Automotive electronics require components that are compact, operate at low temperatures and maintain reliability when subjected to stress. Lattice Semiconductor products excel in this application because they provide low-power FPGAs that connect sensors and process high-speed video while controlling platforms and enable thermal and EMI compliance without requiring excessive hardware development.
Why Lattice in cars?
Start with the device families. The CrossLink-NX platform specializes in embedded vision applications through its ability to merge multiple MIPI camera feeds which reduces processing work on application processors. The Nexus platform of Lattice serves as the foundation for creating compact packages at low power consumption which suits small modules in rearview mirrors and headliners.
The Certus-NX FPGA platform provides both flexibility and general-purpose usage with its dense I/O interface and low soft-error rate performance from 28 nm FD-SOI technology while maintaining power consumption that supports thermal requirements. The automotive-grade versions of Certus-NX exist for environments with harsh conditions and extended product lifecycles.
The MachXO family works well for control and platform management because it includes reset sequencing and power-tree supervision functions as well as glue logic and secure control functions. The MachXO3D auto-grade options operate within specific temperature ranges that match automotive requirements. Your main SoC can benefit from using these components to transfer the responsibility of board management functions.
Designed for Automotive Realities
Automotive parts are distinct from industrial components beyond receiving a new label designation. Lattice provides components and supporting materials that match automotive requirements along with AEC-Q100 qualified parts that serve as the fundamental standard for numerous in-vehicle integrated circuits. The Lattice datasheet or product brief mentions “automotive” to indicate that it has been qualified for vehicle applications through specific screening and testing.
Lattice Semiconductor provides pre-built development solutions which help accelerate product development. The Lattice Drive stack supports automotive video systems by connecting camera links and accelerating the deployment of ADAS/IVI solutions with sufficient power for other ECU components.
Where these parts land in the car
- ADAS cameras and sensor fusion: CrossLink-NX combines and structures various camera streams for AI processing to decrease application processor I/O requirements and cut down BOM expenses.
- The low-power FPGAs in IVI systems perform display management while handling gesture and driver monitoring functions and protocol conversion without generating additional heat or requiring additional board layers.
- Body and power domains: The MachXO devices execute reset sequences and level conversion functions and isolation support and supervisory functions to ensure board component stability.
- The general compute offload function of Certus-NX provides a reliable I/O-rich fabric for acceleration tasks that need deterministic low-latency security-related logic and timing functions.
How AERI helps you build and sustain
Engineers receive assistance from AERI when schedules compress or devices reach extended lead times since the company provides sourcing flexibility for Lattice Semiconductor products through both current production and hard-to-find variants that undergo rigorous inspection and testing and provide traceability when available.
Part replacements of locked camera modules or ECUs require re-qualification procedures that become costly when AERI provides its support. AERI helps users maintain cross-references while providing lifecycle information and buffer-stock planning tools to support the flow of pilot builds and PPAP runs and service spares.