Vehicle environments with limited power and space
Need for SBC with integrated power, communication, and management ICs


The days when cars were just good at running are over. Today, vehicles are equipped with numerous electronic components that perform various roles.

Drivers' desire to do the same things they do in other places while in their cars, and manufacturers' policies to accommodate this desire, are further accelerating this trend.

Ultra-high-speed communication is the most representative function required by modern vehicles. Applications installed in vehicles communicate with each other and with the outside world.

The amount of data being sent and received during communication is increasing, and many electronic components are required. However, power and space within the vehicle are limited.

Automotive application manufacturers must design their products to operate properly in the power- and space-constrained environments of a car without affecting or being affected by other products.

We met with Hyun-Kyung Noh, deputy manager in charge of automotive power technology support at Infineon Korea, and asked her what components need to be selected and tuned to accelerate the development of automotive applications.


Q. What are the current trends in automotive application design?
A. Countries around the world are strengthening regulations on automobile exhaust fumes to reduce _CO2, which is considered the main culprit of global warming. Accordingly, partial networking functions that require low dark current and only wake up necessary functions are being widely used.

In addition, as the number of electronic components mounted on vehicles increases, communication between them also increases. As the development cycle becomes faster, it is also important to reduce development time. In addition, various applications in vehicles require functional safety standards, and functions that support this are required.


Q. What is the SBC that Infineon suggests to automotive application developers?
A. SBC is an abbreviation for System Basis Chip, and is an IC that combines power supply, CAN, LIN interface, and monitoring functions to the ECU's MCU. It is widely used in a wide range of automotive applications that require power supply and communication, such as the gateway and lighting control unit of the body, the transmission of the chassis, the powertrain, and the onboard charger and telematics of the infotainment.


Q. What are the advantages of adopting SBC in design?
A. Since ICs that were previously implemented separately, such as power ICs, communication ICs, and management ICs, can be implemented using a single IC, the PCB size can be reduced and the BOM can be saved. The SBC product family is compatible with each other both hardware and software.

Therefore, if you have completed software development using SBC when developing an application, you can use the previously developed software right away when developing another application using the SBC product line, which can significantly shorten the development time.


Q. Infineon has several SBC product lines. What are the criteria for differentiation?
A. Infineon's SBC product line can be divided into the following SBC product lines: Lite, Mid-range, DC/DC, and Multi-CAN Power +. Each product line is distinguished by the power supply method and communication method required by the application.


Q. What criteria should developers use to select an SBC product family?
A. First, you need to determine whether you need a product line that includes an LDO or a DC/DC converter depending on the power supply. Then, you need to decide the number of CANs and LINs depending on the communication method that the system requires. Finally, you need to decide whether you need partial networking capabilities or not, and then you can finally choose the SBC that fits the application you are developing.


Q. Is it possible for developers to tweak the functionality inside the SBC?
A. Several internal functions of the SBC can be set by pin settings in hardware or by register changes in software. For example, if a high-side switch needs to be controlled with PWM in an application, software PWM control is possible by connecting an external circuit to the high-side switch pin and issuing an SPI command.


Q. What support does Infineon provide to developers who adopt SBC products?
A. Infineon provides various design tools to shorten customers’ development period.

First, with the 'Power dissipation tool', developers can pre-calculate the required current specifications and the functions to be used to check if they are suitable for the application. With the 'Bode plot tool', the phase and gain margin of the DC/DC type can be checked.

In addition, you can use the 'PN Wizard' to generate and use partial networking configuration code. You can also use the 'Config Wizard' to connect to the demo board, test the functions directly, and generate the configured functions into code and use them.

Infineon provides designers with user manuals and frequently asked questions (FAQ) documents necessary for development practices to answer their questions. It also supports circuit review and testing, as well as fault diagnosis and analysis when starting actual work.


Q. What are Infineon's goals in the automotive applications market?
A. Infineon is committed to providing solutions that help customers reduce the complexity and time of automotive application development through various SBC product families, thereby helping them to be competitive in the market. In the future, we will continue to develop the SBC portfolio through continuous feedback from customers and the market, and provide product families that can be used in a wider range of application fields beyond vehicles.