Microchip
Webinar Date: March 21, 2023
Know your Tools – Functional Safety with Microcontrollers
This post covers Key Takeaways and Frequently Asked Questions from the Microchip Know your Tools – Functional Safety with Microcontrollers webinar regarding functional safety with microcontrollers. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a curious newcomer, you’ll find plenty of valuable information watching the webinar. Links to the Webinar, Resources, and Related Content are provided within the post. A copy of the PowerPoint presentation will be provided for customers that register to watch the recorded webinar. All Snippets and Content Compliments of Microchip.
Functional Safety is part of the overall safety of a product that depends on any type of automatic protection. This automatic protection system needs to respond correctly to its inputs and have predictable responses to failure. Software plays a large role in automatic protection systems and adds to the complexity of designing and evaluating the integrity of these safety systems. Microchip proven experience will help you meet functional safety requirements while minimizing cost and development time. The PIC and AVR Functional Safety Ready 8-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) encompass the latest hardware safety features to help you achieve ISO26262, IEC 61508 and IEC 60730 certification and increase reliability and redundancy in your applications. A product that contains the “Functional Safety Ready” designation offers integrated hardware safety features, along with the following support materials: Safety Manual, FMEDA (Failure Modes, Effect, and Diagnostic Analysis) reports, and in some cases, diagnostic software libraries.
Key Takeaways
- Functional Safety is freedom from unacceptable risk of harm or damage to the health of people or damage to property or the environment
- FIT (Failure In Time) = failures per one billion hours of operation
- Failure modes of a resistor include open, short, or value change
- FMEDA is a document tool used to describe failure modes of MCUs
- Functional Safety applies to Automotive, Industrial, Household, Railway, and Medical
Frequently Asked Questions
What support do you offer for other products?
- We offer support for 8, 16, and 32 bit microcontroller products.
What is MCC?
- A code configurator which helps the user setup the code to make programming a lot easier and save time, the graphic interface makes it a lot easier to program and run applications.
How do certified resources help customers?
- It helps demonstrate to use materials that is tested for the specification making it easier to implement.
How do I know which package to purchase?
- I would recommend identifying what kind of device you need, and then visit our website for further assistance. The basic package is for getting started with a design where the starter package you get the software diagnostics as well, the full package includes certification and reports as well.
How do you estimate the FIT distribution for the MCU?
- This is based on the silicon level on the different modules based on the norm silicon distribution.
Is the diagnostic accepted by the OEM’s?
- They are certified so they are usable and following the procedure to make them acceptable.
Does that same approach also apply for medical devices?
- Yes medical is lifecycle more or less so yes it applies to this specification as well.
Are these safety packages supported in Microchip Studio?
- No, they are not included for Studio.
Function safety is not considered an IEC 62368, can you comment on how this might apply to your products in reference to this standard?
- We can answer that question afterwards, It is not covered by the specification we are supporting right now so we can answer that question at a later time.
How do you estimate the FIT distribution for the MCU?
- Based on each module and the DIE area and a couple of other factors.
Are all the resources available for each standard?
- We support the standards listed for each newer devices we have.
Does microchip offer contract services for customers in getting these tasks accomplished?
- From a technical point of view we are capable to help the customer with the collaterals. We are not certification bodies but we can help the customer with individual support with their documentation and needs and libraries.
Are the diagnostic libraries and functional safety compiler certified?
- The function safety version of the compiler are certified to a few certifications. The compilers are already certified. The libraries are undergoing certification for 6 bit products.
Webinar and Resource Links
Webinar Registration Link:
DigiKey Webinar Center:
DigiKey TechForum Webinar Posts:
Supplier Center:
DigiKey MANUFACTURER Product Offerings:
Resources:
- All Content
- YouTube - Functional Safety Packages for Microcontrollers
- Functional Safety for Microchip Products
- Microchip Development Tools and Software
- Microchip Functional Safety for 8-bit Microcontrollers(MCUs)
Example Webinar Slides
-Much more in-depth slides and a copy of the PowerPoint presentation will be provided for customers that register to watch the recorded webinar.
