New Industry Products

4-Channel PMIC with Fault Mitigation for Automotive Camera Modules

March 26, 2019 by Scott McMahan

The MAX20049 power management IC from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. has been designed to meet the demands of shrinking automotive camera modules. MAX20049 integrates four power supplies into a small footprint.

In addition to being the smallest form factor power management IC for vehicle camera modules, the company claims it has the highest efficiency available. The MAX20049 offers many options to support different output voltages, while also providing fault mitigation by flagging faults and shifts in output voltages.

Automotive camera modules tend to be size-constrained. So, smaller power management solutions that can pack the necessary power and functionality are demanded.

The company says that the 4-channel MAX20049 power management IC has an almost 30 percent smaller PCB footprint than competing solutions (38mm2 compared to 53.3mm2) and offers the highest efficiency among other quad-power power management ICs in its class.

It provides numerous options to support modules that need various output voltages for different mixes of sensors and serializers. These options allow as-needed layout changes and fine-tuning of the IC to meet specific application requirements.

The MAX20049 offers fault mitigation, a required feature to help flag faults and shifts in output voltages to ensure proper camera functioning.

Main Advantages

  • 4 outputs (dual bucks and dual LDOs) in a 3mm x 3mm QFN package
  • Protection unavailable in competitive products include over-voltage protection, under-voltage lockout, external power good (PGOOD) signal, and cycle-by-cycle current limit
  • System efficiency at full load is 74% (compared to 69% for discrete automotive solutions)
  • Thermal performance plus high efficiency contributes to overall optimized performance
  • The dual buck converters and low-noise LDOs support a voltage input from 4V to 17V, enabling power-over-coax (POC), typically from 8V to 10V.
  • The device also offers the option of using one of the buck converters as an intermediate supply for generating typical sensor + serializer rails
  • Optimizes thermal performance and minimizes coax inrush current at startup
  • Flexible sequencing and fixed output voltages supporting various image sensors
  • Fault Mitigation: flags faults and shifts in output voltages to ensure cameras are working as intended
  • Once an over- or under-voltage signal is detected, the PGOOD pin will assert high cycle-by-cycle current limit implemented by the respective converter if either output is shorted
  • Spread spectrum and 2.2MHz switching frequency lessens electromagnetic interference (EMI) to meet CISPR low-noise specifications

"We continuously look for integrated power devices that provide the required power source for image sensors while minimizing size in vehicle-based imaging designs," said Tsutomu Haruta, deputy senior general manager, Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation. "Maxim's power solutions would help enable multi-camera functionality and advanced driver safety systems in a small footprint."

"We selected the MAX20049 due to its high integration, which aids in designing smaller boards - traditionally a challenge in designing cameras," said Chris Day, vice president of Marketing, Ambarella. "Maxim has a stellar reputation within our Tier 1 customers for providing a complete automotive-grade solution for power and SerDes that include AECQ100 and ASIL-level certifications. Using reputable automotive-grade parts in our reference design ensures that customers can simply replicate the design, thereby reducing the overall risk in production."

"Designers have increasingly demanding constraints to adhere to when designing for the tiny components that go into cars, such as cameras modules, which is why there is a growing demand for more advanced power management ICs," said Chintan Parikh, executive business manager for the Automotive Business Unit at Maxim Integrated. "The MAX20049 meets ADAS design needs in terms of form factor, fault mitigation and power requirements, which translates to faster design cycles and quicker time to market."

Availability and Pricing

The MAX20049 is available at Maxim's website with pricing available upon request The MAX20049EVKIT evaluation kit is also available, with pricing given upon request.