E-Fuse board protects EVs and HEVs

High-voltage electrical subsystems used in battery and hybrid electric vehicles (BEVs and HEVs) require a way to protect the high-voltage distribution and loads in the event of an overload condition. To give designers a faster and more reliable high-voltage circuit protection solution, Microchip Technology Inc. announced the SiC-based E-Fuse Demonstrator Board, available in six variants for 400-V to 800-V battery systems, with a current rating up to 30 amps.

(Source: Microchip Technology Inc.)

The E-Fuse board detects and interrupts fault currents in microseconds, 100–500× times faster than mechanical approaches, said Microchip. The rapid response time reduces peak short-circuit currents from tens of kilo-amps to hundreds of amps, preventing a fault event from resulting in a hard failure.

The E-Fuse design eliminates degradation from mechanical shock, arcing or contact bounce, alleviating reliability concerns. A resettable feature enables designers to package the E-Fuse in the vehicle, reducing design complexities and improving BEV/HEV power system distribution.

The board also includes a built-in Local Interconnect Network (LIN) communication interface that enables the configuration of the over-current trip characteristics without modifying hardware components. The design also implements a time-current characteristic (TCC) curve to migrate to non-automotive applications including DC solid-state circuit breakers.

The E-Fuse combines the ruggedness and performance of SiC MOSFET technology and the PIC microcontrollers’ Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs), which help simplify design. Companion components are automotive-qualified and feature a lower part count and higher reliability when compared with a discrete design, according to Microchip.

The E-Fuse Demonstrator Board is supported by MPLAB X Integrated Development Environment (IDE), enabling customers to develop or debug software. A LIN Serial Analyzer development tool allows users to send and receive serial messages from a PC to the E-Fuse Demonstrator Board.

The E-Fuse Demonstrator Board is available in limited sampling. Additional applications for the reference design include DC smart grids, industrial and charging stations.