Stellar E’MCU is a newly released family of MCU from the semiconductor giants ST Microelectronics that are developed as a dedicated Microcontrollers for Software-Defined Electric Vehicles. Currently, the Stellar E’MCU family includes the Stellar P series for integration and vehicle control and the Stellar G series for body applications. These MCUs are dedicated to facilitating centralized (domain and zonal) electronics architectures and simplifying high-efficiency power modules for e-drivetrain charging and digital power conversion. The MCUs can easily be upgraded in the future through secure over-the-air (OTA) updates.
The Stellar E MCUs are claimed to have been designed for the upcoming software-defined EVs, these modules integrate high-speed control-loop processing on-chip to drive the high-efficiency SiC-based (silicon carbide) power modules. This feature can replace the existing dedicated high-speed signal processors to control the SiC power semiconductors.
According to the company the powerful, centralized domain and zone controller, MCUs simplify automotive electrical architectures for increased power, flexibility, and safety. 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 OTA updates.
“Our Stellar MCUs enable state-of-the-art electrification while ensuring efficient energy management and software-defined flexibility for vehicle lifecycle management,” said Luca Rodeschini, Automotive and Discrete Group Vice President, Strategic Business Development and Automotive Processing and RF General Manager, STMicroelectronics. “With the new Stellar E devices, this platform now enables a new value chain for EVs. Sensing the environment, controlling vehicle dynamics, enhancing power-conversion efficiency, and safely managing high-current power stages, are effectively handled in a single component. The ability to update software securely over the air lets manufacturers refine their control strategies for an extra driving range, performance, and power efficiency.”
The samples of the MCU Stellar SR5E1 which is optimized for EV on-board chargers (OBC) and general DC/DC converters are available, while the full production will begin in 2023.
