Date: 16/11/2011

austriamicrosystems' first FlexRay transceiver for harsh, high temp auto apps

austriamicrosystems has announced the AS8222 FlexRay transceiver with an in-package maximum ambient temperature of 150°C and bare dice with a maximum temperature of 165 °C, to work in harsh, high temperature powertrain applications.

FlexRay is designed to be faster and more reliable than CAN, provide the interface between the digital logic and the copper cable transmission lines with transmission rates up to 10 Mbit/s. FlexRay is fault tolerant and time triggered, providing dependable delivery of messages for safety applications.

The AS8222 is a single FlexRay transceiver with a battery supply connection and FlexRay bus wake-up functionality, and conforms to the FlexRay standard v2.1 rev B. austriamicrosystems AS8222 provides various bus and failure diagnostics and suitable for high-speed automotive bus systems and safety-critical applications.

Key safety and protection features of the AS8222 FlexRay transceiver include an optional interface for a two-wire bus-guardian or supervision circuits, automatic thermal shutdown protection and short circuit protection. Designing with the AS8222 is simplified as it supports 12 and 24 V systems with very low sleep current and is compatible with a wide range of microcontrollers running at 2.5, 3, 3.3, and 5 V.

"austriamicrosystems has affirmed its commitment to provide innovative products for the automotive industry with the industry's first high temperature FlexRay™ enhanced standard transceiver," noted Bernd Gessner, austriamicrosystems' VP and GM, Automotive BU. "The AS8222 FlexRay™ transceiver enhances vehicle safety by providing superior system stability and the interoperability necessary for critical powertrain applications."

austriamicrosystems says its customer project with the AS8222 will move into mass production by end of 2012. The AS8222 FlexRay transceiver is available in an SSOP20 package with an ambient temperature range of -40 to +150 °C. For added flexibility, it is also available as bare dice with a temperature range of -40 to 165°C.

Further information is available at www.austriamicrosystems.com