Highly integrated buck-boost controller transfers power between dual automotive battery systems

Texas Instruments has introduced what is claimed to be the industry’s first fully integrated multiphase bidirectional DC-DC current controller, which efficiently transfers electric power greater than 500W per phase between dual 48V and 12V automotive battery systems. The highly integrated LM5170-Q1 analog controller features an innovative average current-mode control method that overcomes the challenges of today’s high-component-count, full digital control schemes. The device is the latest in company’s portfolio of industry-leading DC-DC converters, controllers and charge pumps, enabling engineers to innovate and differentiate their power supply designs. Hybrid electric vehicles use both a high-voltage 48V battery and the standard 12V automotive battery. Design engineers typically manage these dual battery systems using a digital control scheme, which includes multiple discrete components such as current-sense amplifiers, gate drivers and protection circuits. These full digital control schemes are bulky and expensive. To solve this challenge while improving performance and system reliability, the company offers a mixed architecture in which the microcontroller handles higher-level intelligent management, and the highly integrated analog controller provides the power conversion. Read the blog post, “Interconnecting automotive 48V and 12V rails in dual battery systems,” to learn how to overcome the challenges of designing a power supply for hybrid electric vehicles. APEC Tampa, March 27-29, Booth 701