Analysis
World's first star coupler certified according to the FlexRayT Electrical Physical Layer (EPL) Specification V3.0
Gleichmann Electronics now offers the new E981.56 FlexRay star coupler from ELMOS Semiconductor. The E981.56 is especially designed for efficient implementation of gateways and domain controllers placed in the center of a star-shaped FlexRay™ network. It is the first star coupler worldwide that has been awarded certification according to the current FlexRay™ Electrical Physical Layer (EPL) Specification V3.0.
The Thanks to the four independent physical bus drivers for transmitting and receiving FlexRay™ messages, up to four branches of a FlexRay™ network can be connected with each other with a star coupler. The number of the network’s supported branches can be increased according to a modular principle by connecting several star couplers with each other via the integrated intra-star interface.
Configuration by means of a microcontroller and the exchange of diagnosis data are executed via the SPI compatible host-controller interface. Optionally, an integrated interface to a communication controller enables use of the E981.56 as a standard transceiver or as autonomous repeater entirely without an additional controller.