STMicroelectronics unveiled its power management chip for car body applications. The device addresses the carmakers' challenge to reduce the stand-by current consumption (quiescent current), at a time when the number of power-consuming products in the car is continuously increasing. It also provides comprehensive fail-safe functionality with reduced external components and optimized overall system cost. Minimizing quiescent current consumption in today's automotive electronic modules is critical for preserving the energy stored in the car battery.

L99PM62XP advanced power-management IC provides a dedicated regulator with optimized dynamic behavior, enabling periodic system activation to monitor configurable wake-up sources, coupled with diagnostic and system-status features. The intrinsic fail-safe concept, including supervision of the microcontroller, supply voltages and temperatures, prevents the system from locking up under all imaginable failure conditions. The integration of cost-efficient peripheral functions, such as high-side and low-side gate drivers, operational amplifiers and auxiliary regulators, reduces the number of external components.

The L99PM62XP offers compatibility with both LIN (Local Interconnect Network) and High-Speed CAN (Controller Area Network) automotive communication protocols. The IC targets microcontroller-based automotive applications such as door modules, body control units and mechatronic subsystems. L99PM62XP is in production, with unit pricing of $2 for volumes in the range of 1,000 pieces.