The device is intended for connected vehicles that are increasingly relying on Ethernet for network connectivity and for developers looking to streamline infotainment system development and to more quickly adapt to manufacturers’ evolving requirements.
The LAN9360 audio endpoint controller interconnects vehicles’ infotainment devices including speakers, amplifiers, microphones, navigation systems, radio tuners and smart headrests with Ethernet AVB.
The device bridges audio between Ethernet AVB and Inter-IC Sound (I2S), Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) and Pulse Density Modulation (PDM) local audio interfaces and completely supports audio transmission over Ethernet AVB, including generalised Precision Time Protocol gPTP, timestamping, transport protocols and content protection with High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP).
It also supports secure boot and secure remote updates over Ethernet and, unlike other Ethernet bridging networking solutions requiring System-on-Chip (SoC) microcontrollers (MCUs) plus third-party software stacks, the LAN9360 endpoint device requires no software integration, which means that designers are able to configure the device simply and quickly to meet manufacturers’ audio and networking requirements.
The LAN9360 audio endpoint controller has been validated to industry standards for Ethernet interoperability for AVB protocols. The device is validated to the IEEE 802.1BA-2011, IEEE 802.1AS, IEEE1722 and IEEE1733 specifications for Ethernet networks and is certified to the standards for AVB interoperability and reliability established by the Avnu Alliance consortium.
A development board and Microchip’s MPLABÒ Network Creator are available for configuring the LAN9360 using an intuitive graphical user interface. MPLAB Network Creator, a free graphical configuration environment, allows developers to generate configuration files quickly and intuitively for the LAN9360 AVB audio endpoint and perform full firmware or configuration updates to the LAN9360 devices remotely over Ethernet.
