March 3, 2014, Seoul, Korea – TOKYO, Japan (CAR ELE Japan 2014) – January 15, 2014 – Governments around the world have announced regulations requiring automakers to improve fuel efficiency and meet new exhaust gas standards over the next 5 to 10 years. To support automakers and suppliers in complying with these regulations, Freescale Semiconductor announced the MC33816 programmable solenoid controller, designed to reduce emissions and improve fuel efficiency in both gasoline and diesel direct injection engines. This flexible architecture can also be utilized for driving dual-clutch transmissions as well as precision solenoids in the field of factory automation.

The MC33816 programmable solenoid controller is equipped with intelligence using four integrated μCores, enabling it to execute four parallel tasks independently of the main system microcontroller. As a result, response times are reduced by up to 16 times compared to existing architectures, improving engine efficiency through precise fuel delivery that reduces unnecessary fuel consumption.

This device supports substantial Bill of Materials (BOM) reduction through the integration of various functions and provides the flexibility and scalability necessary for easy integration into almost any engine system, including gasoline, diesel, flex-fuel, and LNG engines, regardless of the number of cylinders.

"As fuel efficiency standards become increasingly stringent, there is a growing demand for cutting-edge analog technologies such as the Intelligent MC33816 device," said James Bates, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Freescale's Analog and Sensor business unit. "This latest programmable solenoid controller supports automotive OEMs and suppliers in meeting fuel efficiency and emissions targets, while providing a reliable, high-performance system solution that supports advanced diagnostic capabilities, faster response times, and optimal programming performance."

The intelligent MC33816 controller also provides embedded encryption and microcode protection features to prevent reverse engineering and securely protect system IP and software.

Freescale provides hardware and software supporting the MC33816 programmable solenoid controller. The capabilities of this controller can be utilized via the KIT33816AEEVM evaluation board, which is currently available at www.freescale.com/KITMC33816 for $216 (USD). To verify the embedded capabilities of the MC33816 programmable solenoid controller, software including SPIGen (SPI generator) can be downloaded from www.freescale.com/analogtools .