Date: 29/09/2011

MCU from Atmel with AES-128 protocol stack for car key fobs

Atmel Corporation has made available of a new ultra-low power AVR microcontroller (MCU) with AES-128 immobilizer protocol stack. The Atmel ATA5790N includes LF immobilizer functionality and a 3D LF receiver in a single 5mm x 7mm package. Atmel suggests when this IC is combined with the companion device ATA5830 RF transmitter, the Atmel ATA5790N is suitable for high-volume uni- and bi-directional car key fobs for passive entry and passive start systems.

The AVR microcontroller provides 16k Flash and 2k EEPROM. Within the 16k Flash, 14kB is available for the application software, while 2kB is available for the immobilizer functionality. The core is surrounded by specific hardware accelerators, which allows for an implementation of any immobilizer protocol in the software without the typical current consumption impact.

Atmel says the Atmel ATA5790N offers the lowest current consumption in the industry, with a listening mode of less than 4.5 microampere. Lower current consumption can extend the battery life significantly for car key fobs. The 3D LF RSSI measurement with maximum sensitivity allows for a quick and accurate key fob localization.

"Consumers don't want to change a key fob battery often or have unexpected surprises when the battery on the fob dies," said Nicolas Schieli, senior marketing manager for car access products, Atmel Corporation. "The Atmel ATA5790N solves this problem by offering ultra-low power technology to extend the battery life of a key fob. This feature enables designers to create end products with ultimate performance and low power in next-generation key fobs."

The built-in AES-128 cryptographic engine, along with the Atmel protocol stack, provides maximum-security protection with fast authentication time, which is critical to immobilizer systems, according to Atmel. Atmel also claims as an open-source solution, AES-128 encryption is far more secure than competitive proprietary solutions since peer reviewing increases fault detection.

The Atmel AES-128 immobilizer protocol stack is the open source stack, which interoperates between chips from different semiconductor vendors.

Available: Now in samples
Price: $1.80 USD for 10K pieces
Package: 5mm x 7mm QFN38 package