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Low voltage 3A buck converter provides wide input range for vehicle interiors

Tue, May 17, 2022

Automotive-compliant synchronous buck converters announced by Diodes are intended for high power density automotive designs, for example in vehicle telematics, ADAS, power and infotainment systems and instrumentation clusters.

The AP61300Q and AP61302Q synchronous buck converters are 3A-rated and have a wide input voltage range of 2.4 to 5.5V.

Incorporated into each buck converter is a 70mOhm, high side power MOSFET and a 50mOhm low side power MOSFET. Together, said Diodes, they deliver high efficiency step down DC/DC conversion. They also support fast switching speeds allowing smaller accompanying passives to be specified, reducing the overall bill of materials (BoM) and saving space, confirmed the company.

Depending on the load conditions, the AP61300Q and AP61302Q can be configured to pulse frequency modulation (PFM) or pulse width modulation (PWM) operating modes (using the enable pin). The quiescent current (IQ) of 19 microA, when in PFM mode, allows them to maintain elevated efficiencies even in light load situations. The low drop out (LDO) mode permits output voltage regulation to be maintained when the input voltage comes close to the V out voltage.

The constant on-time (COT) control functionality of both the AP61300Q and AP61302Q feature, rapid transient response, easy loop stabilisation and low output voltage ripple with only minimal external components required. Diodes explained that less PCB area is needed which contributes to a reduction in overall production costs.

The AP61300Q and AP61302Q are supplied in SOT563 packages. Both are AEC-Q100 Grade 1 qualified, PPAP-capable and manufactured in IATF 16949-certified facilities.

Diodes supplies semiconductor products to customers in the consumer electronics, computing, communications, industrial and automotive markets. Its portfolio includes discrete, analogue and mixed-signal products together with packaging technology to meet customers’ needs. The company has a broad range of application-specific products, sales teams and operations in 31 sites around the world, including engineering, testing, manufacturing, and customer services.

http://www.diodes.com

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Solid state digital beam steering technology is automotive-grade

Thu, May 12, 2022

Digital beam steering for lidar smart sensors has been announced by LeddarTech. LeddarSteer is designed for smart sensor developers and Tier 1 / Tier-2 automotive suppliers.

Digital beam steering refers to changing the direction of laser pulses in a lidar system. A stack of alternating liquid crystal cells and polarisation gratings enables light to be steered at different angles and at a specific wavelength in order to augment a lidar field of view.

LeddarSteer digital beam steering offers benefits such as software-controlled, on the fly adjustment, noted LeddarTech. It also allows for frame by frame adjustment, a pre-set or customised configuration, voltage controlled steering and is claimed to be easy to set up and interface with systems. It is also compatible with a range of lidar architectures and enables one lidar to address multiple use cases.

It is also field of view adjustable to accommodate a range of driver actions, such as turns, lane changes and slopes. Therefore, the same lidar can be used for motorway/highway and city driving.

Another benefit, said LeddarTech is that the resulting reduction in the number of sensors, contributes to bill of materials savings. In addition, said the company, the automotive-grade solid state technology results in a significantly higher MTBF (mean time between failures).

LeddarSteer can be seamlessly integrated into an existing lidar to expand the field of view or it can be integrated into a new lidar development. It provides an enhanced signal to noise ratio by concentrating laser power on a small region of interest while reducing the size, cost and complexity of lidar components whilst maintaining or increasing the pixel count and resolution.

According to LeddarTech CEO, Charles Boulanger: “LeddarSteer is the only digital beam steering smart component designed for mass production with the flexibility, reliability, cost, size and performance required by the most demanding 3D sensing applications and supported by standard automotive manufacturing process”.

Founded in 2007, LeddarTech is an environmental sensing company that enables customers to solve critical sensing, fusion and perception challenges across the entire value chain. Its portfolio includes LeddarVision, a raw data sensor fusion and perception platform that generates a comprehensive 3D environmental model from a variety of sensor types and configurations. LeddarTech also supports lidar manufacturers and Tier-1 / Tier- 2 automotive suppliers with LeddarSteer digital beam steering and the LeddarEngine, which is built on the company’s Leddar technology employing patented signal acquisition and processing techniques to generate a richer and cleaner return signal at a lower cost.

The LeddarEngine comprises a highly integrated, scalable lidar SoC and software combination.

The company is responsible for several innovations in cutting-edge automotive and mobility remote-sensing applications, with over 120 patents granted or applied for, enhancing ADAS and autonomous driving capabilities.

http://www.leddartech.com

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Global shutter image sensor simplifies driver monitoring system design

Mon, May 09, 2022

Using 3D chip technology, STMicroelectronics has developed the VB56G4A, global-shutter sensor for vehicle driver monitoring safety systems.

It is the company’s second generation automotive global-shutter image sensor. Driver monitoring systems (DMS) continually watch the driver’s head movements to recognise signs of drowsiness and distraction for vehicle systems to generate safety warnings.

Global-shutter sensor offers big advantages over rolling-shutter imagers. By simultaneously exposing all pixels to the image, a global-shutter sensor allows simple synchronisation with near infra red (NIR) illumination, improving the illumination-subsystem power budget.

The VB56G4A sensor achieves high quantum efficiency (QE), reaching 24 per cent at 940nm NIR wavelength, with linear dynamic range up to 60dB. This enables a simple low-power, non-visible LED emitter to provide adequate illumination for the sensor. Operating outside the visible spectrum also ensures consistent response in day or night driving and in bright or overcast conditions, said ST

The sensor’s high QE, combined with a pixel size of just 2.6 micron, helps optimise total power consumption and camera size. In addition, integrated automatic exposure control eases use and simplifies the application software design by minimising system interaction with the sensor.

The sensor also provides flexible operating modes that help optimise system features and performance. These include programmable sequences of four-frame contexts, illumination control outputs synchronised with sensor integration periods, an input for an external frame-start signal, automatic dark calibration, dynamic defective-pixel correction, image cropping, and a mirror / flip-image readout.

External connections include eight programmable general-purpose I/O (GPIO) pins and a dual-lane MIPI CSI-2 transmitter interface operating up to 1.5 Gbits per lane. The sensor can operate at up to 88 frames per second (fps) at full resolution and typical power consumption is 145mW at 60 fps.

It is estimated that around 95 per cent of driving accidents result from human error leading to the introduction of legislation in Europe that DMS will be mandatory in all new car models from 2024 and for existing models in 2026. In Europe, there were nearly 19,000 accident fatalities in 20201 and twice as many in the US, leading the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to recommend DMS for all semi-autonomous vehicles.

“Drivers may not realize that they are unsafe to drive due to tiredness or distraction. DMS removes uncertainty by detecting the problem automatically, which protects all occupants as well as others traveling on the road,” said Eric Aussedat, executive vice president, imaging sub-group general manager, STMicroelectronics. The VB56G4A is sensitive and compact to simplify DMS hardware and reduce overall system cost, he added.

The VB56G4A global shutter sensor uses ST’s 3D-stacked back-side illuminated (BSI-3D) image sensors. These are more sensitive, smaller, and more reliable than conventional front-side illuminated (FSI) sensors typically used in DMS, said the company.

ST is supplying samples of the sensor to lead customers now and mass production is scheduled for the beginning of 2023 for adoption in model year 2024 vehicles.

http://www.st.com

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Optical physical layer adds network interface to Renesas vehicle computer

Mon, May 09, 2022

Renesas has integrated KDPOF’s KD1053 PHY IC and KD9351 fibre optic transceiver (FOT) into the automotive vehicle computer VC4, communication gateway engine control unit (ECU). The VC4 integrates an optical Ethernet interface into our automotive evaluation boards. The 1000BASE-RH transceiver KD1053 and KD9351 FOT is certified to IEEE 802.3bv.

In order to meet the increasing complexity and computation demands of the next generation vehicles, the VC4 communication gateway ECU is intended to be a universal development platform for automotive customers based on the R-Car-S4 SoC.

Optical connectivity solves the challenges posed by electrical interference in vehicles, says KDPOF, thanks to the low weight, low cost and electromagnetic compatibility due to inherent galvanic isolation. “With the integrated KD9351 FOT in combination with the KD1053 PHY IC, we deliver a complete automotive 1000BASE-RHC physical layer,” said Carlos Pardo, CEO and co-founder of KDPOF.

Applications include safe Ethernet backbones, smart antenna modules, and sensor connections for advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) and audio/video.

The KD9351 optical transceiver incorporates the transmission and reception optoelectronics – such as transimpedance amplifier, photodiode, LED driver, and LED – into one single component. The KD9351 optical transceiver operates at 100Mbits per second up to 1Gbits per second. In addition to a small footprint, it benefits from a shorter supply chain and no test duplication with the final test at the Tier 1. The assembly is simplified and the connector offers snap-fit without soldering. The KD9351 reuses low-cost MEMs encapsulation and allows surface mount reflow assembly with 8.0 by 7.0mm LGA components. It is shielded against electromagnetic radiation, added KDPOF. The temperature range, from -40 to +105 degrees C, conforms with harsh automotive environmental requirements.

KDPOF will present latest highlights of the optical in-vehicle network technology at the Automotive Ethernet Congress (01 to 02 June 2022 in Munich, Germany). On 2 June, Carlos Pardo will present “Automotive Optical Ethernet Reaching for 50Gbits per second”.

https://www.kdpof.com

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Low voltage 3A buck converter provides wide input range for vehicle interiors

Solid state digital beam steering technology is automotive-grade

Global shutter image sensor simplifies driver monitoring system design

Optical physical layer adds network interface to Renesas vehicle computer

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