First MOST150 INIC Supporting USB 2.0 High-Speed Device Interface and Coaxial Physical Layer

The MOST150 technology was successfully deployed in the first car models in 2012. Now, Microchip is proud to announce the latest member of its MOST150 INIC family, to continue the success story of MOST® in the future.

With its USB 2.0 port, including USB PHY and High-Speed Inter-Chip interface (HSIC), the OS81118 allows designers to create in-car mobile and Wi-Fi® connectivity applications on the MOST150 network by connecting a standard Wi-Fi/3G/LTE module via USB. This simple solution reflects today’s market demands for consumer applications within the automotive environment, such as Internet access, e-mail, social networking and local services. Furthermore, the OS81118 enables automotive engineers to connect the most up-to-date multi-core consumer Systems-on-a-Chip (SoCs) to in-vehicle MOST networks.

Besides the optical physical layer (oPHY) interface, the OS81118 integrates a coax transceiver, which opens a cost-reduction path on the MOST physical layer. Additionally, this coaxial physical layer (cPHY) could be used for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

“We see a trend in the infotainment market to use high-end SoCs, developed for consumer and mobile devices, within automotive applications,” said Dan Termer, vice president of Microchip’s Automotive Groups. “However, those SoCs have no automotive-specific interfaces, such as CAN, LIN, MediaLB® or MOST. The high-speed USB port on our new OS81118 makes it easy to connect SoCs to any MOST150 automotive network, and the coax transceiver provides added flexibility.”

MOST multimedia networking technology enables the interconnection of feature-rich infotainment systems in automobiles, by providing the means to distribute multimedia entertainment functions among the various control devices inside the car. For example, CD or DVD changer, radio, GPS-navigation, mobile-telephone and digital-media interfaces can supply signals to this efficient network. The signals are sent digitally and static-free to the amplifier and monitors.

Microchip Technology’s Automotive Information Systems Group is a supplier of TrueAuto™ infotainment and information semiconductor solutions to major auto-brands, including Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Hyundai, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo. Microchip Technology is a founding member of the MOST Cooperation, a cooperative of automakers, automotive systems architects and manufacturers and key components suppliers working to extend and refine the MOST standard for the evolving requirements of automotive multimedia networking.

Development Support
To further enable development and speed time to market, Microchip is also announcing the Physical+ Interface Board OS81118. This board encapsulates the entire physical hardware interface of a MOST network. The Physical+ Interface Board OS81118 comes with a USB 2.0 interface supporting optical and coaxial physical layers. The Physical+ Interface Board OS81118 is expected to be available in Q3/2013.

Pricing & Availability

The OS81118 is expected to be available for volume production in January 2014. You can apply for early adopter samples today, and sampling production is expected to start in Q3/2013. The OS81118 is offered in a 72-pin QFN package.