ROHM Semiconductor Automotive Solutions
ROHM Automotive Solutions contribute to the continuing evolution of the automotive sector through a stable, long-term supply of high-quality products. An expansive lineup supports the transition towards increased electrification and connectivity. ROHM can provide optimized solutions to suit various customer needs by focusing on safety, comfort, and the environment.
Applications
- Infotainment/Cluster
- Car navigation
- Car audio
- Head-Up Display (HUD)
- Automotive cluster and LCD monitor
- Body Electronic Control Unit (ECU)
- Body control module
- Door and Mirror control module
- Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) control module
- Lamp module
- x Electric Vehicles (xEV)
- Main inverter
- Onboard charger
- DC/DC converter
- Battery management system
- Power Train
- Engine control unit
- Electronic Power Steering (EPS)
Automotive Power ebook
Videos
Advanced Driver Assistance
ROHM develops a range of solutions that are ideal for ADAS ECUs. This includes interface ICs, power supply ICs, and peripheral ICs. These ICs contribute to the evolution of ADAS/autonomous driving.
Body Control Modules
Body Control Block Diagram
The Body Control Module (BCM) Electric Control Unit (ECU) provides centralized control of all body systems, such as interior/exterior lighting, HVAC, doors and mirrors, windows, and wipers. The BCM functionality rapidly expands as vehicle manufacturers transition to electronic systems and control to provide greater comfort, fuel economy, safety, and entertainment features.
High Power Low Ohmic Chip Shunt Resistors
Battery Management System (BMS)
ROHM has developed a wide range of discrete products such as BMS switches (i.e., MOSFETs, SiC, IGBTs), current detection resistors, and power supply ICs for battery control MCUs. ROHM also provides solutions optimized for next-generation multi-cell BMS applications.
Car Audio
ROHM provides products designed for conventional music sources, such as CDs and radio, and modern plug-and-play devices, like USB and MP3 players. ROHM offers the technology to develop high-fidelity sound processors with optimized user experience.
BD8255MUV System Motor Driver for ODD
DC/DC Converter
The x Electric Vehicle (xEV) is driven by a high-voltage battery and motor instead of the engine. ROHM's DC/DC converter system uses SiC MOSFET, enabling high-speed switching operation and providing high performance and better safety.
Door and Mirror Control Module
The Door and Mirror control module controls the door locks and power windows. Two motors control the side mirrors for adjusting the directions, and another motor is included for folding the mirrors. The door locks and power windows are controlled with the door switch controls.
Electric Compressor
ROHM IGBTs for electric compressors are high-performance, low-loss devices that provide superior short-circuit tolerance.
Electronic Power Steering (EPS)
Electronic Power Steering (EPS) has seen increased adoption over hydraulic power steering, with most cars equipped with EPS. This eliminates the need for a power steering pump, reducing the weight and overall fuel consumption by around 3%. The EPS also provides better driveability and performance by adjusting the torque via software. The EPS is achieved by detecting the steering position via a torque sensor, and the motor is driven using a gate driver and power transistor combination. To control the feedback motor, the supply current to the motor is detected to achieve motor output torque and position control. Although this represents a solution that uses an MCU, this is also possible with a gate driver controlled by SPI communication.
High Power Ultra Low Ohmic Chip Shunt Resistors
Engine Control Unit
ROHM offers a wide lineup of power supplies that contribute to greater energy savings, miniaturization, and performance in ECUs of all types. ROHM has developed a broad range of automotive-grade discrete products, including IGBTs for ignition control.
Engine Control Unit Of Motorcycle
The engine control is carried out by first detecting the engine's status and the condition of the vehicle, converting them to electrical signals, and then feeding them back to the engine control unit. This helps in the emissions regulations for 4-wheel and 2-wheel vehicles.
eCall
The eCall automatically reports vehicle location with other relevant information in the event of an accident. ROHM offers speaker amps for generating emergency sounds and discrete that ensure stable communication during emergencies.
Gateway Electronic Control Unit (ECU)
The Gateway ECU connects multiple ECUs with different protocols. ROHM offers a broad lineup of protection elements in addition to communication and power supply ICs that provide low power consumption.
HVAC Control Module
The HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) system cools the interior using a compressor refrigeration cycle and warms by extracting the engine's waste heat from the coolant. This system includes a manual and automatic mode to control the temperature and airflow rate. The noise the blowers produce from the AC or seat heating/cooling fan motors can be reduced by replacing the conventional brushed DC motors with brushless motors. This also improves thermal efficiency.
Head Up Display (HUD)
The Head-Up Display (HUD) systems are normally mounted on or near the windshield to present useful information to the drivers. This technology improves safety by enabling drivers to view relevant data, such as time, speed, and navigation information, without visual distraction. The HUDs use LCDs as light sources while projecting data on the windshield. The combiner displays the speed, route, and other relevant information.
LED Lamp Module
ROHM offers a broad lineup of driver ICs designed to drive LEDs and is involved in several activities to support the future of automotive lighting. This includes developing controller ICs for Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB) systems that are expected to see widespread use.
Main Inverter/Traction Inverter
The main inverter converts the DC voltage supplied by the battery into a 3-phase AC voltage for driving the motor. Conventional inverters use a combination of IGBTs and diodes. In recent years inverters have used SiC MOSFETs and SiC Schottky Barrier Diodes (SBDs) since they can achieve lower resistance and switching losses. ROHM has been focused on improving performance by reducing ON resistance.
On Board Charger
The onboard chargers are trending towards higher permissible input voltage to meet the need for shorter charge times. As a result, the use of SiC in diodes and MOSFETs is increasing.
Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) Heater
The PTC heater systems integrating IGBTs to switch ON/OFF the PTC heater element are seeing increased adoption. ROHM offers 650V models that support the higher voltage batteries used in EVs/PHEVs.
TFT Cluster and Center Information Display (CID)
ROHM contributes to energy conservation with various switching and linear regulators for automotive clusters. The computerization of cars and the emergence of Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) are replacing conventional meters with LCD panels. The instrument cluster (or dashboard) refers to the group of meters and indicators that provides the driver with information concerning the speed, fuel level, and engine oil level.
Vehicle to Everything (V2X)
The V2X is an emerging radio technology that incorporates various types of communication between cars and traffic-related systems. This includes Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I), Vehicle to Pedestrian (V2P), and Vehicle to Grid (V2G). ROHM supports wireless communication by supplying power ICs and discrete optimized ECUs used in V2X systems.
