Renesas Electronics Introduces the First Roll-Out of its Ethernet PHY Family for Industrial Automation Systems

This is the first device from the company’s PHY family dedicated to meeting industrial Ethernet requirements.

Among other drivers, the growing demand for intelligent field devices and the need for transparency within the factory have pushed the adoption of Ethernet in industrial automation. This environment has different requirements to PC and consumer applications, which initiated new standards based on IEEE802.3. Determinism, real-time and diagnostics capabilities, high reliability and long lifetime product cycles are some of these major differences to consumer PHYs that were key drivers behind the development of Renesas Electronics’ new industrial Ethernet PHY family.

The first device from Renesas Electronics’ industrial Ethernet PHY family is the dual PHY in a small LQFP80 package. The main differentiating features of the new µPD60620 PHY are as follows:

1. Lowest system latency and jitter

The new PHY enables low node latency and low jitter, delivering high-speed real-time data transmission and reception without failure.

2. Enhanced link control

With the powerful link control, the µPD60620 PHY provides high-speed link-up and link-down control mechanisms, which can be used in robotics, among other fields.

3. Enhanced cable monitoring and diagnostic features

Real-time protocols like PROFINET, SERCOSIII and EtherCAT that require fast link-loss recognition are supported by Renesas Electronics PHY technology. It also enables quality monitoring for easy maintenance and supports easy repair during the maintenance cycle.

Renesas Electronics’ new PHY provides users of Ethernet communication in the industrial environment with unique features that are not available in existing implementations. The new PHY is compatible with standard industrial Ethernet communication protocols, such as Ethernet/IP, SERCOSIII, PROFINET or EtherCAT, and is also compliant with IEEE802.3 and qualified for robust industrial environments. In addition, the new PHY enhances Renesas Electronics’ extensive offering of components for Ethernet based industrial networks, such as its wide range of microcontrollers with Ethernet controllers, as well as the range of PROFINET ASSPs like ERTEC or TPS-1. The PHY technology is also available as an IP for custom specific designs.