutting-edge entertainment
systems. To manage these different functions, automobiles have
extensive on-board computer networks. Altera® programmable
logic devices (PLDs) provide the high-performance, costeffective solutions that these complex automotive networks
require, as well as the flexibility to let the manufacturers
keep pace in a market driven by change.
Altera is focused on giving automotive manufacturers a
competitive edge. Altera's system-on-a-programmable-chip
(SOPC) solutions combine a wide range of PLDs—fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs) and complex programmable
logic devices (CPLDs)—with optimized intellectual property
(IP) cores, hard and soft microprocessors, powerful design
software, and a wide range of development kits to create a
complete, easy-to-use design platform. Combined, these
elements create one integrated package that is currently used
in powertrain, auto PC, telematics, car radio, body controller,
and other automotive applications. In one seamless package,
automotive designers get all the tools they need to win in
this highly competitive market.
The Programmable Logic Advantage
facturing, developing, and maintenance costs. It can be used
as simple glue logic, and as a bridge to interface with various
components—facilitating easy communication between ASSPs,
microprocessors, and bus systems. It can expand features and
integrate core system functions to replace standard devices
and ASICs.
As the time and cost to develop ASICs skyrocket, PLDs can
significantly reduce engineering development time and the
associated risks of multiple silicon iterations. Unlike standard
products and ASICs, which risk re-spins as designs change,
Altera PLDs can be programmed and reprogrammed as needed
during the design process and upgraded in the field if
requirements change, even after the devices are implemented
in the vehicle. Eliminating the non-recurring engineering
(NRE) costs associated with ASIC development brings Altera
PLDs further cost advantages. Using a common hardware
platform, a designer can create differentiated systems that
support a variety of car models with one basic design while
reducing manufacturing costs. Figure 1 shows the comparison
of ASIC and PLD cost models for an example telematics
application. Using Altera PLDs instead of ASICs, designers can
gain a six-month time-to-market advantage, $11 million in
additional sales, and close to a $1 million overall
profitability advantage over a four-year product cycle.
The Altera Advantage
Altera’s programmable solutions include a wide range of
devices, hard and soft microprocessors, pre-optimized IP
cores, industry-leading design software, and easy-to-use
development kits.
Under the hood, inside the passenger compartment, and in
external diagnostic systems, programmable logic is a flexible,
low-cost method to reduce system complexity and manu-
Figure 1. PLD vs. ASIC Comparison
7
Cumulative Income with Altera PLD
– Equipment Unit Price:
$500
Quarterly Revenue with ASIC
– Gross Margin:
20%
Cumulative Income with ASIC
– Production Quantity:
50K Units per Year
– Price Deterioration:
2% per Quarter
– Production Ramp:
6 Quarters
– Product Lifetime:
4 Years
– PLD or ASIC per System:
1
– PLD or ASIC Complexity:
185 I/O Pins, 100K Gates
5
$11M in
Additional Sales
4
3
6-Month
Time-to-Market
Gain
2
2
Telematics Equipment
Quarterly Revenue with Altera PLD
6
US$
(M)
Close to $1M
Profitability Advantage
8
1
– PLD Average Selling Price: $17 (Cyclone EP1C6 Device,
0.13-µm Process)
0
– ASIC Average Selling Price: $15
-1
– ASIC Re-Spins:
1
-2
– Time-to-Market Gain
for PLD Case:
6 Months
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
Q7
Q8
Q9
Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16
Altera Corporation
Table 1. Altera Products for Automotive Electronics Applications
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Wireless Communication
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Display Controller
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Memory Control
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Interfacing
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Encoding/Decoding
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Encryption
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Error Correction
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Glue Logic
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ASIC Correction
* Indicates IP from AMPP
SM
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partners
Devices to Meet Every Need
Gateway Controller: Cyclone Device
Nios RISC
Processor
ARM922T™
RISC CPU
SDRAM
Flash
SRAM, DPRAM,
IRC1, Timer,
UART, DRAM/
Flash Controller
...
Ethernet
ATAPI2
MOST
LCD Graphic
Controller
Host Bus
Interface
CAN
Altera offers both hard and soft microprocessors that
automotive designers can use in Altera FPGAs to extend the
range of automotive applications. The Excalibur™ devices
include ARM® hard processors for microprocessor applications
that require greater than 150-MHz performance. In addition,
Altera’s Nios® soft embedded RISC processors can be used in
ACEX® 1K, Cyclone™, and Excalibur devices. The Nios processor,
an alternative to a 16-bit microcontroller, includes a 16-bit
instruction set and user-selectable 16- or 32-bit data paths.
Designers can implement single or multiple Nios processors
in each device. Table 1 shows potential applications for
Excalibur devices and Nios processors.
Auto PC:
Excalibur Device
USB
Microprocessors & Microcontrollers
Figure 2. Automotive Gateway Controller
Firewire
Altera is helping to revolutionize the automotive industry by
delivering new technologies that can integrate digital logic,
memory, and interface protocols on a single semiconductor IC.
Altera's diverse product offerings allow designers to select from
a wide range of CPLDs and FPGAs with varying amounts of
logic, memory, I/O pins, and packages. For more information on
Altera's PLD offerings for the automotive industry, see Table 1
or visit the Altera web site at www.altera.com/automotive.
Altera Corporation
■
■
■
■
■
■
Monitoring
Excalibur
■
■
Cyclone
■
■
ACEX 1K
■
■
■
MAX®
■
■
DES
■
■
NCO Compiler
GPS/Broadcast Receiver
■
■
FIR Complier
■
■
■
■
MPEG*
■
■
S/PDIF*
■
■
■
■
MP3, AAC*, IIS*
■
Video Signal Processing
■
IIC*
Audio Signal Processing
■
USB*, 1394*
■
Bluetooth*, 802.11*
■
■
CAN*
■
■
PCI, Cardbus
■
■
ARM Processor
■
Bus Systems
Nios Processor
Safety & Security
System Control
Powertrain
Body Control
Interleaving/ Deinterleaving
Device Family
Reed-Solomon, Turbo, Viterbi
Intellectual Property Cores
Telematics
Sectors
In-Car Entertainment
Applications
Notes:
(1) IRC = Interrupt controller
(2) ATAPI = advanced technology attachment packet interface
Figure 2 shows an example of an automotive gateway
controller using an Altera Excalibur subsystem (with an ARM
processor) and a Cyclone FPGA with a Nios processor. The
gateway interfaces to the body information and control bus,
such as CAN, LIN, Powerline, or FlexRay, as well as the car
multimedia bus, which can be MOST, IDB1394, USB, or Ethernet.
This interface allows many embedded control units to communicate with each other and share information in real-time.
3
Intellectual Property for Easy Design
Using pre-optimized IP can drastically reduce both engineering
costs and time-to-market. Altera offers a variety of standard
automotive interfaces and IP cores to meet most application
needs, as shown in Table 1 on page 3.
Altera and its partners is shown in Table 2; for a complete
and current list of all available development kits, please visit
the Altera web site at www.altera.com/devkits.
Quality
Altera’s Quartus® II software is a fully integrated design
environment that offers exclusive features such as timing
closure and block-based design flows to shorten design and
verification cycles. A free Web Edition of the software can be
downloaded from the Altera web site and a more comprehensive
version is available on a subscription basis.
Altera has a sophisticated quality operating system based on
the infrastructure installed to support our military products
and ISO 9001 certification, which was granted in 1994.
Altera's assembly plant partners and wafer fabrication plant
partner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation
(TSMC), are QS9000 approved. Altera's in-house reliability
and failure analysis laboratories ensure that Altera products
meet and exceed the high standards set by our customers.
Development Kits
Test Drive Altera
Altera and its partners offer a variety of development kits to
support the development and verification of SOPC designs.
These kits jump-start designs by allowing application software
development to begin early in the design flow and enabling
hardware designers to verify IP functionality quickly and
effectively. A sample of the development kits available through
The advantages of Altera’s programmable solutions give
designers the competitive edge they need to get there first and
stay on top. To find out more about Altera and to see how
our products can help drive your innovation, visit the Altera
web site at www.altera.com.
Industry-Leading Design Software
Table 2. Altera Development Kits for Processor Applications
Development Kit
Description
Nios Development Kit
The Nios Development Kit contains all tools necessary for developing effective embedded systems using the Nios
embedded processor. Altera's SOPC Builder tool and the powerful Quartus II development software create a
hardware development tool flow optimized to speed your time-to-market.
Nios Development Kit for
Cyclone Devices (1)
Capitalizing on the low-cost Cyclone devices, this development kit offers a complete hardware, software, and tools
package to get simple designs up and running quickly.
EPXA1 Development Kit
EPXA10 Development Kit
T
able
1.
Altera
Products
Based on the Excalibur EPXA1 and EXPA10 devices, these development kits are the ideal platform for developing
prototype designs for a wide range of applications. The Excalibur devices feature the ARM922T hard processor
core, along with memory and peripherals, in FPGAs.
for
Automotive
Electronics
Applications
Note (1): Available Q1 2003
®
The Programmable Solutions Company ®
Altera Offices
Altera Corporation
101 Innovation Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
USA
Tel: (408) 544-7000
www.altera.com
Altera U.K., Ltd.
Holmers Farm Way
High Wycombe,
Buckinghamshire
HP12 4XF
United Kingdom
Tel: (44) 1 494 602 000
Altera Japan, Ltd.
Shinjuku i-Land Tower 32F
6-5-1, Nishi-Shinjuku
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-1332
Japan
Tel: (81) 3 3340 9480
www.altera.co.jp
Altera International, Ltd.
2102 Tower 6
The Gateway, Harbour City
9 Canton Road
Tsimshatsui, Kowloon
Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2945-7000
Copyright © 2002 Altera Corporation. All rights reserved. Altera, The Programmable Solutions Company, the stylized Altera logo, specific device designations, and all other words and logos
that are identified as trademarks and/or service marks are, unless noted otherwise, the trademarks and service marks of Altera Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. ARM, the ARM Powered
logo, and ARM922T are trademarks of ARM Limited. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Altera products are protected under numerous U.S. and foreign patents and pending applications, mask work rights, and copyrights.
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