Innovation in electric vehicle technology, Melexis leads the way in high-performance current sensors

With the rapid development of the electric vehicle industry, Melexis has introduced a range of high-performance current sensor and controller solutions to improve the efficiency and safety of battery operation. These products use advanced Hall technology, meet automotive standards, and accurately feedback current data to ensure optimal performance during charging and operation of electric vehicles. At the same time, they meet the growing demand for electrification, providing strong support for the future of electric vehicles.

Along with the automotive industry's full embrace of electric vehicles (EVs), traditional fuel sources and power units are undergoing a disruptive change. This transformation not only promotes the rapid development of charging infrastructure, but also poses new challenges to vehicle performance, production efficiency and cost control. The requirement for high-performance current sensors and controllers is a key area that cannot be ignored among many challenges. In this context, Melexis, with its deep technology accumulation and innovation capabilities, has launched a series of high-performance current sensor and controller solutions. These products not only meet the electric vehicle industry's stringent requirements for current monitoring and control, but also reach industry-leading levels in terms of stability, accuracy and cost efficiency.

The efficiency of battery operation in electric vehicles is particularly important

High-voltage systems are at the heart of the evolution of electric vehicles, with batteries operating at 400V and next-generation vehicles at 800V, so ensuring these batteries operate safely and efficiently is particularly important. Including motors and actuators, charging infrastructure, heaters and battery management systems (BMS), current sensors are an essential component of these systems. The device must operate under conventional standards and provide accurate current feedback, which is particularly important for the efficient operation of electric vehicles.

The BMS plays a key role in the safe and efficient operation of the battery, which includes explaining the parameters to ensure that the battery operates within a safe range, as well as carefully balancing the individual batteries during the charge/discharge cycle. The BMS is used to determine the state of charge (SoC), state of health (SoH), and state of function (SoF) of an EV, among other factors such as maintenance safety, estimated charging time, and EV range.

Current sensors are also a key factor in ensuring that electric vehicle batteries are kept in optimal operating conditions. The ideal temperature range for a typical electric vehicle power pack is 15 ° C to 35 ° C. If the temperature is too high or too low, the battery efficiency will be reduced, that is, the driving distance of the electric vehicle will be reduced. Most electric vehicles use PTC heaters, electric compressors, and fans to manage thermal standards. The current sensor provides the necessary feedback to the battery control system to accurately adjust the heat exchange system. They also provide diagnostic functions that identify abnormal operating conditions (such as excessive power consumption).

The function of electric vehicle charging ports is also critical

On the other hand, changes in vehicle electrification have also spawned special requirements for car charging ports. Due to the extremely high frequency of use of the charging port, it is not only necessary to have high reliability, but also to be able to clearly show the charging situation to the driver. In order to meet these needs, more and more car manufacturers are first installing LED lights in the charging port.

These lighting can be used not only to mark the state of charge, but also to alert any possible malfunctions through simple effects transitions. This design encourages users to provide clear and intuitive signs at charging nodes, allowing them to quickly grasp battery capacity or any safety concerns.

The electrification of the powertrain significantly increases the complexity of vehicle design, which in turn imposes additional functional requirements on the latest charging port designs. It includes the detection of the opening and closing of the charging port cover, as well as the recognition of the temperature of the high-voltage connector.

To meet the diverse needs of automotive electrification applications, Melexis has carefully introduced a wide range of sensors and controllers. These products, with their outstanding functional characteristics, have brought unprecedented innovation and development to the electric vehicle industry.

Current sensors: a key factor in enhancing the efficiency and safety of battery operation

First, the MLX91220 is a dual overcurrent check (OCD) capable 0-50A isolated integrated Hall Action current sensor IC from Melexis that can be powered with only a 5V supply. The sensor IC is one of the simplest fully integrated current sensor ics on the market, perfectly combining features such as ultra-small size, low impedance, high bandwidth, and protection while maintaining excellent conventional characteristics.

The MLX91220 can directly sense the current passing through the encapsulated lead frame, minimizing heat loss and making it more suitable for a variety of standard solutions. It supports two measurement modes to meet the need for proportional voltage regulation for different applications, while the fixed mode (differential) meets the specific requirements of the application reference voltage.

Melexis also introduced the MLX91221 version to meet different business needs, which is powered by a 3.3V power supply and is especially suitable for DC fast charging, AC wall-mounted charging box /ICCB, on-board charging (OBC), DCDC conversion and other scenarios.

In addition, the MLX91230/MLX91231, as the leader of the Melexis third generation current sensor family, is a model of intelligent Hall current sensors. They are ASIL compliant, can simultaneously measure three physical quantities of current, voltage and temperature on a single chip, and are equipped with a dedicated 32KB flash memory, providing the best choice for security applications. Its powerful diagnostic capabilities greatly reduce the pressure on integrators in the development of safety mechanisms, including built-in chip overcurrent detection.

In terms of accuracy, the MLX91230 has an accuracy of ±0.5% in the temperature range of -40 ° C to 125 ° C, while the MLX91231 is even better, with an accuracy of up to ±0.25%. At the same time, MCUS support automatic gain control to cover a wider dynamic range, while onboard flash supports custom software deployment and general compensation of system defects. Both sensors can be connected via the local Internet to a 12V battery or (LIN) detection and diagnosis bus or UART.

The MLX91230/MLX91231 is suitable for DC current sensing, integrates IVT measurement functions, and has a built-in microprocessor to support safety applications, making it ideal for electric vehicle battery management and power distribution systems. They can be used in 12V/24V battery sensor chips, 48V/HV battery management systems, and complete battery SoC, SoH, and SoF detection. They are suitable for intelligent battery cutoff modules, battery junction boxes, power relay components, encouraging fuses, high-voltage relays, contactors, and domain controllers.

Melexis also introduced the MLX91208, a braided current detection chip in the standard SO-8 package. Relying on Melexis' patented IMC-Hall technology, it achieves extremely high sensitivity, is able to detect magnetic induction parallel to the current on the chip surface, and provides high-speed digital signal export with a response speed of only 3µs.

The MLX91208 is fully compliant with automotive class standards and is particularly suitable for isolating DC, AC and AC DC current detection up to 250KHz. Its unique design significantly reduces chip lifetime drift and guarantees long-term stability. In addition, the transmission characteristics of the MLX91208 can be fully programmed by the user to compensate for possible mechanical/magnetic circuit deviations during assembly.

Finally, the MLX91218 is another high-speed, high-performance IMC-Hall current sensor chip with 3.3 dual OCD capabilities and a flexible V/5V supply current and its high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which facilitates simplification of module design. Using IMC-Hall technology, the flexible U-shaped shield is effectively resistant to influence, and the current can be measured in the range of 200A-2000A. Its 400kHz bandwidth and fast response make it ideal for high-speed applications such as motor control, inverters and BQ25015RHLR converters.

Melexis also introduced a current sensor simulator to further simplify the design and implementation of current sensing processing solutions, leveraging IMC-Hall technology to help customers make informed decisions about equipment and shielding choices.