New Industry Products

Allegro Launches a Portfolio of Automotive Gate Drivers

November 01, 2020 by Gary Elinoff

The new suite of Grade 0 devices are aimed at 48V Electric vehicle battery Systems

Allegro MicroSystems, has introduced what it describes as the industry’s largest portfolio of 80V motor drivers for advanced 48V automotive systems. 

 

Image used courtesy of Allegro

Image used courtesy of Allegro

 

Allegro’s new gate drivers suit a variety of load configurations, including half-bridge with independent high-side and low-side outputs and three-phase brushless DC (BLDC) control. They can support loads up to 10 kW and are suitable for applications including catalytic heaters, electric power steering (EPS), and braking applications. 

In addition to AEC-Q100 Grade 0 (-40 to +150℃), the new devices were developed on an ISO 26262 compliant design process.

According to Steve Lutz, Product Line Director at Allegro, “The advantages for 48V are clear.” He states that “Engineers can now increase efficiency, reduce weight and design size, and achieve a more accurate and higher performance driver experience. As the electric vehicle (EV) market is rapidly expanding, so too is our portfolio of 48V products. Our innovative solutions integrate the right features for the right application—all while being one of the safest and smallest offerings on the market. 

 

AMT49100 and AMT49101 

The AMT49100 and AMT49101 are 80V N-channel power drivers capable of controlling MOSFETs connected in a 3-phase bridge arrangement and are specifically designed for 48V automotive applications

The AMT49101 and AMT49100 feature two or three programmable current sense amplifiers, respectively. The former is aimed at applications including fans and pumps, while the AMT49100 is suited for EPS, belt starter generators and electric brakes.

Both units feature internal buck regulators switching at a typical frequency of 410 kHz, and they can operate over 10 to 80V range. They control six power MOSFETs, allowing motors to be driven by sinusoidal excitation or block commutation.

Both devices are available in lead-free 48 lead 7x7 QFP packages with exposed thermal pads.

 

AMT49502

The AMT49502:  is an N-channel half-bridge gate driver rated at 80 volts for both 12V and 48V systems. It offers independent control of high-side and low-side gate drives and features an SPI-compatible serial interface with programmable diagnostics.

The device is designed for automotive applications such as BLDC and brush DC motors, actuators and solenoids.

 

Typical Applications for the AMT49502.
Typical Applications for the AMT49502. Image courtesy of the AMT49502 Data Sheet.

 

The device allows for independent control of the high-side and low-side gate drivers. The device is offered in a lead-free,  24-lead TSSOP package with an exposed thermal pad. Unit size is 7.8 × 4.4 x 1.2 mm.

 

A89503

The A89503 is largely similar to the AMT89502. It does feature an additional low side drain connection. This allows the load to be driven in series between the low and high side outputs.

 

A89500

The A89500 is a 100V Half-Bridge N-Channel MOSFET Gate Driver. The fast switching device is designed for applications involving high-power inductive loads. It is compatible with 12 V, 24 V, and 48 V power networks. 

Internal logic prevents the gate drive outputs from turning on at the same time, preventing cross-conduction. Each MOSFET is controlled by an independent logic-level input compatible with 3.3 V and 5V logic.

 

Typical application of the A89500.
Typical application of the A89500. Image courtesy of A89500 Data Sheet

 

The unit can be placed in a low-power sleep mode.

A89500 comes with both Automotive and ICC Grade and is available in a 3 x 3 mm DFN Package.

 

Allegro MicroSystems Announces IPO

Just two days after it announced its new Portfolio of Automotive Gate Drivers, it also announced its initial public offering. The company spells out the details in a separate announcement.

 

Getting to Market Faster

As per their respective product pages, Allegro offers “demo boards” for all of these new products. No details are available at the time of this writing.