Renesas Electronics introduces new microcontroller solutions

Renesas Electronics announces the availability of the RL78/I1D microcontroller group (MCU). The RL78/I1D not only consumes the lowest power in the industry, but also integrates a large number of analog capabilities for a variety of inspection applications. More specifically, the RL78/I1D is functionally optimized for detector applications that integrate sensors that can detect smoke, gas, and motion and vibration.

The RL78/I1D uses functions such as a Data Transfer controller (DTC), an Event Link controller (ELC), and a data operation circuit (DOC) for data processing and transmission without the need for a CPU, and incorporates a long interval timer to help reduce power consumption during system downtime by approximately 30%. In low-power operation mode, the RL78/I1D operates at much lower current than its competitors and can wake up quickly from shutdown mode. The MCU itself can greatly improve the overall power efficiency of the system.

To help reduce system costs and improve integration, the new RL78/I1D group incorporates A general-purpose differential input operational amplifier, 12-bit A/D converter and comparator. In this way, all the analog peripherals needed to connect the sensors are available on a single chip.

Benefits of RL78/I1D group MCUS

(1) The innovative SNOOZE mode enables data processing and transmission without the need for a CPU

A data transfer controller (DTC) or event Link controller (ELC) can be used to activate the sensor, activate the op amp to amplify the sensor signal and transmit the A/D conversion result. The data operation circuit (DOC) compares the transmitted A/D conversion results to a threshold to determine if the CPU needs to be activated. The innovative SNOOZE mode works in standby mode without the need for a CPU and reduces the power consumption of end products such as fire detectors, gas detectors, glass broken detectors and security systems (body sensors) by 30%.

(2) Dynamically switch the working mode to match the system state

The RL78/I1D group allows dynamic switching between low-power and high-speed operating modes to match the operating mode to the system state. In the low-power operating mode with the power supply voltage of 1.8V ≤ VDD ≤ 3.6V and the operating frequency of 1MHz, the operating current is only 124μA (typical value), which is much lower than similar competitive products. In addition, if the medium-speed on-chip oscillator (4 MHz) is used as the main system clock, waking from the shutdown mode state takes only 4 μs (maximum). This reduces the power consumption of the wake up process, thereby reducing the power consumption of the microcontroller and helping to improve the overall power efficiency of the system.

(3) The on-chip analog peripheral function is an essential function for detecting small sensor signals

Four differential input OPamps are available depending on the package, each with two input pins and one output pin, integrating up to 17 channels of A/D converters and 2 analog comparators. By integrating the analog functions required for applications such as fire detectors, gas detectors, glass break detectors, and security systems on a single chip, the RL78/I1D significantly reduces system costs and increases integration.