STMicroelectronics has unveiled its L99MH98 8-channel gate driver, which incorporates patented technologies that help reduce the bill of materials and power dissipation for automotive motor drive applications. This advanced gate driver enables the construction of motor drives without the need for sensing resistors, enhancing both cost-efficiency and energy performance.
The L99MH98 is capable of driving a variety of configurations, including four external full bridges, eight half bridges, or individual high-side/low-side power mechanisms. It is suitable for applications such as seat-position adjusters, window lifters, sunroofs, pumps, seatbelt pretensioners, and other automotive actuators, as well as resistive loads like heaters. The integrated charge pump in the driver also supports reverse-battery protection using a MOSFET.
Supporting both logic-level and standard-level MOSFETs, the L99MH98 features an extended gate current capability, programmable up to 120mA, allowing it to drive large numbers of external MOSFETs. Its three-stage gate control minimizes electromagnetic emissions by applying the gate signal in three steps.
The driver’s patented technology eliminates the need for sensing resistors by using indirect current measurement to determine drain current in each MOSFET. By measuring the MOSFET’s drain-source voltage (VDS) and combining it with a predicted RDS(on) value based on temperature, this method provides accurate current calculation while reducing component count and power loss.
Additionally, the L99MH98 includes a programmable multi-failsafe function, which increases reliability by individually turning off malfunctioning bridges while ensuring the remaining bridges continue operating normally. It detects various faults such as supply overvoltage, high-side over/undervoltage, thermal warnings, charge-pump failure, and VDS monitoring failure, and can selectively disable certain functions depending on the fault type.
The L99MH98 is AEC Q100 qualified and complies with ISO 26262 functional safety standards up to ASIL B. It is available in a VFQFN48L package, with pricing starting at $2.44 for orders of 1,000 pieces.
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