Mentor’s new Tessent MissionMode Enables In-System Test and Diagnosis of Automotive ICs

Mentor, a Siemens business, today announced the availability of its new Tessent® MissionMode product, which provides a combination of automation and on-chip IP for enabling semiconductor chips throughout an automotive electronics system to be tested and diagnosed at any point during a vehicle’s functional operation. This capability is fundamental towards achieving the safety and long-term reliability requirements demanded by the ISO 26262 standard.

Tessent MissionMode is the only commercial solution that provides the infrastructure for system software-based access to any test and diagnosis capabilities integrated within an automotive chip. An in-system test (IST) controller integrated into the chip drives an internal IEEE 1687 (IJTAG) access network to communicate to any IJTAG-compliant IP. In particular, the IST controller fully supports all Tessent design-for-test (DFT) products including memory BIST, logic BIST, and EDT logic. The IST controller also provides a communication path to outside the chip through a generic CPU interface. This interface can be easily adapted to work with any CPU bus protocol typically used in automotive systems like Ethernet, CAN or I2C. The on-chip infrastructure is highly programmable, allowing any number of different test sequences to be applied as needed. The Tessent MissionMode tool automates the integration and full verification of this infrastructure as well as automates the generation of all CPU instructions necessary to run any tests and extract any diagnostic results.

“The amount and complexity of electronic devices being designed to bring ADAS and autonomous driving capabilities to passenger cars is exploding,” said Steve Pateras, product marketing director for Mentor’s automotive semiconductor test solutions. “We are working closely with many of our customers to continue to bring to market new and innovative solutions to address rapidly evolving automotive test requirements.”

The Tessent MissionMode tool represents the latest addition to the growing portfolio of Tessent products and technologies aimed at addressing the quality and reliability needs of the automotive semiconductor market. Like all Tessent products, Tessent MissionMode is delivered with an ISO 26262 software tool qualification report that can be used to significantly simplify a customer’s ASIL device certification process. All Tessent software tool qualification reports are certified by SGS-TüV Saar.

Visit Mentor at the 2017 IEEE International Test Conference (ITC)

Mentor will demonstrate the Tessent MissionMode product and other advanced automotive test technologies during a special luncheon event during ITC 2017 in Ft. Worth, Texas. Beginning at 11:30 am on Tuesday, October 31, pre-registered guests will hear from industry experts on a range of innovative techniques and advanced design automation technologies designed to streamline the process of meeting the ISO 26262 standard and other stringent automotive market requirements. Register for this event now at http://bit.ly/2y0WXN0.