1999-06-07 , E/IC-1061/28
Product News From Philips Semiconductors

Philips Semiconductors' next-generation fault-tolerant CAN¹⁾ transceiver offers improved EMC²⁾ performance, allowing manufacturers to benefit from an expanded application range in networking automotive body and comfort electronics, while offering the most cost-effective solution.

Philips Semiconductors has released a new fault-tolerant, low-speed transceiver for  CAN (Controller Area Network), the most widely used  IVN (In-Vehicle Network) standard, answering the automotive industry's demands for improved EMC performance. The  TJA1054, a drop-in replacement for existing Philips Semiconductors' transceivers in low-speed CAN networks, provides a significant reduction in RF emissions, improving signal reliability and minimizing interference with other electronic car systems. This allows CAN networks - with all their cost and design benefits - to be more widely used within automotive body and comfort applications without compromizing safety, while also allowing increased use of unshielded cabling to reduce overall networking costs.

This latest development in low-speed fault-tolerant CAN transceivers maintains Philips Semiconductors' position as innovator and global leader in CAN networks and IVN in general. Fully upwards-compatible with our existing devices, the industry's de-facto standard  PCA82C252 and  TJA1053 transceivers, the TJA1054 allows automotive module makers and other CAN-compatible equipment manufacturers to replace existing low-speed CAN transceivers and immediately gain a 20 dB improvement in RFI performance, as well as a number of feature enhancements, with no additional design changes.

"We believe the TJA1054 provides the automotive industry with the highest level of EMC performance while remaining the most cost-effective solution available", said Jeroen Gerlings, International Product Marketing Manager at the European Regional Automotive Centre (EURAC) in Nijmegen, where the chip was designed and is manufactured. "As the proliferation of electrical and electronic systems continues in cars, EMC performance is increasingly a major factor in automotive design. While interference on our TV when the washing machine or vacuum cleaner is switched on is simply a nuisance, similar interference in an automotive application could actually compromize safety. With this latest development in fault-tolerant CAN technology, Philips Semiconductors is addressing these safety issues directly, while increasing cost-effectiveness of low-speed CAN networks by allowing the use of inexpensive unshielded cables."

Primarily intended for low-speed (125 kbits/s) fault-tolerant automotive applications with up to 32 nodes, the TJA1054 is the interface between the protocol controller and the physical wires of the bus lines in a CAN network. Designed using Philips Semiconductors' latest process technology, silicon-on-insulator (SOI), the TJA1054 provides a greatly improved EMC immunity performance over its predecessors in low-power modes. In addition a very low RFI has been achieved with built-in slope control and excellent matching of the CANL and CANH bus outputs. Extended bus failure management features include automatic switching to a single-wire mode (transmitter and/or receiver) in the event of bus failures even when the CANH bus line short-circuits to V_CC. The TJA1054 transceiver also supports easy fault localization, full wake-up capability during failure modes, and a two-edge sensitive wake-up input signal.

Available in an SO14 package, full production of the TJA1054 is already underway. Prices are available from all Philips Semiconductors' sales offices worldwide.

Philips Semiconductors, a division of Royal Philips Electronics, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the eighth largest semiconductor supplier in the world. It is a committed supplier of dedicated automotive systems and components focusing on a number of core areas: in-vehicle networks (IVNs), access and immobilization, and car 'infotainment'. In many of these areas Philips Semiconductors is an acknowledged leader and is driving the development of a single integrated car telematics platform. These 'system' areas are backed by a world-class and extensive range of dedicated discrete semiconductors and sensors, and a wide portfolio of standard products. Philips Semiconductors' innovations in digital audio, video, and mobile technology also position the company as a leader in the consumer, multimedia and wireless communications markets. Sales offices are located in all major markets around the world and are supported by systems labs. Additional information on Philips Semiconductors can be obtained by accessing its home page at http://www.semiconductors.philips.com

Notes:

1. CAN - A simple, robust two-wire serial bus system, originally developed by Bosch in Germany for automotive and industrial applications. For automotive, high-speed (1 Mbits/s) CAN is the agreed standard for powertrain systems (engine management suspension and gearbox control); the low-speed (125 kbits/s) fault-tolerant version is rapidly emerging as the de-facto standard for interconnecting body and comfort electronics (lighting, seat and door modules, access and immobilization systems).
2. EMC - ElectroMagnetic Compatibility (EMC) is a measure of how one electronic circuit or device affects the performance of another. A major design factor in RF-based systems, it impacts all systems design to some extent and is especially significant in networking. Poor EMC performance can result in serious interference to network signals and, in extreme cases, prevent proper communication between networked devices.