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Capacitive touch controllers increase SNR for EMI qualification

Fri, Jun 28, 2019

Three maXTouch touchscreen controllers have been introduced by Microchip, together with optimisation services which address the EMI and EMC challenges of automotive touchscreens.

The MXT1067TD, MXT1189TD and MXT1665TDTD family of touch controllers have a differential mutual signal acquisition method that significantly increases the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), explains Microchip. This allows the use of very thick glass or plastic cover lenses and multi-finger thick gloved touch support up to the equivalent of 4.5mm polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).

The touchscreen controllers are cost-optimised for nine- to 13-inch automotive touchscreens and are complemented by the recently introduced MXT449TD, MXT641TD, MXT2113TD and MXT2912TD devices supporting up to 20-inch touchscreens. Each addresses aspects of functional safety features and is designed in accordance with the Automotive SPICE Level 3 capability and ISO 26262 automotive safety integrity level (ASIL) B requirements.

The latest and existing controllers in the TD family have a waveform shaping capability to optimise the performance of the touch controller’s radiated emissions through an EMI optimisation tool. Developers can enter user-defined RF limits and tune the shape of the transmitted burst waveform used for the touch-sensing acquisition.

Waveform shaping is achieved through firmware parameters derived from the tool and helps designers to position the fundamental burst frequency to work together with other in-vehicle applications, such as the remote keyless entry system. The parameters are added to the maXTouch configuration file, which customises the touch controller performance to the customer design.

This process can save the designer many hours, or even weeks, of expensive EMC test chamber time, explains Microchip, by eliminating experimentation with different configuration settings to achieve the desired EMI/EMC performance.

Target applications for the touchscreen controllers are centre stack displays and navigation systems; they are also suitable for industrial automation and manufacturing stations.

An evaluation kit is available for each of the parts: ATEVK-MXT1067TDAT-A (I2C), ATEVK-MXT1189TDAT-A (I2C), ATEVK-MXT1189TDAT-C (SPI), ATEVK-MXT1665TDAT-A (I2C) and ATEVK-MXT1665TDAT-C (SPI). Each kit includes a PCB with the maXTouch touchscreen controller, a touch sensor on a clear glass lens, the flat printed circuit (FPC) to connect to the sensor and a bridge PCB to connect the kit to the host computer via USB, as well as cables, software and documentation. All parts are compatible with maXTouch Studio, a full software development environment to support the evaluation of maXTouch touchscreen controllers.

The maXTouch EMI optimisation service will be made available as part of the system support provided by one of Microchip’s worldwide application design centres.

The MXT1067TD, MXT1189TD and MXT1665TD devices are available now in sampling and volume quantities in TQFP128 (MXT1067TD only) and LQFP144 packages.

http://www.microchip.com

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Power supply monitoring IC has self-diagnosis for functional safety

Wed, Jun 19, 2019

Designed for automotive application power supply systems the BD39040MUF-C, by Rohm Semiconductor, has built in self-test (BIST).

It supports functional safety and provides monitoring functions for the power supply systems of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) sensor modules. For functional safety, to meet the highest safety requirement level (ASIL) it is necessary to detect potential failures of the power supply monitoring function itself. In addition to voltage monitoring functions (power-good, reset) and a watchdog timer for monitoring the engine control unit, the BD39040MUF-C is the first to introduce a self-diagnostic function, claims Rohm. The IC makes it possible to detect a potential failure of the power supply IC itself without affecting existing systems. Both the reference voltage and oscillator circuits are multiplexed to enable continuous mutual monitoring between systems in order to improve safety during normal operation.

The BD39040MUF-C easily supports functional safety in existing systems without any changes of power supply sequences. Additionally, the watchdog timer for the ECU can be adjusted via external resistance and the effective monitoring timing arbitrarily set to on/off.

The BD39040MUF-C has an input range of 2.7 to 5.5V and is supplied in a compact, 3mm square package.

Applications include radars, cameras and sensors for ADAS/automated driving, ECUs, electric power steering, dashboard cluster, LCD panels, infotainment, lamps
and other power systems requiring functional safety measures beyond ASIL-B.

Rohm Semiconductor develops and manufactures low power microcontrollers, power management and standard ICs, SiC diodes, MOSFETs and modules, power transistors and diodes, LEDs and passives components such as resistors, tantalum capacitors and LED display units and thermal printheads in manufacturing plants in Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, China and Europe.

Rohm Semiconductor Europe has its head office near Dusseldorf, Germany serving the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region.

http://www.rohm.com

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Infineon claims Hall sensor is a first for ASIL D systems

Tue, Jun 18, 2019

Infineon Technologies believes that the Xensiv TLE499913 is the industry’s first monolithically integrated linear Hall sensor developed entirely according to the safety standard ISO26262 for automotive applications.

The single sensor enables the development of fault-tolerant systems that have to meet the highest level of functional safety (ASIL D), says Infineon, such as electric steering systems, electric throttle control systems, and pedal applications.

ISO26262 requires a system to keep functioning even if a single fault occurs, or a single components fails. The TLE4999I3 allows uninterrupted operation at system level. It consists of a monolithic design with two independent Hall elements. Their signal paths are separate from each other and internal control mechanisms carry out a plausibility check of the sensor data already within the chip. The linear Hall sensor also provides extensive status information to the system.

In addition to functional safety, the TLE4999I3 also offers very high magnetic sensitivity with an error tolerance of less than two per cent. The offset error drift, another important parameter for magnetic sensors as it determines the absolute position in a magnetic field, is maximum 100 microT, or half that of comparable products, claims Infineon. The values of these parameters apply across the entire temperature range and lifetime of the product.

The TLE4999I3 allows two magnetic ranges of ±12.5 and 25mT to be adjusted. These low values allow the use of relatively small and, consequently, inexpensive magnets.

A PSI5 communication interface is a current interface, requiring little wiring and offering “an excellent electromagnetic performance” according to Infineon. The TLE4999I3 is suitable for applications in which it is connected to the control unit over large distances as it supports cable lengths up to 12m.

The TLE4999I3 sensor is supplied in a PG-SSO-3 package and is qualified according to AECQ100, Grade 0 for use in applications with ambient temperatures of 150 degrees C during average operational conditions.

Infineon will be exhibiting this and other sensor solutions at the Sensor+Test 2019 trade fair (Nuremberg, 25 to 27 June 2019) Hall 1 – booth 429.

http://www.infineon.com

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Siemens integrates the u-blox ZED-F9K module into its V2X test fleet

Mon, Jun 10, 2019

The ZED-F9K turnkey solution minimizes the effort required to achieve decimeter-level positioning accuracy in automotive applications.

Thalwil, Switzerland – June 7, 2019 – u-blox (SIX:UBXN), a global provider of leading positioning and wireless communication technologies for the automotive, industrial, and consumer markets, is announcing that Siemens has integrated the u‑blox ZED-F9K (https://www.u-blox.com/en/product/zed-f9k-module) high precision dead reckoning module into its Toyota Prius V2X (vehicle-to-everything) test fleet. Siemens carried out live demonstrations of the technology at the ITS European Congress 2019 (https://2019.itsineurope.com/) in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

As the only available source of absolute position, satellite-based positioning plays a crucial role in advanced driver automation systems and driverless vehicles. The same is true in V2X communication, in which vehicles continuously share their location and other information with other traffic participants – cars and pedestrians – as well as surrounding infrastructure, improving road safety and reducing traffic congestion.

V2X test vehicles typically determine their position using high-end, expensive GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) receivers. While these provide highly accurate position information, they fail to realistically represent the hardware that will be deployed in vehicles produced for the mass market. By opting to use the ZED-F9K turnkey solution for high precision dead reckoning, Siemens was able to align the performance of their test fleet with real world conditions while also reducing the cost and the engineering effort required to develop their vehicles.

“We’ve had a very positive experience with u-blox’s ZED-F9K high precision dead reckoning solution. The product delivered strongly from the initial design-in to the data and performance in our first tests,” says Igor Passchier, Engineering fellow, Connected and Automated Driving at Siemens PLM Software. “It underscores the reputation of u‑blox as a trusted innovator in GNSS technology.”

“Our collaboration with Siemens shows the extent to which the ZED-F9K turnkey solution saves OEMs time, cost, and engineering effort while providing decimeter-level positioning performance,” says Alex Ngi, Product Strategy for Dead Reckoning, Product Center Positioning, u-blox. “For us, it has also been a welcome opportunity to contribute to solving the challenges in the autonomous driving ecosystem.”

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Capacitive touch controllers increase SNR for EMI qualification

Power supply monitoring IC has self-diagnosis for functional safety

Infineon claims Hall sensor is a first for ASIL D systems

Siemens integrates the u-blox ZED-F9K module into its V2X test fleet

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