NXP Unleashes CC-Link IE TSN Industrial Automation Real-Time Network Support for Enhanced Precision and Productivity

NXP announced its integrated Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) solutions for industrial automation that now support the CC-Link IE TSN protocol, combining gigabit Ethernet bandwidth with TSN to strengthen time sharing communication, performance, security and functionality for industrial Ethernet.

What’s New

By supporting CC-Link IE TSN on NXP’s LS1028A industrial applications processor as well as i.MX RT1170 crossover MCU, NXP is delivering scalable solutions to fuel next-generation communications of cyber-connected factories in the Industry 4.0 revolution.

Why It Matters

Delivering a full TSN solution from the device to the switch for CC-Link IE TSN networks, NXP makes it possible to help consolidate and unify Ethernet protocols to achieve interoperability between a wide variety of industrial networks as part of moving to a hyper-connected industrial IoT.

NXP collaborated with port industrial automation GmbH to enable the full CC-Link IE TSN communication stack on the LS1028A and i.MX RT1170 crossover MCU. Combined, NXP offers scalable solutions for real-time control powered by the i.MX RT1170 and high performance control using the LS1028A. Factory automation applications like motion control, robotics, machine vision, machine learning and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are some of the many smart applications enabled by NXP’s TSN solutions.

“TSN is the Layer-2 standard of Industry 4.0, and NXP is contributing to the comprehensive development ecosystem for the CC-Link IE TSN protocol to run over open TSN-based networks. Providing the full communications stack, our gigabit Ethernet support on NXP’s LS1028A for high-end controllers and our i.MX RT1170 for industrial end points deliver one of the most complete solutions available.”

-Jeff Steinheider, Director Global Industrial Applications Processor Product Marketing, NXP

“The solutions offered by NXP for real-time communication via TSN provide an excellent basis for TSN-based communication solutions. Port GmbH offers a complete Industrial Communication Framework (ICF) for the integration of CC-Link IE TSN on NXP’s i.MXRT1170 and LS1028A platforms. The ICF contains a CC-Link IE TSN master station stack, CC-Link IE TSN remote station stack and the ICC - tool (Industrial Communication Creator) for configuring the remote stack.”

-Dietmar R. Franke, CEO, port industrial automation GmbH

NXP joined the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) with the goal of supporting CC-Link IE TSN for factory automation.

“Through its cutting-edge processing systems and switches, NXP provides global solutions to support the transition to TSN in order to address Industry 4.0 requirements for applications, communication and security. I am pleased that NXP is among the first to deliver ICs supporting TSN. It makes it possible to develop a device that supports multiple variants of Industrial Ethernet protocols over TSN with the same hardware. I am confident that this will further accelerate the development of CC-Link IE TSN-compatible applications and lead to the increased adoption of IIoT in smart factories.”

-Masaki Kawazoe, Global Director, CC-Link Partner Association

“I am very delighted that NXP has announced support for the open integrated network CC-Link IE TSN. We assisted in the development of CC-Link IE TSN and take a leading role in its promotion with a comprehensive range of FA products. CC-Link IE TSN is an essential foundation for the e-F@ctory FA Integrated Solutions we offer to a broad range of industries globally. NXP’s TSN solution will enable more customers to fully utilize the performance of CC-Link IE TSN. We are confident that this will lead to the further adoption of the network CC-Link IE TSN and e-F@ctory, which will in turn accelerate the Smart Factory concept in manufacturing.”

-Tsuyoshi Kobayashi, General Manager, FA Systems Division of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Details on NXP’s LS1028A Industrial Applications Processor and i.MX RT1170 Crossover MCU

The NXP LS1028A processor family of SoCs adds significant capabilities, including upgraded 64-bit Arm^® Cortex^®-A72 processor cores, an integrated 3D GPU and LCD controller, a four-port TSN switch and two separate TSN Ethernet controllers with support for Gigabit and 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet speeds. The combination of time-sensitive networking with a GPU help enable the SoC to address industrial human-machine-interface (HMI) and control applications. The device is built on NXP’s Trust Architecture, which provides a root of trust, securing applications and services.

NXP’s i.MX RT1170 crossover MCU and evaluation kit are available now. It features a dual-core architecture consisting of a high-performance Cortex-M7 core (running up to 1 GHz) and a power-efficient Cortex-M4 core (running up to 400 MHz). This dual-core architecture helps enable applications to run in parallel and optimizes power consumption by turning off individual cores as necessary. It is optimized to support real-time operations and deliver a record-setting 12 ns interrupt response time, a 6468 CoreMark^® score and 2974 DMIPS while executing from on-chip memory. Its state-of-the-art architecture is an exceptional fit for supporting ML applications, motor control or advanced HMI interfaces such as face recognition.

Availability

The NXP LS1028A industrial applications processor and i.MX RT1170 crossover MCU with CC-Link IE TSN support available through port industrial automation, Gmbh (PORT part: 0410/10).

About NXP Semiconductors

NXP Semiconductors N.V. enables secure connections for a smarter world, advancing solutions that make lives easier, better, and safer. As the world leader in secure connectivity solutions for embedded applications, NXP is driving innovation in the automotive, industrial and IoT, mobile, and communication infrastructure markets. Built on more than 60 years of combined experience and expertise, the company has approximately 29,000 employees in more than 30 countries and posted revenue of $8.61 billion in 2020. Find out more at NXP Semiconductors.

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