Power design for automotive applications

Introducing AEC-Q100 qualified RT2875 family and its design tool Challenges when designing DC/DC power circuits for Automotive applications

Harsh automotive environment :

• The input supply from the car battery can exhibit voltage dips and peaks during cranking or load dump events.
• The nearby AM receiver is sensitive to switching noise, so switching converter EMI noise must be minimized.
• The operating temperature range of the application can be much wider than normal commercial applications.
• Automotive applications require high reliability and good safety protections.

Richtek has released new powerful DC/DC step-down converters and design tools that simplify the automotive power design considerably.

Introducing RT2875, a highly flexible automotive Buck converter family suitable for a wide range of automotive applications

Key features for RT2875:

• AEC-Q100 Grade-2 qualified over -40 ~ +105°C temperature range.
• The wide 4.5V ~ 36V input voltage range & 100% duty-cycle mode minimizes output voltage variation over input voltage fluctuation.
• Programmable 300kHz ~ 2.1MHz clock which can be synchronized to an external clock for precise frequency setting to avoid sensitive frequency bands.
• Programmable 1.5~6A current limit sets the maximum inductor peak current to a specific value, allowing optimal inductor choice without risk of saturation in overload condition.
• External compensation to set feedback loop parameters and ensure stable operation at various switching frequencies over the full temperature range.
• Low R_DSON MOSFETs and a thermally efficient package allow operation at high ambient temperatures without overheating.

Richtek Designer™, online simulation tool for RT2875 family

The Richtek Designer™ online simulation tool greatly reduces the RT2875 application design time, does a fully automatic schematic generation based on Design Requirements and can be used to check various operating conditions such as:

• Switching and output voltage during input voltage fluctuations
• Start-up and shut-down sequence from VIN or Enable
• Fast load transient test at different input voltages and switching frequencies
• Current limit behavior during overload conditions
• Gain phase analysis over a wide range of operating conditions
• Efficiency and IC power dissipation analysis
• Measure current and voltage of every circuit component; calculate average, RMS and peak values for component de-rating
• Recommended component BOM generation

Find out more about Richtek Designer to get your automotive design started in no time.