Texas Instruments&#8217; New Chips are Designed to Propel Automobile Innovation
The future of automobiles will be electric, notwithstanding the current slump in electric vehicle (EV) sales. Automakers are ramping up their research and development investments in EVs, redirecting their focus away from traditional mechanical combustion engines. Today, automobile makers are already developing what they call Software Defined Vehicles (SDV), which represents the next evolutionary step in the automobile industry, where software and computing technology play a crucial role in managing various vehicle systems and components. Soon, we will see a transition from combustion engines to an electric architecture in automobiles. However, for the shift towards software to occur in the automotive industry, there is a demand for specialised silicon chips. Texas Instruments, a global semiconductor company that designs, manufactures, tests and sells analogue and embedded processing chips, at CES 2024 announced three chips designed specifically to power the next generation of automobiles. “We believe that as electric vehicles become more widespread, especially with the approaching 2030 mandate for most vehicle manufacturers to transition to fully electric models, semiconductor devices are at the core of this transformation,” Mark Ng, sector general manager of hybrid and electric vehicles at Texas Instruments told AIM. The internal combustion engine predominantly featured mechanical components. However, in a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) or EV, there is a significant surge in semiconductor content as it is more software-defined. “Currently, we are focusing on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and the Battery Management System (BMS), which encompasses components like contactors and pyro fuses and semiconductors form the core of these systems. Our mission is to empower automakers in crafting the most technologically advanced vehicles,” he said. Enabling higher levels of autonomy The first of the three chips announced by Texas Instruments is explicitly designed to enhance ADAS technologies, which play a crucial role in improving road safety by preventing accidents and reducing the severity of collisions. It achieves that by incorporating functionalities like forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, blind-spot detection, and adaptive cruise control. The chip, which Texas Instrument is calling the AWR2544, is a 77GHz millimetre-wave radar sensor chip. It is the industry’s first chip specifically designed for a satellite radar architecture, enabling higher levels of autonomy by improving sensor fusion and decision-making in ADAS. “It’s a single chip radar sensor designed for satellite architecture that increases vehicle sensing range, well beyond 200 metres and enables more accurate decision making,” Ng said. In satellite architectures, radar sensors output semi-processed data to a central processor for ADAS decision-making using sensor fusion algorithms, taking advantage of the 360-degree sensor coverage to achieve higher levels of vehicle safety. Switching to a satellite architecture helps auto manufacturers overcome challenges tied to integrating sensors and managing fragmented software in vehicles. “We are enhancing our capabilities by incorporating greater intelligence to facilitate centralised data computation. This architectural approach allows us to achieve comprehensive 360-degree coverage while progressing towards higher levels of autonomy such as L3, L4, and L5, all with reduced system complexity.” He also adds that the current radar chips in the market are not optimised for satellite use. The AWR2544 chip will cater to the processing needs of this type of architecture, transitioning from traditional radar to satellite architecture. Enhancing battery management systems Moreover, as automobile makers transition to electric vehicles, the advancement in Battery Management Systems (BMS) will also prove to be pivotal. Supporting the trend toward software-defined vehicles is challenging designers to develop smarter, more advanced battery management systems. Two new highly integrated, software-programmable driver chips from Texas Instruments, called DRV3946 and DRV3901, address requirements for safer and more efficient control of high-voltage disconnect circuits in a BMS or other powertrain system. The DRV3946 is the industry’s first fully integrated contactor driver, according to Ng. A contractor electrical switch controls the flow of current in the battery circuit. “You don’t want the battery power connected to the vehicle all the time. It is essential to disconnect the battery, particularly in situations such as accidents or imminent dangers. These devices are programmable, they are intelligent, and they do not require the use of a microcontroller unit (MCU),” Ng said. The DRV3946, a programmable contactor driver, allows automakers to tailor peak and hold settings. The chip includes diagnostics to monitor and report contactor status, enabling efficient and programmable control, aligning with the era of software-programmable devices and facilitating contactor diagnosis. Whereas the DRV3901 chip is a fully integrated squib driver, which enables an intelligent pyro fuse disconnect system by using built-in circuitry to monitor the pyro fuse and provide diagnostic information to the system microcontroller. “The DRV3901 is a similar device and is integrated into the battery junction box and specifically interacts with pyro fuses. This provides BMS designers with the flexibility to opt for pyro fuses over conventional melting fuse systems, simplifying design complexities.” First-mover advantage While these are interesting developments, Texas Instruments is not the only semiconductor company trying to innovate in this space. According to Ng, Texas Instruments, which is one of the top 10 semiconductor companies worldwide based on sales volume, is bringing its innovation to the top Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), be it in the US, Korea or Japan. “We are first to market in terms of the contractor drivers and Squibb drivers, and we are going to innovate even further in this space,” Ng said. The rapid and intriguing advancements in electric vehicle technology necessitate underlying silicon chips to power these innovations. Texas Instruments aims to be at the forefront, assisting automobile manufacturers in smoothly transitioning to futuristic electric vehicles.
At CES 2024, Texas Instruments announced three new chips to enhance ADAS and battery management systems.
Texas Instruments, a global semiconductor company, announced three chips designed specifically to power the next generation of automobiles.
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I have a keen interest in creative writing and artificial intelligence. As a journalist, I deep dive into the world of technology and analyse how it’s restructuring business models and reshaping society.