A new LIN 2.0 system basis chip from Atmel Corporation is optimized for up to 40 V operation in automotive comfort and powertrain applications ranging from door modules and seat control to engine control systems.

The ATA6621, which includes a 5 V voltage regulator and a watchdog, is manufactured on Atmel’s BCDMOS process, a mixed-signal technology with bipolar, CMOS and DMOS components. Integration of the voltage regulator and watchdog reduces system costs by approximately 25%, according to the company, and reduces board space requirements.

Reduced board space benefits applications like sensor LIN slave nodes that are getting smaller and providing ever decreasing PCB area, according to Torsten Mann, Atmel's marketing director for automotive and control products.

The ATA6621 features typical quiescent current consumption of 10 µA in standby mode. A silent mode draws 40 µA, compared with 50 mA in normal operation. "Due to the increasing number of ECUs in a vehicle and the communication via the bus systems, the overall current consumption of the ECUs needs to be kept as low as possible due to the permanent power requirements placed on the vehicle's battery," Mann notes.

The ATA6621 incorporates a controlled slew rate as per the LIN 2.0 specification, thus reducing EMC problems. Mann says the part’s input filter helps minimize RF interference caused by signals on the bus line. To meet 42 V power net requirements, the bus output can tolerate short circuits of up to 60 V. The device meets automotive qualification demands for protection against conducted interference, EMC and 6 kV ESD protection at the supply and LIN pins, and it can withstand transients as specified in ISO/TR 7637/1.