You need to know about circuit protection

We know that with the demanding quality of electronic products, manufacturers must adopt a large number of circuit protection components in order to increase their competitiveness in the market. In all types of electronic products, there is an increasing tendency to set overcurrent protection and overvoltage protection components. At the present stage, in order to protect components in electronic circuits from being damaged by overvoltage, overcurrent, surge, electromagnetic interference, etc., with the development of science and technology, electronic products are increasingly diversified and complicated. The applied circuit protection components are also developed from today's simple glass tube fuses to a wide variety of basic component components with various functions. They have become an integral part of electronic devices.

In this regard, Guo Tao, application engineering manager of the TE Connectivity Circuit Protection Department, stated that, especially in recent years, various devices in the fields of portable consumer electronics, automotive electronics, LED lighting, and industrial control have become increasingly miniaturized. The integrated, high-frequency design also makes the entire manufacturer more stringent requirements for circuit protection schemes such as overvoltage protection, overcurrent protection, surge suppression, and electrostatic protection. In response to market trends, TE actively promotes technological innovation and has continuously introduced a series of high-quality devices such as MHP-TAM series devices, PolyZen YC device series, and high-current reflowable thermal protection devices.

Mr. Guo Tao revealed that more and more mobile electronic products such as smart phones, tablet computers, wearable devices, camcorders, and digital cameras are now required. These electronic products all require battery components, which must be present in battery packs and battery chargers. Equipped with protection components, it can reduce power consumption, reduce heat generation, and prolong service life. TE's products can still excel in harsh environments such as high voltage, vibration, high voltage, extreme high/low temperature and humidity, and the market feedback is very good.

The Internet of Things is regarded as the next big thing in the semiconductor industry. From communications to wearable devices, the application of Internet of Things technology is transforming our lifestyle. This makes the demand for intelligent terminals expand rapidly. This has also led to the development of smart terminals. The demand for high-capacity lithium polymer batteries is also increasing. How to provide reliable thermal protection devices for large-capacity lithium polymer batteries is a problem that many battery manufacturers have been facing. In this regard, Mr. Guo Tao said: There are many reasons for the explosion of lithium batteries. In the case of standard use, the self-protection function of the battery itself is particularly important. The TE Circuit Protection Division specializes in providing overvoltage, overcurrent, and overtemperature protection to new hybrid technologies, from consumer electronics to automotive, to help customers design intelligent protection products. For example, a lithium battery explosion is generally caused by battery overheating. TE's resettable thermal shutdown (TCO) device MHP-TAM can provide compact thermal protection for consumer electronics lithium batteries.

The MHP-TAM device uses an innovative metal hybrid polymer PPTC (MHP) technology that connects a PPTC device and a bimetal protector in parallel. In battery applications, the MHP-TAM device helps provide resettable thermal protection, shuts off the battery when a fault is detected, and resets when the fault is removed. The MHP-TAM series devices have different open temperatures ranging from 72°C to 90°C (typ.) and are suitable for the battery market. They also provide two levels of holding current: low current (approximately 6A at 25°C) and high current (approximately 15A at 25°C).

Mr. Zheng Xiaoqiang, application engineer of TE Circuit Protection Department, stated that with the development of circuit protection technology, it is necessary to further standardize its dimensions, electrical performance requirements, test methods, and environmental conditions for use from the aspects of device design, manufacturing, testing, and testing. The TE Circuit Protection Department is dedicated to satisfying the various needs of customers by participating in the formulation and improvement of these standards and making the development of circuit protection products more standardized. The new MHP-TAM device has passed the toughest humidity conditions withstand test of the battery industry and meets regulatory requirements for the most stringent international quality and safety standards: UL, cUL, and CB. The TE Circuit Protection Department is also involved in the development and development of two national standards and industry standards for thermal fuses and self-healing miniature fuses. This is a reflection of TE's technical strength.

In addition, the new PolyZen YC device family provides an integrated approach to help protect consumer electronics such as tablets, set-top boxes, hard drives and DC power ports, avoiding electrostatic discharge (ESD) and other potentially hazardous applications and resulting in safety and warranty issues. Damage caused by an electrical overvoltage event. A single hybrid PolyZen YC device can more effectively protect consumer electronics from over-voltage, over-current, reverse-bias, ESD, and overheating events than solutions using multiple discrete devices. The high-current reflowable thermal protection device (HCRTP) can meet the harsh automotive electronic reliability, and is not suitable for high-power, high-current automotive applications such as ABS modules, glow plugs, and engine cooling fans. The HCRTP device can withstand up to 90A of holding current at room temperature (23°C) and withstands 45A at 140°C.

For the recent hot market wearable devices, Mr. Zheng Xiaoqiang, application engineer of TE Circuit Protection Department, emphasized that smart watches, smart glasses, smart bracelets, smart necklaces, and wearable medical products are now the focus of attention in the electronics industry. Wearable products that are small enough and power-efficient need advanced semiconductor process technology. The insulating oxide layer between semiconductor crystals is very thin and can easily be damaged by ESD breakdown. Therefore, these electronic products all require ESD protection devices to achieve system stability and hardware damage from ESD. In addition, the volume must be small and thin. Compared with the handheld products, the wearer's requirements for the device volume will be more stringent, and the ESD protection device must also have a high voltage tolerance level.

More importantly, the smaller the size of the wearable device is, the higher the battery life is, and the space left for other protection devices is compressed, and the thermal protection of the wearable device battery is also very important. TE's TCO device, MHP-TAM, provides compact thermal protection for lithium batteries. It features an ultra-low profile (maximum length: 5.8mm x width: 3.85mm x height: 1.15mm) package and high voltage rating (9VDC). , And provide two different current carrying capacity and a variety of cut-off rated temperature options, can help designers meet the demand for peak current demand and ultra-small size requirements for demanding wearable devices.

The highlights that cannot be ignored--cars

In modern automobiles, there are more and more electronic devices equipped, and the working conditions are worse than those of ordinary electronic products, such as rapid changes in the driving conditions and environment of automobiles, and large transient peak voltages when the car starts. Therefore, in the power adapters for these electronic devices, it is generally necessary to install over-current and over-voltage protection components at the same time. It is reported that in the automotive electronics field, TE circuit protection devices also have considerable advantages.

In addition to circuit protection technology, TE Automotive Division also demonstrated its full range of connectivity and sensor products and solutions in the automotive field at the Munich Electronics Show, including terminals and connectors, sensors, new energy automotive systems, and infotainment. A series of automotive products and solutions such as systems, relays, and central electrical boxes provide a broader space for innovation in the development of new energy vehicles and various types of on-board systems.

In the field of hybrid and pure electric vehicles, TE highlighted a complete solution for high-voltage components from complete vehicles to high-voltage electrical structures to meet the reliability requirements of the vehicle's power batteries and improve the safety of high-voltage systems for new energy vehicles. As for the infotainment system architecture, TE's high-frequency and high-speed transmission solutions ensure that passengers can enjoy various entertainment experiences based on data interconnection, even when they are in the car, and satisfy their increasing diversity of car rides. demand.

As one of the highlights of this exhibition, TE also displayed a unique exhibit on the site - a transparent car. This transparent car can present the connector products of the TE system covering the automotive power system, safety system, body and chassis system, infotainment system and comfort system in the most intuitive way, so that the exhibition site audience can clearly understand To TE's technical strength and engineering capabilities in the automotive field.