STMicroelectronics has announced automotive microcontrollers optimized for electric vehicles and centralized (domain and zonal) electronic architectures. They enable EVs to become more affordable, drive further and charge faster.
In current EVs, high-efficiency SiC-based (silicon carbide) power modules enable the greatest driving range and faster charging, says ST. Until now, they have required dedicated high-speed signal processors to control the advanced SiC power semiconductors. ST’s Stellar E MCUs, designed for the next generation of software-defined EVs, integrate high-speed control-loop processing on-chip, says ST. That means that now one MCU can control the entire module. This simplifies the module design, saves costs, and eases compliance with automotive safety and security standards.
The new MCUs extend ST’s Arm-based Stellar family and are designed from the ground up with the car as a platform in mind. Currently, the MCUs family includes Stellar P series for integration and vehicle control and the Stellar G series for body applications. The Stellar family architecture integrates multiple Arm Cortex cores that deliver high performance with the opportunity for lock-step redundancy and support real-time hardware virtualization. All Stellar devices are designed for software upgradeability through secure over-the-air (OTA) updates.
The first product in the Stellar E series, the Stellar SR5E1 optimized for EV on-board chargers (OBC) and general DC/DC converters, is now sampling to lead customers. Full production will begin in 2023.
The Stellar E (Stellar Electrification MCUs) series now provides automotive-qualified MCUs that perform the high-speed control-loop processing alongside general control in the same chip. This simplifies design and streamlines the bill of materials, easing the transition to high-efficiency SiC-based power modules that permit extra driving range and faster charging.
These MCUs can control multiple power converters, leveraging features including a high-speed analog-digital converter (ADC), highly accurate pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller, and fast-acting protection circuitry. Moreover, the Stellar E series supports the leading automotive standards for functional safety (ISO 26262 ASIL-D), security (HSM -), and industry standard SW interoperability (via Autosar 4.3.x), as well as secure OTA update. Designing with the Stellar family delivers further benefits including extensive software-development toolchain, with a common ecosystem for control and actuation.
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STMicroelectronics | www.st.com
