In the technical article, “How Low-Power 60-GHz mmWave Radar Sensors Enable High-Accuracy Sensing in More Applications Than Ever Before,” my colleague Kishore Ramaiah discussed how 60-GHz millimeter wave (mmWave) radar sensors are enabling high-accuracy sensing in industrial and consumer electronics applications. In this article, I’ll explore how low-power 77-GHz radar sensors…
The electric vehicle (EV) charging industry is experiencing rapid growth. With consumers, industries and governments demanding more environmentally sustainable transportation, the EV charging infrastructure must become more efficient and accessible.
Unlike DC chargers, AC chargers do not use stacked power modules, making them more compact and less expensive…
Think about all of the times that a TV is left on with no one watching; given rising energy costs, it would help if a TV could sense that no one is present and turn itself off. A TV that detects the distance and direction in which people are sitting and uses this information to optimize image quality, while also directing sound toward them for best audio, would enhance the viewer…
Optocouplers, also known as photocouplers, opto-isolators and optical isolators, have long been an option for designers seeking galvanic isolation for their system signals. Around since the 1970s, these semiconductor devices have played an important role in providing safety isolation for industrial and automotive end equipment. However, despite significant advancements, there appears…
As satellites and space exploration evolve, the industry continues adding more onboard computing for real-time processing. As a result, point-of-load power system requirements are also evolving, requiring higher levels of power, performance and increased efficiency coupled with the challenges of smaller board space and…
In electric vehicle (EV) charging and solar inverter systems, current sensors measure current flow by monitoring the voltage drop across a shunt resistor or the magnetic fields generated by current flowing through a conductor. These high-voltage systems use current flow information to control and monitor power conversion, charging and discharging.
Hall-effect and shunt-based current…
Fueled by the demand for automation, convenience and sustainability, advancements in electrification are requiring more sensors, power electronics and processors to reliably and accurately sense and react the surrounding environment. It’s a challenge to continuously find ways to shrink solution size and optimize and monitor power consumption.…
Among all of the buzzwords to describe the increased electrification of our world, one term should stand out more: current sensing. Few of the innovations you hear about in solar power arrays, electric vehicle (EV) charging stations or robotics would be possible if current-sensing technology wasn’t reliable, accurate and easy…
Size and power consumption are two of the key design aspects for circuits used in low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. These systems require components that are:
Ultrasonic lens cleaning: A solid-state technology you didn’t know you needed
If you’re old enough to have owned a portable CD player, you might remember how the music would skip if the CD got scratched or dirty. Or maybe you remember how VHS tapes had winding issues, tape deterioration and poor image quality. Flash memory made these complicated mechanical storage methods obsolete…
The previous installment in the real-time control series dove into the functional block of processing. In this installment, I will discuss the actuation stage (updating the system) of real-time control, and why this stage is important for reliable system output operation.
For example, in motor-drive applications, you might be monitoring and measuring speed, position…
For nearly two decades, the Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) specification has been the interconnect standard for both consumer and industrial applications, enabling high-speed interface between processors, solid-state drives, and various technologies or end points. You can attribute its widespread adoption to several factors:
Electronics intended for space missions face unique conditions and challenges – specialized integrated circuit (IC) packaging can help mitigate some of those challenges. We at TI have historically developed devices for commercial (non-space) use first; only after verification in a plastic package did the engineering team start on the ceramic…
Real-time control is the ability of a closed-loop system to gather data, process that data, and update the system within a defined time window. As a continuation of the article, “What is ‘Real-Time Control’ and Why Do You Need It?,” I’ll take a closer look at the first functional block of real-time control systems – sensing (gathering…
Previously published on Electronic Design
In my previous Hall-effect sensor myths technical article, I focused on misconceptions about Hall-effect switches and latches, including common applications where designers could benefit from using Hall-effect sensors instead of other integrated circuits. The six myths in this article go a bit more in depth on the high-accuracy angle-measurement…
You’ve probably heard that it’s possible to shatter glass by screaming at a high-pitched tone, but have you heard of cleaning glass by screaming? With precisely controlled, high-frequency vibrations, ultrasonic cleaning technology can clean glass surfaces. On a rainy day this technology could automatically detect and clear raindrops from a car’s rear camera lens without requiring action from the driver…
Semiconductor packaging techniques have evolved in order to adapt to the smaller chip sizes made possible by technological advances, as well as increased power dissipation and growing demands for power density. Flip chip on leadframe (FCOL) packaging technologies have become increasingly popular given their technical benefits and efficient use of printed circuit board (PCB) area. In this article, I’ll give a short overview…
Previously published on Electronic Design
Hall-effect sensors are commonly used in automotive and industrial systems for applications including proximity detection, linear displacement measurement and rotary encoding. Currently, the high system performance requirements of modern applications have led to IC manufacturers increasing sensitivity accuracy, integrating…
A brushed DC motor’s simplicity of control, low cost and wide range of capability makes it a good fit for automotive loads that need integrated, high-powered and reliable motor drivers such as window lifts, sunroof controls, locks, latches and engine valves.
If you’re designing an automotive system, you’ll likely encounter both device- and system-level…
Co-authored by Matthias Thoma
Every day, consumers interact with systems that assess their surroundings and act accordingly. In a vehicle, when pressing the accelerator, the vehicle speeds up almost instantaneously – there is no noticeable delay between pressing the pedal to acceleration.
To apply this example to the topic of this article, if the vehicle were a system, the surroundings pressing the accelerator and…
Fault-detection mechanisms are a necessity in high-power industrial systems such as motor drives and solar inverters, as well as automotive systems including electric vehicle (EV) chargers, traction inverters, onboard chargers and DC/DC converters.
Fault detection involves current, voltage and temperature measurements to diagnose any AC power-line fluctuations, mechanical or electrical…
The first three installments of this technical article series focused on the benefits of designing with low-power amplifiers and how to maximize their efficiency. Unfortunately, low-power amplifiers also come with their share of trade-offs. In this fourth installment, I will consider one of the most common challenges with low-power amplifier designs – instability…
Whether it excites or bores you, continued learning is a necessary part of life. Semiconductors and electronics invite constant learning; I personally enjoy exposure to new material and ideas. The field of electronics contains an abundance of textbooks, research and experiences, and choosing among them can be difficult and time-consuming. My TI journey began with a resource created to guide this learning process: TI Precision…
Everyone agrees that seeing clearly on the road is essential while driving a car. This truth becomes even more critical when implementing technologies such as autonomous driving. The “eyes” of an autonomous vehicle are called light detection and ranging (lidar) technology, which provides precise images of what surrounds the vehicle. Lidar systems use a light source and…
Analog
Automotive
