Hyperlux family claims to boost performance, speed and features of automotive image sensors

With a 2.1 Microm pixel size, 150dB high dynamic range (HDR) and LED flicker mitigation (LFM) across the full automotive temperature range, the onsemi Hyperlux family is claimed to provide high performance, speed and advanced features to propel the next generation of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) forward. It also enables a smooth transition to Level 2+ driving automation, which requires the driver to take over only when alerted by the technology. 

The Hyperlux family spans products with resolutions from 3 megapixel (MP) to 8MP and higher, catering to both sensing and viewing camera applications. With an HDR of 150dB, it claims to capture high quality images under extreme lighting conditions without sacrificing lowlight sensitivity. The LFM capability of the platform ensures that pulsed light sources do not appear to flicker and thereby avoids flicker-induced machine vision issues. 

The simultaneous HDR and LFM capabilities ensure that the potential hazard can be identified in either very dark or bright scenes, critical to ADAS and in-cabin applications, said the intelligent driving sensor business unit at Desay SV. With the new Hyperlux technology, automotive OEMs and tier ones can expect proven high performance in all operating conditions to accelerate more advanced safety and convenience features, it added.

The Hyperlux product family claims to boast the industry’s lowest power consumption and smallest footprint. By using up to 30% less power and having an up to 28 per cent smaller footprint than competing devices, the automotive image sensors are claimed to deliver energy-efficient designs with the lowest system material cost. As more electronic content, including image sensors, is added to cars,  the content needs to be as small as possible to fit in existing designs while not disrupting the internal and external style of the vehicle.

As vehicles become more connected and move closer to autonomy, the importance of safety and security is more critical than ever, said onsemi. It claimed its knowledge of automotive applications and trends, along with its engineering expertise in image sensing, enables its customers to develop next-generation products that bring it closer to the Vision Zero initiative, a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries.

Hyperlux is designed to meet the safety requirements of Automotive Safety Integrity Level D (ASIL D) systems, while integrated security gives the highest coverage to cybersecurity threats. These sensors also offer a dual output stream at differing resolutions, allowing sensing and other functions to be performed simultaneously. Designers can benefit from the flexible architecture for the use of a single camera for multiple functions, reducing design time, risk and cost. 

The first two sensors of the Hyperlux product family, AR0823AT and AR0341AT, are now sampling. 

Onsemi will be exhibiting at AutoSens Detroit, 9-11 May 2023. 

https://www.onsemi.com

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Motor drive inverter supports 14V to 80V input DC voltage

EPC’s EPC9186 supports a wide input DC voltage ranging from 14V to 80V. The high-power capability of the EPC9186 supports applications such as electric scooters, small electric vehicles, agricultural machinery, forklifts and high-power drones.

The three-phase BLDC motor drive inverter uses the EPC2302 eGaN fet and four EPC2302 fets in parallel per switch position. It can deliver up to 200Apk maximum output current. 

The EPC9186 contains all the necessary critical function circuits to support a complete motor drive inverter, including gate drivers, regulated auxiliary power rails for housekeeping supplies, voltage, and temperature sense, accurate current sense, and protection functions. The boards can be configured for multiphase DC–DC conversion and support both phase and leg shunt current sensing.  

According to the company, the major benefits of a GaN-based motor drive are exhibited with this reference design, including lower distortion for lower acoustic noise, lower current ripple for reduced magnetic loss, lower torque ripple for improved precision and lower filtering for lower cost.  

EPC provides full demonstration kits, which include interface boards that connect the inverter board to the controller board development tool for fast prototyping that is claimed to reduce design cycle times.

GaN-based inverters increase motor efficiency and can increase power capability without increasing size, claimed EPC. This enables motor systems that are smaller, lighter, less noisy, have more torque, more range, and greater precision for a wide range of consumer and industrial applications, it added.

The EPC9186 reference design board is priced at $900.00 and is available from Digi-Key.

Designers interested in replacing their silicon mosfets with a GaN solution can use the EPC GaN Power Bench’s cross-reference tool to find a suggested replacement based on their operating conditions.

EPC claims to be the leader in enhancement mode gallium nitride (eGaN) based power management. eGaN fets and integrated circuits are claimed to provide performance many times greater than the best silicon power mosfets in applications such as DC-DC converters, remote sensing technology (lidar), motor drives for eMobility, robotics, drones and low-cost satellites.

https://www.epc-co.com

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Small form factor computing system is based on Nvidia Jetson AGX Orin

Elma Electronic has expanded its line of rugged small form factor (SFF) edge computing systems to include the JetSys-5330, based on the Nvidia Jetson AGX Orin System on Module (SoM). The artificial intelligence (AI) platform delivers up to 275 TOPS, coupled with expansion sites for custom I/O and storage requirements, making the JetSys-5330 suitable for rugged, deployed deep-learning applications. 

The JetSys-5330 utilises wireless multi-access edge computing. Industrial applications, including robotics, autonomous mining, agriculture and construction vehicles, can also benefit from the JetSys-5330 edge computing capabilities.

Mark Littlefield, director, system products for Elma Electronic, commented: “The power of AI brought to the edge by this latest Nvidia Jetson-based JetSys platform is enhanced by the versatile and extensive I/O interfaces and storage capabilities. This new system can handle multiple concurrent video pipelines, which means enhanced data handling and processing power for rugged systems.”

The Nvidia Jetson AGX Orin is a powerful SoM for AI applications, featuring a 2048-core Nvidia Ampere architecture GPU with 64 Tensor Cores and a 12-core Arm Cortex-A78AE. Deep learning and vision accelerators, a video encoder/decoder, high-speed I/O, 204GB/s of memory bandwidth and up to 64GB of DRAM contribute to its processing capabilities.

Claimed to be easily configurable and expandable, the JetSys-5330 combines the Nvidia Jetson AGX Orin module with Elma’s JetKit-3110 carrier card, which provides the necessary power and interfaces for the SoM as well as three mini-PCIe slots (one that doubles as mSATA) and two M.2 slots (one B-Key and one M-Key) for custom I/O or fixed storage expansion.

The platform’s rugged design is IP67-rated and qualified to standards including MIL-STD-810G, MIL-HDBK-704F and MIL-STD-1275D. The platform’s power consumption ranges from 53W to 130W depending on the system configuration. Maximum weight is 16lbs with an optionally available fan kit.

https://www.elma.com

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SiC gate driver could help extend the driving range of electric vehicles

A highly integrated, functional safety-compliant, isolated gate driver has been released by Texas Instruments (TI). The company claimed that the driver could enable engineers to design more efficient traction inverters and maximise the driving range of electric vehicles (EVs). 

The UCC5880-Q1 reinforced isolated gate driver is claimed to offer features that enable EV powertrain engineers to increase power density and reduce system design complexity and cost. 

According to TI, semiconductor innovations in traction inverter systems are helping to overcome critical barriers to their widespread adoption. These innovations are said to enable automakers to build safer, more efficient and more reliable silicon carbide (SiC)- and insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT)-based traction inverters by designing with UCC5880-Q1, featuring real-time variable gate-drive strength, Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), advanced SiC monitoring and protection and diagnostics for functional safety.

The company said that the driver can be easily paired with other high-voltage power-conversion products, such as the UCC14141-Q1 isolated bias supply module, to improve power density and help engineers reach the high levels of traction inverter performance.

Achieving any increase in efficiency is difficult for designers, given that the majority of traction inverters already operate at 90 per cent efficiency or higher, according to TI. But by varying the gate-drive strength in real time, in steps between 20 A and 5 A, designers can improve system efficiency with the UCC5880-Q1 gate driver by as much as 2 per cent by minimising SiC switching power losses, resulting in up to seven more miles of EV driving range per battery charge, it claimed. For an EV user who charges their vehicle three times per week, that could mean more than 1,000 additional miles per year. 

It is claimed that engineers can reduce components and prototype a more efficient traction inverter system by using the SiC EV Traction Inverter Reference Design. This customisable, tested design includes the UCC5880-Q1, a bias-supply power module, real-time control MCUs and high-precision sensing.

Preproduction quantities of the automotive-grade, ISO26262-compliant UCC5880-Q1 are available in a 10.5mm x 7.5-mm, 32-pin shrink small-outline package (SSOP). Pricing starts at US$5.90 in 1,000-unit quantities. Designers can purchase a UCC5880-Q1 evaluation module for US$249. 

TI is exhibiting at the Power Conversion and Intelligent Motion (PCIM) Europe conference, Nuremberg, (9-11 May) at Hall 7, Booth No. 459.

https://www.TI.com

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