STMicroelectronics, with Arrow Electronics, has released a complete reference design ECU (Electronic Control Unit) for electronic fuel-injection (EFI) to help the automotive industry meet the upcoming emissions regulations for single- and twin-cylinder gasoline engines.

 

The SPC5-L9177A-K02 ECU Reference Design targets small engines for motorcycles, scooters, and three wheelers, which must satisfy upcoming Euro 5, Bharat Stage VI (BS VI), and China IV and beyond, and can also address generators, nautical engines, and agricultural engines equipped with EFI ECU.

 

The reference design key components are ST’s SPC572L Line 32-bit Power Architecture automotive-powertrain microcontroller and L9177A high-integration IC hosting power supplies, interfaces and load actuators, which are specifically designed for the application and market needs. ST’s STGD18N40 IGBT and L9616 CAN interface IC are also included.

 

The board is ready for customers to develop their applications, coming with a full ecosystem, including SPC5Studio Integrated Development Environment (IDE) which includes low-level drivers, a Generic Timer Module (GTM) configurator for the SPC572L Line, and powertrain libraries for engine crank position sensor and actuations. To overcome the complex challenges associated with electronic fuel injection, a basic application software developed in association with ST Partner eMoticom helps users start and manage a single-cylinder engine.

 

The SPC572L Line is part of 32-bit Performance Series Automotive MCUs designed to manage up to four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines in addition to chassis, transmission, steering, and braking systems. The SPC572L Line includes the GTM, an intelligent complex timer module, 16 input and 56 output channels, 1.5MB read-while write (RWW) Flash memory with EEPROM emulation, 64KByte general-purpose data SRAM, two deserial/serial peripheral interface (DSPI) modules, an enhanced analog-to-digital converter system, and self-test capability.

 

The L9177A contains the power supplies and actuators for combustion engines up to two cylinders, leveraging ST’s proprietary BCD process to combine logic and power circuitry on a single die. It integrates a 300mA 5V regulator with thermal shutdown, a 5V tracking regulator with short-to-battery protection, two low-RDS(ON) injector drivers, a driver for the stepper motor typically used to control engine idle speed, an oxygen-sensor heater output, and comprehensive diagnostic features.