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MICROCONTROLLERS MADE EASY

EXAMPLE: THE AUTOMOTIVE MARKET

The automotive market is the most important single driving force in the microcontroller

market, especially at it’s high end. Several microcontroller families were developed specifically

for automotive applications and were subsequently modified to serve other embedded appli-

cations.

Figure 7. MCU Applications in Automotive

The automotive market is demanding in term of device performance and component reliability.

Electronics must operate under extreme temperatures and be able to withstand vibration,

shock, and EMI. The electronics must be reliable, because a failure that causes an accident

can (and does) result in multi-million dollar lawsuits. Reliability standards are high - but be-

cause these electronics also compete in the consumer market - they have a low price tag.

Figure 8. MCU Applications in Today’s and Tomorrow’s Home

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TRIP COMPUTER

CAR RADIO

KEYLESS ENTRY

FUEL INJECTION

AIRBAG

WINDOW LIFT

DASHBOARD DISPLAY

SEAT BELT FASTENER

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TODAY’S

HOME

TOMORROW’S

HOME

- TV SET, VCR

- CORDLESS PHONE

- WASHING MACHINE

- ENERGY MANAGEMENT

- HOME AUTOMATION

- HEATING SYSTEM

- "GREEN" REFRIGERATOR

- VACUUMCLEANER

- SECURITY