July 23, 2019 by Sam Holland
STMicroelectronics and Arrow Electronics join forces to launch the SPC5-L9177A-K02 ECU reference design, intended to support compliance with future emission standards for single and twin-cylinder electronic fuel-injected gasoline engines.
The SPC5-L9177A-K02 ECU (electronic control unit) is built around part of ST’s high-performance class of 32-bit Automotive Power Architecture MCUs (the SPC572L line) and the L9177A high-integration IC hosting interfaces, load actuators, and power supplies. ST’s L9616 CAN interface IC and STGD18N40 IGBT are also included.
This complete reference design ECU is used to evaluate solutions for controlling one or two-cylinder internal combustion engines for small engine applications (agriculture, motorcycles, boat engines, portable generators, etc.).
It matches the most relevant emission standards like China V, China VI, EURO4, EURO5, and Bharat Stage VI, and can perform many tasks, including driving all the loads used in 1 or 2 cylinder small engine applications (stepper motor, injectors, relay, and tachometer), monitoring diagnostic functionalities, interfacing with variable reluctance sensors, and so on.
Besides the 100 x 70 mm board featuring ST’s STGD18N40 IGBT and L9616 CAN interface IC, it has an automotive 48-pole connector and all its channels are protected against over-temperature and short-circuiting.
The SPC572L64F2 32-bit Power Architecture MCU comes with the powerful GTM (generic timer module) timer for automotive powertrain applications while the L9177 automotive peripheral provides a full set of power supplies and signal processing peripherals.
Other features:
Tachometer output signal.
MIL output.
+5V ref for external sensors.
Inputs for ECT, IAT, HEGO, TPS, and IPS sensors.
Stepper motor driver.
4 reserved digital inputs and four reserved analogue inputs.
KEY switch function for power-off control.
2 injectors / 2 coil drivers
O2 Sensor Heater driver.
Variable Reluctance Sensor conditioning circuit.
Small Engine Application SW: a fuel injection control with one injector and inductive coil 18-1 toothed wheel with barometric pressure compensation, water temperature, air temperature, and basic calibration integrated.
Keyless-Entry/Keyless-Go ECU (electronic control unit) by Siemens VDO. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
This ECU reference design targets small engines like those used for scooters, motorcycles, and three-wheelers, which are required to satisfy the forthcoming Euro 5, China IV, and Bharat Stage VI (BSVI) emission standards and beyond. The reference design is also suitable for agricultural engines, generators, and boat engines that are equipped with EFI.
Clients can develop their applications with the board, which comes with a full ecosystem that includes a generic timer module configuration for the SPC572L line, SPC5Studio Integrated Development Environment (IDE), and powertrain libraries for actuations and engine crank position.
STMicroelectronics went a step further to partner with eMoticom in developing basic application software that helps users to start and manage a single-cylinder engine. The software is meant to overcome the complex challenges of electronic fuel injection.
The SPC5-L9177A-K02 is already the basis for several customer projects that are launching this year, and it is intended to assist the automotive industry in complying with emission standards—especially now that there are tight pollution standards for small engines.
