Infineon Adds Serial Peripheral Interface
31 August 1999
Infineon Adds Serial Peripheral Interface, 16-Channel Part and New Levels of Diagnostic Protection to Multiple-Channel Smart Switch Family
SAN JOSE, Calif.--Aug. 31, 1999--Reduce Boardspace, Lower Componenet Count and Simplify
Control of All Types of Loads
Infineon Technologies Corp., formerly Siemens Microelectronics Inc., today announced the addition of the industry's first 16-channel intelligent power switch plus highly integrated quad and octal devices to its Multiple-Channel Low-Side family of smart switches.
The new series of devices includes bus-capable interfaces, such as Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) control for all channels. By allowing a 2-bit diagnostic signal per channel to report unsafe conditions such as overload, overtemperature, open load and short-to-ground, SPI control reduces the load on the microcontroller.
The interface supports full duplex data transfer at baud rates up to 5 Mbaud. In addition, dedicated channels can be directly controlled in parallel for PWM applications.
"To keep pace with environmental and safety demands on modern automotive and industrial applications requires highly integrated intelligent power semiconductors working in tandem with powerful 8-bit and 16-bit microcontroller architectures," noted Shawn Fogarty, Infineon's product marketing manager.
"As loads increase from a few milliamperes up to 100Amps, it's also imperative that a flexible system based on efficient data exchange between microcontroller and switches is in place and that intelligent switches are capable of real-time fault monitoring," he added.
Infineon's Multiple-Channel Low-Side Smart Switches contain DMOS power transistors plus all the circuit elements for built-in protection. The new family of devices contains two levels of circuit diagnosis, full and light. Both versions provide full protection in each channel against overloads, short circuits, excess temperature and ESD for any pin combination for either polarity.
They also include protection from dynamic overvoltages such as load dump and inductive load turn-off without the need for additional components. The full version also includes on-board diagnostics to identify load problems for detailed fault detection.
The four conditions that can be identified include "normal function," "open load," "thermal overload/short to supply/overtemperature" and "short circuit to ground." Whenever an error occurs, the multiple-channel switch will communicate the occurence, the type and the affected channel to the microcontroller.
Infineon's Multiple-Channel Smart Switches are largely immune to electrostatic discharge and other elecromagnetic interference. A voltage slew rate limiting circuit (dv/dt limiting) virtually eliminates EMI noise by keeping the switching speed within a desirable range.
Infineon's Multiple-Channel Low Side Smart Switches are ideal for low-current automotive applications such as lighting, engine management and powertrain control. Industrial applications include relay and fuse replacement, lamps and various automated designs in robatics and industrial controls.
In quantities of 10K, prices for the new Multiple-Channel Low-Side Switches start at $2 for the TLE6225GP quad in a PDSO-20 package. TLE6220GP quad in a power SO PDSO package is $3.26. The TLE6230GP octal in a 36-pin power SO PDSO package is $3.52 and the TLE6240GP 16-channel, also in a power SO PDSO-36 package, is $7.24. All products are currently being sampled and volume production is available.
For additional information on Multiple-Channel and other smart switches and bridges, visit Infineon's Web site at http://www.infineon.com/products/36/36.htm
About Infineon
Infineon Technologies, Munich, Germany, formerly Siemen's Semiconductor Group, is the 10th largest semiconductor manufacturer worldwide according to Dataquest. Infineon provides semiconductor solutions for the telecommunications, automotive, data networking, consumer electronics and industrial automation markets.
The company's comprehensive product portfolio includes integrated system ICs, memory and high frequency components, smart card ICs, discrete semiconductors and power ICs, sensors and fiber optic components. In fiscal 1997/98, the company achieved sales of $3.8 billion (DM 6.7 billion) and employed 25,000 people worldwide.
Infineon Technologies Corp. is the company's North American subsidiary, with headquarters at 1730 N. First St., San Jose, CA 95112. For more information, contact 800/777-4363, 408/501-6000 or see http://www.infineon.com.
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