New MPU design environment speeds up HMI- and camera-based development

By Heather Hamilton, contributing writer

Renesas Electronics recently released a new design environment for its RZ/A1 microprocessors, developed to streamline the development of rich human-machine interface (HMI) and camera- and GUI-based applications. The increase in popularity for HMI-based systems and markets in which HMI and streaming converge prompted the need for the high-end MPU implementations that can manage the demands of these systems, according to the company. Applications include industrial equipment, building controls, medical devices, smart home gadgets, white goods, video surveillance, and video/fingerprint access devices.

Transitioning to a complex MPU environment can be challenging for designers who are accustomed to a simpler and more streamlined MCU design environment, according to Mark Rootz, senior director of Renesas’ Industrial Marketing Division, Industrial Solutions Business Unit. “To help them navigate this journey, Renesas created a design environment with the RZ/A1 Software Package, where designers can leverage the best of both worlds — combining the elevated capabilities of MPUs with the ease of use of MCUs, which builds confidence for making the leap to MPU-based solutions,” he said.

The RZ/A1 software package employs many of the same characteristics as the MCU design environment, providing for a simpler transition for designers to a more complex MPU design environment. The high-performance RZ/A1 MPUs provide up to 10 MB of on-chip SRAM, built-in memory management, and an Arm Cortex-A9 core, which the company said contributes to the simplicity and speed of the application design process.

Pre-integrated with the RZ/A1 MPUs, the design environment allows designers to begin HMI design work right away. The RZ/A1 Software Package is fully integrated with drivers, middleware, a real-time operating system, and sample applications for camera-GUI display use. Additionally, it comes with a software development kit  (SDK), QE for Display and QE for Camera tools, and integration with TES Guiliani GUI framework .

Renesas recommends the design environment for IP-based video and radio streams, video surveillance, and video/fingerprint-based access control, paired with the Renesas RZ development kit for reduced development times.

The RZ/A1 MPUs and the RZ/AI Software Package together provide a streamlined PCB layout with quad flat packaging (QFP), easy power and clock design, and a familiar debugging and development environment. “XIP (Execute-in-Place) Linux with QSPI flash memory allows the RZ/A1 Series to add MCU-like boot-up times to the MPU-level performance,” said the company.

The RZ/A1 Software Package is compatible with the IAR System IAR Embedded Workbench and Renesas’ e² studio Eclipse-based development environment. The package is available pre-integrated with the RZ/A1 MPUs and is available for use with the RZ development kit.