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Nexperia extends DFN packaging to AEC-Q101-compliant discretes

Tue, May 03, 2022

Discrete components from Nexperia are now available in miniature DFN packaging with side-wettable flanks. The company has introduced the AEC-Q101-compliant components to save board space in automotive designs.

The components are intended for applications in smart and electric vehicles, explained the company, with AEC-Q101 devices available cuts across all Nexperia’s product groups.

The new releases are the BC817QBH-Q and BC807QBH-Q series 45V, 500mA NPN / PNP general purpose transistors in a DFN1110D-3 package. There is also the BAT32LS-Q and BAT42LS-Q general purpose Schottky diode in a DFN1006BD-2
package and the BAS21LS-Q high-speed switching diode in a DFN1006BD-2 package.

Nexperia has also introduced the PDTA143 / 114 / 124 / 144EQB-Q series 50V 100mA PNP resistor-equipped transistor (RET) family in the DFN1110D-3 package.

Finally, there are two trench MOSFETs, the 2N7002KQB 60V and the BSS84AKQB 50V, P-channel devices, both in the DFN1110D-3 package.

According to Nexperia, leadless DFN packages are up to 90 per cent smaller than SOT23 packages, contributing to a reduction in the amount of board space required for an increasing number of electronic components in vehicles. The side-wettable flank offers very reliable automated optical inspection (AOI) of solder joint quality, added the company. Nexperia’s DFN packages deliver thermal performance with high Ptot and are claimed to be the most rugged in the industry passing extended lifetime and reliability tests.

Nexperia claims to offer the widest range of AEC-Q101 qualified discrete components in these miniature leadless packages. According to Mark Roeloffzen, senior vice president and general manager of Nexperia’s Bipolar Discretes business group, more than 460 different high volume devices are available in the recently released DFN1412D-3, DFN1110D-3, and DFN1006BD-2 packages. “By offering even more devices in these miniature packages, Nexperia provides design engineers with greater opportunities to make their designs future-proof, having an impact on the mobility of the future,” he said.

The new technology already has design-in and commitment from major Tier 1 automotive suppliers, he added.

Samples and production quantities are available now.

http://www.nexperia.com

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Automotive ECU virtualisation ensures multi-zone use

Wed, Apr 27, 2022

Designers can integrate multiple applications into a single engine control unit (ECU) in automotive systems using the Renesas ECU virtualisation platform. Each application can be safely and securely separated to avoid interference. Customers can therefore adopt new electrical-electronic (E/E) architectures using microcontroller-based zone ECUs which support multiple logical ECUs on one physical ECU.

The ECU virtualisation platform combines Renesas’ RH850/U2x microcontrollers and ETAS’ RTA-HVR software, which is a hypervisor designed for microcontrollers with hardware virtualisation support. A demonstrator environment comprises pre-configured embedded software, tools and an interactive demonstrator environment for RH850/U2x microcontrollers.

Reflecting on the move towards zone architecture, Satoshi Yoshida, senior director, Automotive Digital Products marketing at Renesas, said: “The transition . . . increases the design burden by changing the functional role assignments between the central ECU and each zone ECU”.

“Working together with Renesas, we were able to leverage the [hardware] capabilities of the RH850/U2x [microcontrollers] to deliver a high performance, low overhead, embedded hypervisor for automotive applications that complements class-leading AUTOSAR OS technologies,” added Nigel Tracey, vice president of Vehicle Operating Systems at ETAS.

The RH850/U2x microcontrollers including RH850/U2A and RH850/U2B have a set of embedded hardware that realises the integration of multiple ASIL D-compliant software partitions. The microcontrollers are specifically designed for zone-applications targeting reduced ECU component count with minimal re-engineering overhead, explained Renesas. RH850/U2x microcontrollers include features such as hypervisor hardware support, quality of service (RH850/U2B only) support, safety and security functions and a network on chip (NoC) structure to ensure proper real-time behaviour of the individual integrated applications.

The RTA-HVR software works with the hardware virtualisation features of the Renesas RH850U2x microcontrollers to provide one or more virtual machines (VMs). VMs are separated from each other in both space (using the RH850U2x memory protection unit and guard features) and time (using the RTA-HVR VM scheduler) to meet strict automotive safety and security requirements. The RTA-HVR can build a virtual device extension (VDE). Each VM comprises one or more virtual CPU cores, a sub-set of device memory space and a collection of peripherals.

Renesas offers the RH850/U2x Zone-ECU starter kit which provides a “ready to run” configuration of RTA-HVR, showcasing VM configurations which can be single core, multi-core and multi-VM core configurations. Guest software images are provided for each of the configured VMs, including bare metal. Virtual devices are available for peripheral sharing and virtual inter-VM networking; a virtual CAN or controller area network, says Renesas.

A PC-hosted application enables users to observe and interact with the VMs at runtime. The PC application supports triggering faults to explore behaviours as a result of memory violations, for example. It can also update one VM while the other VMs are running using the no-wait OTA capabilities of the RH850/U2x. Other functions are to explore the impact of alternative VM switching mechanisms and enabling developers to see the impact of hardware quality of service features.

The ECU virtualisation software platform, including the RH850/U2x Zone-ECU starter kit will be available from the end of May 2022.

http://www.renesas.com

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Protocol trigger and decode software accelerates CAN bus development

Fri, Apr 22, 2022

Engineers can verify and debug CAN XL and other automotive protocols using the D9010AUTP oscilloscope-based automotive protocol trigger / decode option by Keysight Technologies.

D9010AUTP covers CAN XL (controller area network extra long) to verify and debug low-speed automotive serial bus protocols and simplify the development and troubleshooting of systems including CAN / CAN FD (flexible data rate) and CAN XL.

CAN XL is the third-generation CAN standard in development by the CAN in Automation (CiA) group which increases payload data and bit rate of the established CAN FD protocol. The CAN XL data phase speed is specified to reach 10Mbits per second or more, depending on the transceiver capabilities and physical layer components. CAN XL has two modes of operation – fast mode and SIC (slow) mode.

Keysight’s automotive decoder software triggers and decodes the SIC mode signal in the arbitration phase, as well as the fast mode signal in the data phase. It also handles the CAN XL protocols implemented with the CAN HS / FD / SIC transceivers.

In-vehicle networking is pivotal for transmitting data quickly and reliably from sensors to AI decision making units, as well as between safety relevant electronic control units and electronic systems, explains Thomas Goetzl, vice president and general manager for Keysight’s automotive and energy solutions business unit.

Keysight’s D9010AUTP software is compatible with Keysight’s Infiniium oscilloscopes using software version 11.30 or higher for MXR / EXR / UXR models and version 6.72 or higher for other Infiniium scope models. The combination allows users to set up the oscilloscope to show CAN, LIN, CAN-FD, CAN XL, FlexRay and SENT protocol decode in less than 30 seconds and gain access to integrated protocol-level triggers. The offering also saves time and eliminates errors by viewing packets at the protocol level, advises Keysight while the use of time-correlated views can quickly troubleshoot serial protocol problems back to the timing or signal integrity root cause.

http://www.keysight.com

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Common source dual GaN FET is AEC-qualified for lidar systems

Thu, Apr 21, 2022

The latest addition to Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)’s family of automotive qualified transistors and ICs is small enough for time-of-flight (ToF) lidar applications including robotics, drones, 3D sensing and autonomous cars.

The EPC2221 is a common source dual GaN FET rated at 100V, 58 mOhm and 20A pulsed current. The FET can be also be used in surveillance systems and vacuum cleaners.

The low inductance and capacitance of the EPC2221 allows fast switching (100MHz) and narrow pulse widths (two nanoseconds) for high resolution and high efficiency. Additionally, the small size (1.35 x 1.35mm) reduces PCB cost and total solution size, says EPC.

This latest member of EPC’s family of GaN transistors and ICs designed to meet the performance and reliability standards of demanding automotive applications has completed AEC Q101 qualification testing including humidity testing with bias (H3TRB), high temperature reverse bias (HTRB), high temperature gate bias (HTGB), and temperature cycling (TC).

In addition to lidar in automotive applications, the EPC2221 is suited to high-frequency DC/DC conversion, wireless power applications and synchronous rectification.

Alex Lidow, CEO and co-founder of EPC, believes this IC “improves the performance while reducing size and cost for time-of-flight lidar systems.”

The EPC2221 is available for immediate delivery from Digi-Key Electronics.

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

EPC specialises in enhancement mode GaN-based power management. The company says eGaN FETs and ICs 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, and drones and low-cost satellites

EPC will be at PCIM Europe (10–12 May 2022) Hall 9 – Stand 113

http://www.epc-co.com

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Nexperia extends DFN packaging to AEC-Q101-compliant discretes

Automotive ECU virtualisation ensures multi-zone use

Protocol trigger and decode software accelerates CAN bus development

Common source dual GaN FET is AEC-qualified for lidar systems

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