Optimised system analysis tool for Infineon’s AURIX TC3xx MCU

Among other features, they offer a 300% increase in processing power compared to current high-end automotive microcontrollers. The MCUs included in the scalable AURIX TC3xx family can be equipped with up to 16 Mbytes of embedded Flash memory, more than 6 Mbytes of RAM and up to six 32-bit TriCore processor cores that operate independently.

An additional lockstep core is included in four of the six TriCore cores supporting clock frequencies up to 300MHz, resulting in up to 2,400 DMIPS of processing performance for systems providing the highest safety assurance level (ASIL-D).

Additional features of the TC3xx family include a radar processing unit with up to two Signal-Processing Units and a Hardware Security Module (HSM) encompassing asymmetric cryptography mechanisms meeting the requirements of EVITA ‘high’.

For use as host controllers in gateway and telematics applications, the devices also support a Gigabit Ethernet interface, up to 12 CAN FD channels according to ISO 11898-1 and a maximum of 24 LIN channels. 

To let designers utilise this enormous complexity and performance in practical applications, UDE 4.7 as a true multi-core debugger enables controlling all TriCore processor cores from one single user interface. 

Depending on individual requirements, the cores can be controlled together, in groups or individually by traditional run-mode debugging, i. e. using breakpoints or single-stepping. In this mode, UDE enables all cores to be started and stopped almost synchronously using the devices’ on-chip debug logic.

Debugging complex applications is further simplified by multi-core breakpoints that can be used in shared code. A multicore breakpoint will work all the time, regardless of which core is processing the code. Individually configurable views within UDE 4.7 additionally provide a better overview of multi-core applications.

Work is also made easier by the multiple options offered by UDE 4.7 for clearly visualising system states at runtime, ranging from displaying application variables in memory to visualising system parameters in diagrams. 

For comprehensive system-level analyses and to ensure functional safety, UDE 4.7 additionally provides trace-based tools leveraging the AURIX TC3xx family’s Multi-Core Debug System (MCDS). MCDS is exclusively available in the so-called Emulation Devices (ED) of the TC39xx family.

For instance, these tools can be used to trace code execution for post-mortem analyses or to provide profiling information for run-time optimisations. In addition, UDE 4.7 provides the necessary code coverage to prove adequate test coverage. 

Tight coupling of third-party test tools to the UDE and comprehensive scripting are enabled by the highperformance automation interface of UDE 4.7, which is based on Microsoft®’s Common Object Model (COM). As a unique feature, UDE is also independent of any proprietary scripting languages. 

Communication with AURIX TC39xx microcontrollers is based on the two Universal Access Devices (UAD2pro and UAD3+). Suitable adapters are available for the JTAG interface and Infineon’s proprietary DAP interface, with optional galvanic isolation for challenging environmental conditions.

While UAD2pro exclusively uses the on-chip trace memory for MCDS tracing, large amounts of trace data can be read from the chip at up to 22.5Gbps using the UAD3+‘s AURORA interface for storage within the UAD3+ and subsequent processing and analysis by UDE 4.7. Up to 4 Gbytes of memory are available within UAD3+ for this purpose.