OPTIREG™ Switchers (Automotive)

Automotive switching regulators are integrated in many different types of automobiles today. As safety is of the utmost importance when it comes to the automotive industry, demand for robust, high-quality automotive switcher ICs is continually growing. Furthermore, with the increasing popularity of environmentally friendly vehicles, it is necessary that integrated automotive regulators offer both high efficiency and low energy consumption.

Having said that, automotive environments can prove to be a challenge for standard voltage regulators. Varying temperature levels, constant input transients and general interference can make for a tough and inconsistent operative environment.

Infineon OPTIREG™ automotive switching regulators are designed to withstand harsh automotive environments. They offer a broad range of integrated protection and control features to ensure for efficient, high-quality automotive electronic control units (ECUs). The OPTIREG™ product series can be used for a variety of automotive applications and are particularly suited to applications with higher microcontroller demand and multiple digital loads, such as ADAS, Telematics, Gateway and Display and Cluster. They are also compatible with traditional automotive applications where high efficiency and solution size is important.

Switching regulators can be used to generate a single stabilized output voltage from a number of different input voltages. They are low-quiescent and can utilize over 95% of electricity converted in most cases, resulting in very little energy waste. This makes switching regulators not only highly efficient, but also the cost-effective choice for customers looking for quality and flexibility in automotive ECU design.

OPTIREG Product portfolio

OPTIREG™ automotive switching regulators from Infineon offer a high level of product robustness and quality to ensure for efficient operation across a wide range of automotive applications. Switching regulators are DC/DC converters that can convert an unregulated input direct current into a stabilized output direct current of a different voltage. This is possible due to a number of inbuilt protection features which are optimized for current regulation and limitation, such as overvoltage/undervoltage monitoring, wide switching frequency and integrated high- and low-side power MOSFETS.

OPTIREG™ switchers utilize a wide input voltage range as well as a flexible switching frequency range and come in different converter types, including buck converters (step down), boost converters (step up), and automotive buck boost converters. Our green automotive switching regulators are RoHS compliant and meet global standards for environmental safety.

Key features:

• Robust, highly efficient design for harsher climates
• Low energy consumption
• Wide input voltage range
• Current and voltage regulation
• Flexible switching range
• Overvoltage/undervoltage protection
• OPTIREG™ family includes automotive buck, boost, and buck boost converters
• Green products are RoHS compliant

Types of automotive switching regulators

The OPTIREG™ product family of automotive switching regulators are specially designed for harsh automotive environments. There are three different types of automotive switchers, which can be used for the effective design of ECUs, depending on the desired customer application:

• Buck converters – An automotive buck converter (also known as a step-down converter) converts a high input direct current into a low output direct current of the same polarity.
• Boost converters – An automotive boost converter (also known as a step-up converter) converts a low input direct current into a high output direct current of the same polarity.
• Buck boost converters – An automotive buck boost converter (also known as a step-up/step-down converter) converts an input direct current into an output direct current of a higher or lower voltage, or a voltage of inverted polarity.

For more information on automotive switching regulators from Infineon, and other electronic components within our range, contact a member of the team today or explore our support section.

OPTIREG™ switchers Simulation Tool
The OPTIREG™ switchers Simulation Tool is the online simulator for loss and stability calculations of Infineon’s OPTIREG™ switchers. 

Click here to learn more about it.