M16C and H8/Tiny Adopted for Control of Body System Components throughout the Vehicle, with Increasing Use Being Made of Both Centralized and Distributed Control

AISIN SEIKI's products are being adopted in more and more car models to give passengers the impression that they are being well treated and have received substantial value and convenience for their purchase. "When it comes to body system components, auto makers are quick to pick up on the changing preferences of their customers and then to build on those preferences. Despite the fact that automotive parts are typically thought of as having longer development periods than products such as home appliances, body system components require relatively short development times," Mr. Mori said.

Key issues in the development process include how best to combine electronic and mechanical control and how to handle the trade-offs between common systems and custom development. Control-oriented microcomputers are a key factor in designs for body control systems.

Several industry trends are impacting these designs. One is that there is an increasingly limited amount of space available for the ECUs used for control. Another trend is the move to approaches that combine both centralized and distributed elements. "For example, one potential configuration for door control is to use a single ECU per door for centralized control, combined with distributed microcomputer controls incorporated into the individual motors and other actuators," Mr. Mori explained.

In its body systems, AISIN SEIKI makes extensive use of Renesas microcomputers, including devices in the M16C/Tiny, R8C Tiny, and H8/Tiny series. "We currently use Renesas microcomputers for almost all our body system products," noted Mr. Mori.

The company has been using Hitachi and Mitsubishi Electric microcomputers for more than a decade. "In the years since those semiconductor operations were merged, Renesas has developed and released new microcomputers such as the R8C/Tiny series, building on the best technologies of the parent companies. As a microcomputer user, the resulting enhancements in device performance and features have contributed to our improved competitiveness," said Mr. Mori.

The reasons that AISIN SEIKI has selected Renesas microcomputers include their internal flash memory, excellent noise tolerance, and low power consumption, as well as the availability of development systems. The company has particularly high expectations for the use of devices with internal flash memory. "The specifications for body systems often aren't finalized until late in the vehicle development process. This reality makes flash microcomputers very attractive because the devices can be programmed with the latest software even when systems are on the production line. I expect that flash microcomputers will make up the majority of the microcomputers we use within a few years. In this respect, we have faith in Renesas' advanced technology and extensive expertise in the field of flash memory," said Mr. Mori.

AISIN SEIKI expects that future control systems are likely to combine both centralized and distributed elements. The company anticipates using microcomputers in the M16C/Tiny series for sophisticated ECUs and devices in the R8C/Tiny series for associated distributed functions.