CODACA Automotive Grade Inductors Efficiently Improve the Conversion Efficiency of New Energy Vehicle DC/DC Converter
In recent years, with the growth of production and sales of new energy vehicles, the demand for DC/DC converters in the market has continued to rise. DC/DC converters play a very important role in new energy vehicles such as electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, and hybrid vehicles. According to different application requirements, common topologies for DC/DC converters used in new energy vehicles include BOOST, BUCK, and BUCK-BOOST.
As an energy transfer component, DC/DC converters need to meet high conversion efficiency requirements to improve energy utilization, achieve energy conservation and environmental protection, and help achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. At present, the efficiency of DC/DC converters can reach over 98%, which is directly related to the losses of many components such as inductors, capacitors, resistors, and switching tubes.
Inductors， as one of the core components of DC/DC converters, is widely used in DC/DC converters. The selection of coil and magnetic core materials, as well as production processes, have a significant impact on the conversion efficiency and stability reliability of DC/DC converters. Therefore, when designing the DC/DC converter for vehicle power supply, it is crucial to choose high-quality and highly reliable automotive grade inductors.
Fig.1 Application of Inductor in Vehicle DC/DC Converter
1. Design Requirements for Inductor of Car DC/DC Converter
1.1 Low loss: The operating frequency of the car DC/DC converter is relatively high, up to 500KHz or even 1MHz. Inductors should be designed with low loss magnetic core materials to reduce core losses in high-frequency applications, minimize heat generation, and improve output efficiency.
1.2 High voltage resistance: There are many high-voltage components in new energy vehicles, such as power batteries, drive motors, onboard controllers, and so on. Among them, the voltage of the motor drive system is above 400V or 800V. Inductor, as a key component of DC/DC converters, needs to have the ability to withstand high voltage.
1.3 High current: Most automotive electronic circuits adopt high density and high power design, and the inductor must maintain sufficient inductance value under high transient peak current conditions to ensure the normal operation of the circuit. At the same time, it also needs to withstand continuous high current output for a long time to maintain the surface temperature rise of the inductor not exceeding the specified value.
1.4 High reliability: The operating environment of DC/DC converters is complex, facing problems such as high temperature in the engine compartment, vehicle vibration, and severe fluctuations in battery voltage. This places high demands on the reliability of inductor products, requiring strong resistance to mechanical shock and vibration, thermal shock, high temperature and high voltage, and other performance.
1.5 Small size: With the integration trend of car power systems, such as DC/DC+OBC 2-in-1 and DC/DC+OBC+PDU three in one products, high power density and high efficiency have become the development direction of car power. For inductors, small size and lightweight will become design requirements to meet the small volume and high-density installation needs of DC/DC converters.
1.6 Anti interference: With the integration and high-density installation of automotive electronic components, electromagnetic interference problems have emerged. Inductors are designed with magnetic shielding structures to enhance shielding effectiveness and effectively reduce electromagnetic interference.
2. Automotive Grade Inductor from CODACA for car DC/DC converter
As a professional manufacturer of molded inductors and high current inductors with 24 years of experience in inductor research and development, CODACA Electronics has developed and designed multiple series of automotive grade inductors such as VSRU, VSAB, VSEB with low loss, high reliability, and high current resistance for car DC/DC converters. The products have been mass-produced and widely used in multiple automotive manufacturing projects.
To ensure the long-term stable operation of inductance products in complex environments, CODACA's automotive grade inductors have passed rigorous product testing and meet AEC-Q200 Grade 0 reliability testing certification. The working temperature range is -55 ℃ to+155 ℃ (up to 165 ℃).
2.1 Automitive grade super high current inductor VSRU series
The range of inductance values for the VSRU27 series of automotive grade high current inductors is 1.00-15.00 μH, with a saturation current of up to 100A and a minimum DCR of 0.46mΩ.
The VSRU27 series adopts a flat coil winding and low loss magnetic core material design, with extremely low DC and AC resistance, which can work for a long time under high current schemes to maintain low temperature rise effect. The symmetrical air gap structure design ensures uniform distribution of magnetic flux density in the core, thereby enhancing the anti saturation ability of the inductor and maintaining good linearity through transient high peak currents. The VSRU27 series base has added a third soldering terminal, effectively improving the anti vibration performance and reliability of the inductor.
2.2 Automotive grade molded inductor VSAB series
The VSAB series of automotive grade molded inductors has a inductance range of 0.47-82.00 μH and a maximum saturation current of 24A.
The VSAB series adopts a molding structure, with high utilization of magnetic cores, better electrical performance, and high mechanical strength. The magnetic material adopts a specific mixed powder design, with outstanding voltage resistance. The coil is embedded in magnetic powder to form a magnetic shielding structure, which has the characteristics of strong electromagnetic interference resistance and ultra-low buzzing noise. In addition, the lightweight design of the integrated inductor can also save installation space and is suitable for high-density mounting.
2.3 Automotive grade integrated molded inductor VSEB-H series
The VSEB-H series of automotive grade integrated inductors has a range of inductance values from 0.47 to 22.00 μ H, with a maximum saturation current of 18.2A.
The VSEB-H series adopts flat coil winding, low loss alloy powder with hot pressed molding, and T-Core magnetic core structure design. Coils are not easily deformed or tilted, ensuring the consistency of the electrical performance of the inductor and the reliability of the product. The hot pressing process increases the density of the magnetic core and reduces various risks during the process. The product has characteristics such as high saturation current, low loss, wide application frequency, and high reliability.
According to different application scenarios, Codaca Electronics also provides customers with a variety of tailor-made automotive grade inductor solutions. To request samples or for more information, please contact our online customer service team.