Its VN9D30Q100F as well as the VN9D5D20FN from STMicroelectronics introduce a brand new generation of intelligent automotive switches which is the first on the market that incorporates digital current sensing, which is among the completely digital on-chip diagnostic functions. The switches are designed for high-side connectivity for applications that run on 12V batteries, the drivers reduce the design of software and hardware for Electronic Control Units (ECUs) and improve the reliability of the system.
The new devices make use of the latest generation of ST’s VIPower* M0-9 technologies. They blend a highly efficient 40V trench vertical MOSFET , 3.3V digital logic as well as high precision analog circuitry, all in the 6mm x 6mm QFN-sized package. Their small dimensions and superior integration could save as much as 40% of the PCB’s area when compared with comparable driver ICs that are available.
The VN9D30Q100F includes two 33mO as well as four channels with 90mO. The VN9D5D20FN includes two 7.6mO and two 20mO channels. Each channel has at least six channels for output as well as the SPI interface is 4-wire which decreases the number of microcontroller I/O pins required to communicate with the device. They also have an embedded pulse-width (PWM) generator that has a a resolution of 0.1 percent that gives an efficient, precise and accurate control signal on each output for handling tasks like dimming the lamp.
The diagnostic circuitry features an analog-to-digital converter that is continuously running (ADC) with a resolution of 10 bits and 5% accuracy to give Digital readings for the current in the load and temperature of the case, which removes the dependence on an ADC within the microcontroller in the host. Its ADC task-manager is synced with the PWM engine of the driver to ensure that the tests on each input channel are automatically completed in the correct time-frame without microcontroller intervention. Two one-time programmed (OTP) inputs that can be used to control the operation of the limp-home mode in case there is a failure in the system that causes interruption in the overall control of the host microcontroller.
Additionally, they reduce the cost of hardware for customers by minimising power dissipation as well as PCB-design complexity These new devices make it easier to achieve the AUTOSAR process by providing complex drivers that operate independent of the application, which in turn makes it easier to develop software.
