July 18, 2012, Seoul – Infineon Technologies (Korea Representative Director Seung-soo Lee)’s KP200 pressure sensor is playing a critical role in enhancing protection for pedestrians and vehicle occupants in the event of a collision. The pressure sensor is being used in a new safety system developed by Continental in collaboration with leading automotive manufacturers. The first-generation system is already being used in various premium vehicles. Continental selected Infineon’s pressure sensor because it measures air pressure pulses highly reliably and rapidly, regardless of ambient atmospheric pressure. The sensor has been self-validated over a long period in various safety-related automotive applications, such as side airbag sensors.

KP200: Key component for enhancing pedestrian protection
Infineon's KP200 pressure sensor is a core component of vehicle safety systems. In the case of pedestrian protection systems jointly developed by Continental and automotive manufacturers, an air hose is attached inside the vehicle's front bumper. For redundancy, this air hose is equipped with two KP200 pressure sensors, one at each end. The KP200 sensor measures pressure changes in the air hose upon impact, evaluates this data in real time, and transmits the pressure data to the central airbag control unit at a 500μs cycle. It takes an average of less than 40μs for the KP200 sensor to record these measurements and prepare the data. Next, the central control unit activates a mechanism to lift the hood to reduce the impact on the pedestrian. While measuring data, the KP200 pressure sensor separately calculates changes in ambient air pressure. This is essential to provide reliable impact detection capabilities regardless of weather conditions or altitude.

KP200: Proven success in side airbags
Currently, the KP200 is already being used in automotive side airbags. The KP200 sensor supports the rapid and reliable ignition of airbags, significantly reducing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants. The pressure sensor is integrated into a single chip; in other words, both the sensor unit for air pressure and the ASIC for data evaluation are located on the same silicon. The sensor measures pressure pulses from the vehicle's side doors independently of ambient air pressure. The KP200 processes sensor data in real time and transmits it to the central control unit to trigger the side airbag.

Infineon is a leading semiconductor sensor manufacturer.
Infineon is a leading semiconductor sensor manufacturer and recently sold its 2 billionth sensor. According to Infineon's own estimates, it is the world market leader in providing fully integrated pressure sensors for side airbag systems, with a market share of approximately 65%. Infineon holds a market share of about 50% in the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sector and also holds a market share of about 50% in the Antilock Brake System (ABS) sector through wheel speed measurement sensors.

Infineon offers a diverse range of pressure sensor products, including customer-customized solutions, and is considering the latest side airbag standards (PSI5, AK-LV 29). Infineon is one of the few semiconductor manufacturers that supplies three essential sensor groups (pressure, acceleration, and magnetic field measurement) for chassis and convenience electronics, as well as safety and powertrain applications.

Technical details of the KP200 pressure sensor
The KP200 is available in a PG-DSOF-8 SMD package measuring only 7 mm x 7 mm. The KP200 is designed with a standard pressure range of 50.9 kPa to 126.5 kPa (509 mbar to 1265 mbar or 7.4 psi to 18.3 psi) and an operating temperature range of -40°C to 85°C. The operating voltage is from 4.5V to 11V. The average current consumption is 8mA, and the sensitivity is 20.48 LSB per percent voltage change. Since communication with the central electronic control unit is performed via the PSI5 protocol, only two wires are required by modulating data on the power supply line. Therefore, the KP200 complies with the AK-LV 29 vehicle standard.

Additional information
Additional information on Infineon's pressure sensor products and the KP200 sensor is available at www.infineon.com/pressure . Information on Infineon's sensors and other automotive semiconductors can be found at: www.infineon.com/sensors , www.infineon.com/automotive