German semiconductor manufacturer Infineon introduced the EiceDRIVER 2ED4820-EM gate driver with an SPI interface, which is designed to protect 48 V lithium-ion battery systems from negative and positive voltages. It’s part of the EiceDRIVER APD product line, and is in production now.

The new dual-channel high-side gate driver can withstand negative voltages at Vbat down to -90 V and positive voltages up to 105 V. It also includes a current sense amplifier and two integrated output channels. The amplifier supports high- or low-side measurements. Infineon says the low-side measurement “helps reduce cost, PCB space and the overall power dissipation, since the existing shunt resistor of the battery management system can be used.” 

The two integrated output channels provide some options Infineon says will reduce PCB space and overall cost, including setting up a dedicated pre-charge path or splitting the charging and discharging current paths of the battery.

Infineon says the new gate driver complies with the ISO26262 standard, and expects it to help protect 48 V battery systems used in mild hybrids, trucks, e-wheelers and battery packs for solar panels.

Source: Infineon