❖ AutoDevKit ecosystem simplifies prototyping state-of-the-art automotive
Electronic Control Units
❖ Easily connects robust SPC5 microcontrollers with boards with automotive
devices
❖ Free to download, easy to use, application-programming software and source
code provided
Geneva, February 5, 2020 – STMicroelectronics is helping the automotive industry deliver safer, greener, and smarter
vehicles to market more quickly and cost effectively with new tools that assist the
development of electronic control units (ECUs), the ‘mini-computers’ that manage
the numerous electronic systems in today’s vehicles.
The automotive market is changing quickly, transitioning from familiar technologies
such as ordinary bulbs, mechanical systems, and hydraulics to lightweight, intelligent
replacements such as LEDs and brushless motors, amid the general trend toward
electrification and digitalization. New vehicles can contain over 100 ECUs and, as
their complexity is always increasing, design teams need to accelerate development
to keep pace.
ST’s AutoDevKit ecosystem introduces a new and efficient toolset for creating
working prototypes, replacing traditional artisan approaches and supporting
standardization and design reuse. Available for free, the AutoDevKit library is a
software environment that lets users select the microcontrollers and functional
boards from ST’s wide automotive portfolio to easily prototype an automotive
solution.
After choosing the preferred AutoDevKit components, users are guided to connect
the boards, generate code, compile and download firmware, without forgetting
prototype testing and debugging. A fundamental aspect of the AutoDevKit
ecosystem is to offer easy-to-use application-program interfaces (API) for
communication and control for each of the functional boards supported.
“Automotive-electronics designers are under intense time-to-market pressure and
delivering a credible proof of concept quickly is critical,” said Marco Monti, President,
Automotive and Discrete Group, STMicroelectronics. “Our AutoDevKit ecosystem
can cut months of engineering effort from traditional prototype development by letting
users concentrate on system functionality and offload low-level tasks such as
building device drivers.”
The AutoDevKit software is part of the integrated design environment for ST’s SPC5
automotive microcontrollers.
ST will demonstrate AutoDevKit technology at Embedded World 2020, Hall 4A Stand 138.
Further technical information
The complete AutoDevKit ecosystem includes the AutoDevKit library plugin and
hardware development tools including AEK MCU discovery and functional boards
and AEKD System Solution Demonstrators that are optimized for automotive use.
The AEK tools include discovery boards for evaluating specific automotive
microcontrollers and functional boards that help quickly implement various functions
such as motor control, LED lighting, power management, audio, and connectivity.
Dedicated APIs are available for each board to control the features and facilitate
communication, all without having a deep knowledge of the semiconductor devices
employed or their datasheets.
The AEKD System Solution Demonstrators provide direct access to pre-assembled
system-demonstrator boards, as well as board kits and non-electronic hardware
assemblies such as car-like components and loads to help users closely emulate the
desired solution.
AutoDevKit is fully integrated with SPC5 Studio software development environment
and extends the IDE functionalities with automatic pin allocation for the
microcontroller and board view editor dedicated to support users to interconnect
several functional boards with the microcontroller board. Similarly, AutoDevKit APIs
are fully integrated with SPC5 Studio low-level drivers delivering code that is readily
portable across microcontroller platforms.
Further information can be found at www.st.com.
