Renesas upgrades industrial network to next stage

Renesas has developed a CC-Link IE TSN-compatible system-on-a-chip (SoC) as well as software and a development environment. By using this solution, customers can start evaluating CC-Link IE TSN communication after a set-up time of just one hour. The SoC supports CC-Link IE TSN networks with a minimum of external components, simplifying system design and saving engineering costs.

The SoC for Industrial Ethernet communication enables multi-protocol capabilities for Industry 4.0 through Renesas' key technology R-IN Engine. The SoC contains dedicated hardware for CC-Link IE TSN with integrated Gigabit physical layer (PHY) and said R-IN Engine consisting of a Cortex-M core, real-time operating system components (HW-RTOS) and an Ethernet accelerator.

Because the synchronisation accuracy between devices with the Renesas SoC in the same network can be less than 1 μs, the company also sees great potential for the internal networking of large-scale technical systems such as machine tools and production plants in the semiconductor and automotive industries, for example.

Renesas is an internationally active Japanese semiconductor group headquartered in Tokyo with numerous subsidiaries in Europe, including Renesas Electronics Europe in Düsseldorf. Renesas offers reliable, innovative semiconductor solutions in embedded systems. Billions of devices networked via these systems help to improve productivity at work and quality of life in general.

Renesas already offers SoCs with CC-Link communication protocols and as a member of the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA), the company can provide optimal technical support for its customers. The effective support of the CLPA network organisation in its PR work also increases visibility for Renesas and its customers.

"Through CLPA's activities, we have been able to increase our LSI's presence among other CLPA members and connect with new customers," said Toshihide Tsuboi, VP of the Industrial Automation Division at Renesas. “We have been supporting CC-Link and CC-Link IE Field for 7 years through our SoC R-IN32 series.”