HV-CMOS Design and Characterization of a Smart Rotor Coil Driver for Automotive Alternators

The work presents a single-chip integrated rotor coil driver (RCD) that can be used in automotive alternators. It integrates the power switch with the control circuitry and the diagnostics; with respect to the state of the art, new functionalities are integrated such as full reverse polarity protection and programmable output slope control against in-rush currents and current spike transients. The paper will discuss the driver IC design from the choice of the architecture to the real silicon implementation. The proposed innovative RCD has been implemented in a 0.35 mu m HV-CMOS technology and has been embedded in a mechatronic brush-holder regulator system-on-chip for an automotive alternator. The simulation results and experimental measurements prove the effectiveness of the proposed RCD facing the harshest automotive conditions.