48V Power System
Cars are offering more and more interactive functions, displays, sensors etc.. to their users. Therefore, there are more and more electronic devices to be powered inside the car and this demands for an efficient power distribution system. For this reason, the automotive industry is switching from 12V bus to a more efficient 48 V bus power distribution.
The 48V system is mainly composed of three parts: 48V battery pack, Belt-Driven Starter Generator (BSG) motor, and 12V/48V bidirectional DC-DC converter. The 48V power system supplies power to the on-board system and, at the same time, it is used for the automatic start and stop functions of the vehicle. The 48V power system is also responsible for the kinetic energy recovery function.
Such 48V power distribution system requires highly efficient, compact and lightweight 48V DC-DC converter.
Thanks to the excellent switching characteristics and high frequency capabilities of InnoGaNTM , which is at least a factor 2 higher than Silicon, it is possible to make 48V DC-DC converters smaller and lighter, by shrining the passive components, as well as to make them more efficient by reducing the loss related to inductors. This is combined with the low static and dynamic losses of InnoGaNTM devices, which result in an overall lower loss of the whole 48V converter. Moreover, by switching at high frequency, it is possible to move from conventional electrolytic capacitors to smaller and more reliable ceramic capacitors that make the overall 48V power system more reliable.