Ablic, a group company of MinebeaMitsumi Inc., has introduced the S-19954/5 Series of step-down switching regulators that operates at 5.5 V with a 1-A output for automotive cameras. The series is housed in an HSNT-8(1616)B package—the industry’s smallest package to date at 1.6 × 1.6 × 0.41 mm, according to the company.
The new series solves challenges associated with using traditional LDO regulators for viewing and sensing cameras in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving (AD) systems. Higher resolution automotive camera image sensors have higher current consumption and using conventional LDO regulators will increase heat generation, Ablic explained.
As a result, switching regulators with high power conversion efficiency are often used to solve the heat problem, but they also require a greater number of peripheral components, necessitating a larger mounting area, the company continued.
(Source: Ablic)
The S-19954/5 devices feature an integrated feedback resistance circuit and phase compensation circuit to set output voltage. Configuration of an application circuit uses just one small coil and two capacitors, compared to five or more external components for circuit configuration of conventional switching regulators. These features translate into a 45% reduction in mounting area compared to conventional products, Ablic said.
The series also includes a power good function to monitor the output voltage of the IC, ensuring it stays within the normal range. If the output voltage deviates from the specified range, the function raises an error flag, notifying the microcontroller and improving system safety.
The S-19954/5 Series also is reported to achieve higher efficiency conversion than products with similar functionality: 95% at an input voltage of 4 V and an output voltage of 3.3 V.
The series is available with either PWM control (S-19954 Series) or PWM/PFM switching control (S-19955 Series). The proprietary PWM/PFM switching technology with PFM control can deliver constant voltage output from VOUT without excessive ripple voltage.
The S-19954/5 Series is Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) capable. Compliance is underway for Grade 1 of the AEC-Q100 quality standard for automotive ICs. The devices are also available in a gull-wing type HTMSOP-8 (2.9 × 4.0 × 0.8 mm) package.
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