Hercules safety microcontrollers are based on TI’s 20+ years of safety-critical system expertise, industry collaboration and proven hardware for the automotive market. The platform consists of three ARM Cortex-based microcontroller families (RM48x, TMS570 and TMS470M) that deliver scalable performance, connectivity, memory and safety features. Unlike many microcontrollers that rely heavily on software for safety capabilities, Hercules microcontrollers implement safety in hardware to maximize performance and reduce software overhead.
The Hercules RM4x family provides the highest level of performance for broad safety applications, including medical and industrial, and are developed to the IEC 61508 SIL-3 safety standard. The Hercules TMS570 family provides high performance for transportation applications and is very well suited for applications that need to meet IEC 61508 SIL-3 or ISO 26262 requirements. The Hercules TMS470M family cost efficiently meets the needs of applications that require less performance and lower safety levels.
The RM48x and TMS570 dual-CPU lockstep architectures simplify development while eliminating redundant system requirements to reduce cost. CPU hardware built-in self test (BIST) detects latent defects without complex safety software and code-size overhead. Hardware comparison of CPU outputs provides nearly instant safety response time without any additional performance impact. ECC logic is integrated in the CPU to protect both memories and busses. All RAM memories can be tested using HW BIST for high diagnostic coverage and an integrated Memory Protection Unit (MPU) helps protect against deterministic errors in application software.
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RM48x
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TMS570
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TMS470M
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High-Performance Industrial and
Medical Safety MCUs |
High-Performance Transportation and
Safety MCUs |
Value Line Transportation
and Safety MCUs |
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The RM48x is the highest performance Hercules Safety microcontroller family. Based on the ARM Cortex-R4F floating point core running at up to 220 MHz it includes several flash memory and connectivity options. Developed with the capability to meet the requirements of the IEC 61508 SIL-3 safety standard and supporting many functional safety features including a dual-CPU lockstep architecture, hardware built-in self test (BIST), memory protection unit (MPU), error correction code (ECC) and parity checking, the RM4x safety microcontrollers provide a high level of diagnostic coverage without costly safety software overhead. A wide choice of communication interfaces makes this family an ideal solution for safety critical industrial and medical applications.
Key features
- ARM Cortex-R4F core with floating-point support
- Up to 220 MHz
- Lockstep safety features built-in simplify SIL-3 applications
- Up to 3-MB Flash/256-KB RAM with ECC
- Memory protection units in CPU and DMA
- Multiple network peripherals:
- Ethernet, USB, CAN
- Flexible timer module with up to 44 channels
- 12-bit analog/digital converter
- External memory interface
Targeted industrial/medical applications
- Industrial automation and control
- Safety Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs)
- Power generation and distribution
The Hercules TMS570LS safety microcontroller family enables customers to easily develop safety-critical products for transportation applications. Developed to the requirements of the ISO 26262 ASIL-D and IEC 61508 SIL-3 safety standards and qualified to the AEC-Q100 automotive specification this ARM Cortex-R4F-based family offers several options of perfor-
mance, memory and connectivity. Dual-core lockstep CPU architecture, hardware BIST, MPU, ECC and on-chip clock and voltage monitoring are some of the key functional safety features available to meet the needs of automotive, railway and aerospace applications.
Key features
- ARM Cortex-R4F core floating-point support
- Up to 180 MHz
- Lockstep safety features built-in simplify SIL-3/ASIL D applications
- Up to 3-MB Flash/256-KB RAM with ECC
- Memory protection units in CPU and DMA
- Multiple communication peripherals:
- Ethernet, FlexRay, CAN, LIN, SPI
- Flexible timer module with up to 44 channels
- 12-bit analog/digital converter
- External memory interface
Targeted transportation applications
- Braking systems (ABS and ESC)
- Electric power steering (EPS)
- HEV/EV inverter systems
- Aerospace
- Railway control, communications and signaling
- Off-road vehicles
The TMS470M safety microcontroller family is based on the widely adopted ARM Cortex-M3 CPU running at 80 MHz. The family
offers several fl ash memory and RAM options and a wide range of connectivity and control peripherals. Built-in safety features like CPU and RAM self-test (BIST) engines, ECC and parity-checking enable the TMS470M to support applications that meet the IEC 61508 safety standard. The TMS470M safety microcontrollers are AEC-Q100 qualifi ed and are the right fi t for safety and transportation applications with lower performance needs.
Key features
- 80-MHz Cortex-M3 CPU
- Up to 640-KB Flash / 64-KB RAM with ECC protection andEEPROM emulation
- Single 3.3-V supply (Vreg on-chip)
- Multiple communication interfaces
- 2 CAN, 2 MibSPIs, 2 LIN/UART
- Flexible timer module (16 ch)
- 10-bit analog/digital converter (16 ch)
- Safety features (ECC, BISTs, CRC)
- Pin and software compatible family
- Embedded debug module
Targeted transportation applications
- Electric Power Steering (EPS)
- Braking systems (ABS, ESC)
- Safety-related automotive
- Automotive infrastructure
- Commercial vehicles
- Off-road vehicles
- Airbags, electric park brake, safe communication, parking assist
