ST’s SPC5 family of 32-bit MCUs is already a major player in the automotive market with more than 150 million parts shipped. The family includes over 200 devices but is still adding innovative new members. The SPC58 “Chorus” products are the latest in the line enhancing the scalability, connectivity, and security of the family. The SPC58 targets a number of automotive applications including standalone, integrated and smart gateways, firmware updates over-the-air, electric-vehicle battery management, access control, lighting and body control units, domain controllers and advanced park maneuver assistance.
Premium vehicles today typically now have around 130 electronic control units (ECUs). These are networked to control about 150 motors and actuators, so car manufacturers often look for MCU features that they can use to build platforms to be re-used and extended across their full range of vehicles and markets. In designing the SPC58, ST defined the key features to ensure an MCU range with scalable performance as well as a host of memory and packaging options. Performance up to 200MHz, with single, double, and triple core options, is complemented by memory sizes that will provide up to 10MB of Flash and 1.3MB of RAM. Packaging options for the SPC58 range from QFN48 to BGA384 (300+ user I/Os), with a large eTQFP (Exposed Thin Quad Flat Pack) offer that ranges from 64 to 176 pin variants. Designed in a low power technology to ensure the best-in-class performance/power consumption ratio, the MCUs are ideal for control units connected directly to the battery.
Modern vehicles are highly networked and connected, and the SPC58 offers all the interfaces required. A complete set of high-performance protocols, including ISO CAN FD, FlexRay, and Ethernet (including Gigabit) are available and complemented by SPI (including High Speed) and LIN connectivity. Inter-processor interfaces like LFAST, USB or Ethernet permit designs to be scaled across multiple “chorus” devices.
As networking and the number of ECUs increase, so do the amount and complexity of software. So too, does the need to update the software to resolve performance or security issues or add new features. The SPC58 has been designed with that in mind. To enable firmware and software updates, the MCUs include over-the-air external memory interfaces such as eMMC, HyperFlash, and dedicated internal functionalities like flash context swapping. And with so much critical data being transferred, security is paramount. So the SPC58 line includes products with built-in 128-bit Hardware Security Modules (HSM) and firmware libraries that allow implementation of secure on-board system architectures with up to EVITA (E-safety Vehicle Intrusion Protected Applications) full compliance with elliptical keys and complements ST’s telematics and connectivity processors.
All SPC58 products have been designed to obtain ISO-26262 safety level ASIL-B with the high-end products reaching the most demanding level ASIL-D.
As with all SPC5 MCUs, the SPC58 Chorus benefits from a comprehensive development ecosystem that includes an integrated development environment (IDE) with graphic wizards for complex pinout design and power consumption simulation, starter kits, and evaluation and premium boards plus a complete software portfolio with Autosar, EVITA, and HIS support.
The first products in the “Chorus” range are already in volume production, with the latest members being sampled and tested in the field.
The SPC58 “Chorus” automotive MCUs currently includes the SPC58 B Line, SPC58 C Line, SPC58 G Line, with the high performance SPC58 H Line available soon.
Discover more in the animation or check out www.st.com/spc5
