Freescale's Third-Generation eXtreme Switch Sets Standards for Automotive Lighting

Freescale’s single IC design provides a comprehensive, cost-effective and power management solution for Halogen, Xenon and LED light sources.

 

Freescale Semiconductor (News - Alert) has introduced the third generation eXtreme Switch with four high-side power switches – the first device tailored for automotive lighting applications. The switches’ unique features include the ability to drive high-intensity discharge (HID) with a xenon/halogen mixture and light-emitting diode (LED).

 

A HID lamp is a type of electrical lamp which produces light by means of an electric arc. Also called arc lamps, the lamps consist of two electrodes typically made of tungsten which are separated by a gas.

 

LED is a semiconductor diode that emits light when an electric current is applied in the forward direction of the device. LEDs are widely used as indicator lights on electronic devices and increasingly in higher power applications such as flashlights and area lighting.

 

Light sources with a single device, are engineered to allow automakers to improve lighting efficiency, extend bulb life and reduce bill of material costs. The devices also are designed to provide greater power management flexibility than other, more conventional products on the market today.

 

The eXtreme Switch Gen III models are N-channel (Negative-type semiconductor) Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (MOSFET) switches with extremely low on-resistance that can simultaneously control the high sides of up to four light sources. The devices’ ability to accommodate multiple types of light sources enables vehicle manufacturers to use a single common body module design throughout its vehicle lineup.

 

MOSFETs is a device used to amplify or switch electronic signals.

 

 
eXtreme Switch Gen III features include:

 

 

Today’s vehicles employ more types of light sources than ever before. Each type has unique power requirements that vary during the different stages of its operation. Conventional switch solutions that employ electromechanical relays and fuses can perform only rudimentary functions, and cannot provide system diagnostics and fault reporting. Freescale’s advanced eXtreme Switch devices are designed to eliminate these deficiencies by integrating the essential features required for optimum operation into a single integrated circuit (IC).

 

The eXtreme Switch Gen III models provide diagnostics for the switch, light source and wiring harness, as well as comprehensive fault management and control of the loads without complex software. The devices use latched over current shutdown protection. This technique is preferable to the current limit method because it minimizes the thermal stress within the device during an over-load condition, greatly reducing the junction temperature rise and vastly improving reliability.

 

Freescale Semiconductor is a designer and manufacture of embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial, networking, and wireless markets. The privately held company, based in Austin, Texas has design, research and development, manufacturing and sales operations in more than 30 countries.