Date: 22/10/2008

Low cost graphics display controller for hybrid cluster configurations

Fujitsu Microelectronics America, Inc. launched the latest member of its Graphics Display Controller (GDC) family, the MB88F322, designed to provide a low-cost, solution for a variety of hybrid cluster configurations.
The new chip is designed for display-based automotive applications including instrument clusters, heads-up displays, central information displays, and rear-seat entertainment systems.
Functioning as a sprite engine optimized to process and animate sprites and bitmaps in a variety of sizes and color depths, the new graphics display controller incorporates on-board features that reduce the total cost and the system power consumption.
Some of the key features are explained below:
1. It does not incorporate a traditional 2D/3D rendering engine. This enables it to operate at frequencies of just 80MHz with reduced power consumption.
2. The sprite engine also does not require the frame buffer memory typically needed for graphics rendering units.
3. Instead it uses line-buffering technique. So the device requires minimal on-board memory.
4. For splash screens and other more complex content, it features run-time data compression for expansion of run-length encoded data.
5. It also supports the Automotive Pixel Link (APIX) interface, which enables multiple remote display subsystems to be managed by one controller.
6. The image-processing system of the chip provides 1-, 2-, 4-, and 8-bit indirect color palettes, along with 14-bit and 16-bit direct color modes for finer gradient coloring.
7. A 4/8 bit alpha-plane and dithering-and-gamma unit helps to improve the image quality.
8. The display controller supports a variety of display sizes with resolutions up to 800 x 600 and color depths of 8-, 16- and 24-bits.
9. The chip integrates six on-chip stepper motor controllers (SMC),
10. It also has on-chip pulse width modulators (PWM), ADCs, I2C, UARTs, and a sound generator.
Pricing: 208-pin Quad-flat package (QFP)


For more details visit: www.fujitsu.com/us/services/edevices/microelectronics/