Analog Devices Inc. has announced that the Japanese car manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors has selected ADI's digital isolators for the data communication between the high-voltage battery and standard vehicle electronics systems.

Mitsubishi's i-MiEV all-electric car is scheduled to be introduced in Japan during the current year. The vehicle features a three-way battery charging system that allows drivers to charge the battery at home at 100 Volt or 200 Volt lines as well as at remote quick-charge stations. Analog Devices' digital isolators provide the means to transmit data across the safety isolation barriers between the high-voltage lithium ion battery system electronics and the standard electronic control systems of the car. The iCoupler as ADI has baptized its digital isolators, are similar in function to widespread optocouplers but they offer superior integration features as well as lower power consumption.

The iCoupler technology is based on chip-scale transformers rather than on LEDs and photodiodes used in optocouplers. Thus, the isolators can achieve higher data rates and more stability over the system lifetime. In addition, they consume less energy: ADI claims that the iCouplers content themselves with 10 to 17 percent of the power of optocouplers at comparable data rates. Since they are manufactured using wafer-level processing, digital isolators also can be integrated with other semiconductor functions.

“Advances in battery technology for hybrid and electric vehicles require similar advances in isolation technology”, said ADI Automotive Group vice president Thomas Wessel. “These advances include higher levels of integration, temperature resistance, and interfaces that eliminate the need for external signal conditioning.”