Sharp Microelectronics ARM9 32-bit SoCs Now Available with OSE 5.0 Operating System

- Sharp Microelectronics and Enea Embedded Technology are cooperating to optimise BlueStreak System-on-Chip components, particularly for use in mobile terminal devices. In the first project, Enea is porting Version 5.0 of the OSE Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) to the 32-bit LH7A400 microcontroller. This 200 MHz System-on-Chip based on an ARM922T™ core already has numerous integrated peripherals such as a USB device, MultimediaCard interface, external DMA, serial and parallel interfaces including infrared support and a programmable LCD controller with direct interfaces to all common displays (STN, colour STN, TFT and Sharp’s Advanced TFT). It supports resolutions up to 1024x768 pixels with up to 64,000 colours and 15 grey scales. The LH7A400 BlueStreak SoC is therefore the ideal processor for high-end mobile devices.

OSE 5.0 functions ensure optimised mobile performance of BlueStreak SoCs
“Enea and Sharp Microelectronics fit together really well as partners”, said Thomas Winkler, General Manager of Enea Embedded Technology Germany. “What Sharp Microelectronics is doing at a hardware level, by integrating many peripheral devices on-board powerful SoCs, is perfectly complemented by Enea’s OSE 5.0 operating system with functionalities especially tailored for mobile applications.” The system management of the operating system plays an important role in this. Dynamic program management for persistent storage enables the processor to load programs into flash memory, for example, and execute them, retaining them there even after a hardware reboot. When programs terminate, OSE 5.0 releases the available memory, defragmented. The sophisticated power management system has an operating voltage of 1.8 V and BlueStreak SoC, itself a power-saving feature, ensure longer battery life - a decisive advantage for making sure that portable devices are not restricted by availability of a mains supply.

The LH7A400 high-performance processor with the OSE 5.0 operating system also provides numerous network functionalities for use in mobile phone devices. These include a dual mode TCP/IP stack (for IPv4 and IPv6) and further network applications, including DHCP, DNS, Telnet, SSL and IPSec among others.

Easy handling of the Sharp Microelectronics system approach is complemented by OSE
Despite its high level of complexity and functionality, the OSE 5.0 RTOS is, thanks to its innovative architecture, easier to configure and program than previous common concepts. Sharp Microelectronics and Enea are therefore pulling in the same direction to support product developers. “Particularly in mobile applications, our customers need to bring increasingly attractive terminal devices onto the market at ever shorter intervals in order to compete”, explained Gunter Wagschal, Product Marketing Manager at Sharp Microelectronics Europe who is responsible for BlueStreak SoCs. The company therefore offers a portfolio of well-matched system components for these highly integrated microcontrollers such as flash memories, LCDs and optoelectronic components. “Enea’s easy-to-handle operating system also makes a crucial contribution towards supporting application designers, keeping development times short and thereby cutting costs,” claimed Wagschal. In June this year the Japanese company received the Frost & Sullivan Innovation Award in recognition of its system approach in developing ARM-based microcontrollers.

Availability
OSE 5.0 for the LH7A400 is now available from Enea both on the European market as well as in America and Asia. There are also plans to port the operating system to further SoCs in the BlueStreak range.

About Sharp Microelectronics Europe
Sharp Microelectronics Europe, Hamburg, Germany, is a divisional company of Sharp Electronics (Europe) GmbH, which is a subsidiary of Sharp Corporation, Osaka, Japan. Sharp is a worldwide developer of core digital technologies that are playing an integral role in shaping the next generation of electronic products for consumer and business needs. Sharp Microelectronics Europe offers groundbreaking solutions in the areas of memory products, LCD, Opto Components, CCD, RF/IR, microcomputer and system-on-chip components, along with packaging and integration skills that help design engineers throughout Europe to bring their ambitious ideas to market. Sharp Microelectronics Europe is dedicated to improving people’s lives through the use of advanced technology and a commitment to innovation, quality, value and design.

About Enea Embedded Technology
Enea Embedded Technology is a leading provider of real-time operating systems, development tools and services for fault-tolerant, high-availability and safety-critical applications. Enea Embedded Technology owns and markets the OSE real-time operating system. OSE is used in millions of products worldwide, including distributed communication systems such as communication infrastructure or mobile phones, avionics, medical, automotive and industrial control systems. Enea Embedded Technology is a subsidiary of Enea AB (SAXESS: ENEA), based in Stockholm, Sweden. Employing about 600 people worldwide, Enea AB provides products, services, and training for a variety of real-time embedded, IT and e-business applications. Customers include industry leaders such as Ericsson, Nokia, Boeing, Motorola, Alcatel, Volvo, TI, Agere Systems, Fujutsu and Hospira.