Driving new mobility

The car of tomorrow is unthinkable without innovative electronics. Correspondingly, there is a vast range of new TDK and EPCOS components, both for conventional vehicle technology and for e-mobility.

Whether for the drivetrain and battery, safety features, comfort and communications, or increasingly for assistance systems, up to and including the autonomous car – innovations in these areas are only possible by means of electronics. The basic requirements for the safe and synchronized functioning of all these systems in a vehicle are stable and interference-free automotive power systems. TDK has an extensive range of components for all of these innovations.

Capacitors and inductors for stable automotive power systems

In automotive power systems and system modules, capacitors are indispensable for stabilizing the voltage. Typically innovative representatives are the world's first hybrid polymer aluminum electrolytic capacitors in axial design and with rated voltages of 25 V, 35 V or 63 V, offering capacitance values from 390 µF to 2100 µF. Their great advantage is in their extremely low ESR values of typically 2 mΩ to 3.52 mΩ, which enables very high ripple currents to be applied to them. This means it is possible to implement extremely space-saving designs, as they enable a significant reduction in the usual parallel circuits of conventional aluminum electrolytic capacitors. The new hybrid polymer aluminum electrolytic capacitors are designed for a wide range of operating temperatures from -40 °C to +150 °C.

Figure 1:

World's first hybrid polymer aluminum electrolytic capacitor in axial design.

Figure 2:

CA series of TDK MEGACAP type MLCCs in vertical stack design with metal frames.

MLCCs are ideally suited for smoothing power supplies and EMI suppression. In order to meet the stringent demands in the automotive sector, TDK is continuously developing new series with improved performance. The new CA series of MEGACAP Type MLCCs with their vertical stack design in metal frames, for example, offer high resistance to bending fractures and thermal shocks and they are available with capacitances of up to 150 µF and voltages of up to 1000 V. Typical areas of application are smoothing and decoupling, and in resonant circuits for wireless and plug-in charging systems.

The soft-termination types in the new CN series are also very robust and they excel thanks to the world's lowest ESR values in this technology. They cover a capacitance range from 2.2 µF to 22 µF at voltages from 16 V to 100 V. They are used for EMI suppression and stabilization in automotive control devices, ADAS and autonomous driving systems.

Inductors for reliable noise suppression 

The TDK MLD2012 multilayer inductor is based on a ferrite core and is available in the compact IEC 2012 (EIA 0805) size with a footprint of 2.0 x 1.25 mm and an installed height of just 0.5 mm. It offers an inductance of 0.47 µH at a rated current of 1200 mA. With its outstanding electrical properties and wide operating temperature range from -40 °C to +125 °C, the MLD2012 inductor is especially suitable for ADAS or miniaturized camera systems. Other possible applications include in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), telematics systems and a wide variety of control devices.

New transponder coils for PEPS and tire pressure monitoring

Figure 3:

 TDK 3D transponder coil with 25 kHz center frequency offers very high sensitivity values on all three axes.

The new 3D transponder coil (B82453C0335A022) is designed for 22 kHz and is suitable for automotive passive entry passive start (PEPS) systems, as well as other access systems. The new 3D transponder coil therefore differs from previously available types that were designed for a center frequency of 125 kHz. With its high inductance values of 30 mH, 33 mH and 50 mH for the X-, Y- and Z-axes, the 3D transponder coil achieves very high sensitivity values of 25.5 mV/µT (X- and Y-axis), or 23.3 mV/µT (Z-axis). The transponder coil has dimensions of just 11.5 mm x 12.5 mm x 3.6 mm and, thanks to the overmolded package and laser-welded connections, has extreme mechanical stability. 

The miniaturized TPLC553030-592H automotive transponder coil was specifically developed for tire pressure monitoring systems and is designed for a center frequency of 125 kHz. With dimensions of just 5.5 mm x 3.0 mm x 3.0 mm the new component takes up 30 percent less space than its predecessor. Thanks to the optimized core geometry and material, the new transponder coil offers a high sensitivity of about 25 mV/µT. The inductance of the new coil is 5.89 mH at a minimum quality of 35; the ohmic resistance is 70 Ω.

Sensors – the sensory organs of automotive electronics

As many as 20 pressure sensors are used these days in the drivetrain and exhaust system of a vehicle. EPCOS pressure sensors are based on the piezoresistive principle and are usually designed as application-specific barometric or differential pressure sensors. Typical applications range from the regulation of fuel pressure, the pump output and the pressure measurement in the intake or exhaust manifold, to the precise regulation of the turbocharger. In the exhaust system of diesel vehicles, on the other hand, pressure sensors monitor the particulate filters. In order to prevent these from clogging completely they must be regenerated at intervals to burn off the soot – the crucial variable being the rise in pressure in the filter. 

Figure 4:

Pressure sensors monitor particulate filters of combustion engines to protect them against clogging.

Figure 5:

TDK TAD2140 TMR angle sensor with integral signal processing and high angular accuracy of ±0.2 °.

The lineup of TMR angle sensors has been extended to include the TAD2140 sensor in the TO-6 enclosure. The sensor offers an innovative system-in-package solution for applications without circuit boards and has two complete TMR bridges as well as an ASIC for signal processing. Like all TDK TMR sensors, the TAD2140 guarantees an accuracy of ±0.2° and at room temperature achieves the industry’s highest accuracy for angle error of only ±0.05° The sensor is capable of sensing angles from 0° to 360° within a temperature range of -40 °C to +150 °C without any contact with the measurement object.