Isolation circuits receive qualification
16 February 2010
Analog Devices’ iCoupler digital isolation products fully isolate data and power in a single package.
Furthermore, according to the manufacturer, it cuts costs in half and reduces board space by 70%.
The growing popularity of electric and hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) is placing new emphasis on the need for battery management to monitor voltage levels and provide car makers with the means to reduce battery weight, size and cost. Because HEV batteries operate at high voltages of up to 600V, isolation is required for safe and reliable operation. Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), is addressing these needs by expanding its portfolio of AEC-Q100 products with the introduction of quad-channel digital isolators with integrated, isolated power.
The ADuM540xW family is designed using Analog Devices’ proprietary iCoupler chip-scale micro-transformer technology, which has been used in more than 300 million channels of isolation shipped into a wide array of applications including automotive, industrial, medical, power supply, and consumer systems. The new digital isolators incorporate ADI’s proprietary isoPower integrated, isolated DC-to-DC converter technology, which provides up to 500mW of regulated, isolated power at 5V output.
In an HEV application, this level of integrated isolation allows for power to be transferred across an isolation barrier ensuring monitoring of the battery without drawing from the battery’s power. The ADuM540xW devices are a better choice over discrete solutions, such as optocouplers paired with external DC-to-DC converters, because their 10mm x 10mm surface mount packages reduce the component count of discrete solutions to a single component, reducing board space by up to 70% and cutting costs by as much as 50%.
Qualified for an AEC-Q100 -40°C to +105°C automotive temperature rating, the ADuM540xW family is suitable for HEV motor drives and battery management systems. The new AEC-Q100 isoPower isolators provide multiple isolation channels in a variety of channel configurations and supports data rates up to 25Mbps. The CMOS-based ADuM540xW family operates with the supply voltage on either side ranging from 4.5V to 5.5V.
“Advances in battery technology for hybrid/electric vehicles require isolated power technology with higher levels of integration, temperature resistance and a digital interface that eliminates the need for external signal conditioning,” said Bill Riedel, Director of Automotive Signal Processing, Automotive Segment Group, Analog Devices. “ADI’s iCoupler digital isolators with isolated power are not only smaller, they reduce power consumption by 50% compared to optocoupler solutions, which helps car manufacturers build even more environmentally sound vehicles.”
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