New Industry Products

Panasonic Releases Power Choke for High-Efficiency Automotive Power Converters

September 29, 2013 by Jeff Shepard

Panasonic Corporation announced the release of a new power choke coil for automotive applications, featuring one of the lowest dc resistances in the industry, and a compact size, in addition to being suitable for large current applications. The new power choke coil is suitable for power supply circuits of Electronic Control Units (ECUs) for gasoline, HEVs and EVs. Panasonic will start mass production of the new power choke coil October 2013, with a monthly production capacity of 7 million pieces.

In order to achieve the high requirements for the environment and low fuel consumption, the number of control functions for the ECU of an in-vehicle engine, including the rapid and fine control of combustion, intake, and exhaust gas, is increasing. In addition, as the number of ECUs in non-engine applications increases, there is a growing requirement for smaller, lighter and integrated ECUs. This has led to the central processing units (CPUs) of ECUs having a higher clock speed and lower voltage, and the power supply circuits to drive CPUs incorporating high efficiency dc-dc converters are becoming more common.

Against this background, the power choke coils mounted on dc-dc converters are required to be small in size and capable of supporting a high current, while being resistance to heat and vibrations. To meet the market demand, Panasonic has succeeded in commercializing a power choke coil suitable for in-vehicle power supply circuits, with one of the lowest DC resistances in the industry.

Features of the new power choke coil for automotive applications include: One of the lowest resistances in the industry (36 mΩ); Compact size and large current, saving space in power supply circuits used in ECUs; Dimensions: L 5.0 mm x W 5.5 mm x H 4.0 mm; Approximately 40 % reduction in volume, compared with our current models; Current rating: 4.0A; Low loss, improving the efficiency of the power supply and enabling an increase in the number of ECUs and control functions, in addition to simplifying circuit design for heat dissipation and other features; and Excellent heat and vibration resistance properties, suitable for ECUs in severe environments including heat-resistance: 150°C/2000 and vibration-resistance: 5 Hz to 2 kHz/15 G.