Intermediate rail 2MHz switching power supply withstands entire automotive input voltage range

Due to the increasing use of start-stop vehicle technology (which automatically turns off the engine while it is idling), more and more automotive systems must operate at low input voltages. These low input voltages occur in situations such as warm crank (when the battery voltage can drop as low as 6V) or cold crank (when the battery voltage can drop as low as 3V). Figure 1 illustrates common automotive systems that require different architecture solutions.