Automotive Electronics

Microchip has announced 10 automotive-grade multi-channel temperature monitoring ICs that use external diodes, transistors or substrate diodes (MCU or other die) as sensors. Called the MCP998x family, they communicate over a serial bus and a pair of discrete output pins. Accuracy is ±1°C max (±0.2°C typ) with the IC and probe diodes anywhere in the range +20°C to +85°C – ...

Kemet has introduced three automotive grade supercapacitors. “Optimised design and materials enable a service life of up to 1,000 hours at 85°C or 105°C, and the components meet the special requirements of the 85°C, 85% relative humidity, 1,000 hour test [‘THB test’] for the automotive industry,” according to distributor Rutronik, which is stocking the parts. “Thanks to their characteristics, the ...

ABLIC, the analogue IC subsidiary of MinebeaMitsumi, has  launched a series of automotive step-down switching regulators. The S-19954/5 series is a step-down switching regulator which operates at 5.5V with a 1A output and is housed in an HSNT-8(1616)B package (which is the industry’s smallest package (*1) at 1.6 x 1.6 x t0.41mm). In addition, while the circuit configuration of conventional ...

SemiQ will be exhibiting its 1.2kV SOT-227 silicon carbide mosfet power modules at APEC, the Applied Power Electronics Conference, at the end of February. The modules come with or without a co-packaged Schottky diode, with current ratings between 30 and 113A, and on-resistance spanning 80mΩ to 20mΩ respectively (see table). The SOT-227 package is designed to be bolted to a ...

Allegro MicroSystems has created an isolated gate driver IC for GaN power transistors that has no need for high-side bootstrapping nor the provision of a secondary side drive supply voltage. Instead, a dc-dc converter within AHV85111 produces secondary-side dc power rails – one positive and one negative – to provide gate drive power from a 12V supply (10.8 – 13.2V) ...

Littelfuse has invented an AEC-Q200-qualified temperature monitoring tape for electric vehicle batteries. Branded TTape, it detects local over-heating via thermally sensitive spots spaced along its length, all connected in series. The spots are positive temperature coefficient thermistors. “Distinguishing itself from NTCs [negative temperature coefficient thermistors], the profound advantage of localised cell overheating detection ensures quicker alerts to the battery management ...

Vishay has introduced four ultra-fast 200V rectifier diodes: VS-1EAH02xM3 (1A) VS-2EAH02xM3 (2A), VS-3EAH02xM3 (3A) VS-5EAH02xM3 (5A) “Their low-profile DFN3820A housings provide a space-saving solution with high efficiency, predestined for commercial, industrial and especially automotive applications – they are each available as Vishay Automotive Grade, AEC-Q101 qualified versions,” according to distributor Rutronik, which is stocking the parts. Taking the 3A VS-3EAH02HM3 ...

NXP Semiconductors has announced an extension to its 28nm RF cmos radar one-chip SoC family at CES in Las Vegas. The SAF86xx is the successor to the SAF8500 which is targeted at smart radar sensors. It supports a range of sensor outputs, including object, point cloud-, or range-FFT-level data for smart sensors in today’s architectures and streaming sensors in future ...

TI has introduced a millimetre-wave radar sensor chip which it claims to be the industry’s first for satellite radar architectures, enabling higher levels of autonomy by improving sensor fusion and decision-making in ADAS. In satellite architectures, radar sensors output semi-processed data to a central processor for ADAS decision-making using sensor fusion algorithms, taking advantage of the 360-degree sensor coverage to ...

Lem has introduced a pair of mains residual current monitors for electric vehicle charging that have both digital and analogue outputs. One monitors single-phase live and neutral (CDSR 0.07-TP, photo right), while the other monitors three phases and neutral (CDSR 0.07-NP, photo below). “Because electric vehicles use a high voltage battery, they are also a high-power energy source. This needs ...