High-Side Switches For Automotive Power Management

The series of high-side switches has been launched to enhance power distribution and load management in automotive applications.

NOVOSENSE Microelectronics, a developer of analogue and mixed-signal chips, has launched a new series of high-side switches. These switches are engineered to control traditional resistive, inductive, and halogen lamp loads found in automotive body control modules (BCM). They also handle large capacitive loads within the first-level and second-level power distribution of zone control units (ZCU). The high-side switches are intended for automotive industry professionals, component manufacturers, specialty vehicle manufacturers, and aftermarket parts providers.

The NSE34 and NSE35 families comprise 26 devices in single–, dual–, and quad-channel configurations. These switches can manage load currents ranging from 11 A to under 2 A, with an Rds(on) resistance from 8 mΩ to 140 mΩ. They feature advanced diagnostics and protective functions such as over-current protection and over-voltage clamping, ensuring reliable operation across various applications.

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These products come in HSSOP-16 and HSSOP-14 packages and include precise current sensing for effective fault diagnosis, protection, and real-time monitoring of load currents. The series also incorporates comprehensive safety features, including overcurrent, short-circuit, overtemperature, and overvoltage protections, alongside protections against ground and power loss, reverse polarity, and open-load detection. Certified to AEC-Q100-012 level A, these switches promise durable performance with over a million cycles of short-circuit and overcurrent protection.

Yang WANG, Product Line Marketing Director of NOVOSENSE, said: “For electric and autonomous vehicles, body domain controllers have become increasingly important, enabling smart power distribution and functional integration. Indeed, they are essential for many applications, be it in resistive loads such as a seat heater, capacitive or halogen lamp loads for surge-current handling, or inductive loads such as in wipers, solenoids and relays, where they protect against negative voltage spikes.”