Allegro MicroSystems Introduces First ASIL C Safety-Rated Magnetic Field Current Sensor for Electric Vehicle Powertrains

Allegro MicroSystems Introduces First ASIL C Safety-Rated Magnetic Field Current Sensor for Electric Vehicle Powertrains

Sensor sampling now available to help designers meet new safety and efficiency standards

Manchester, NH, USA – Allegro MicroSystems (NASDAQ: ALGM), a global leader in sensing technology and power semiconductor solutions for motion control and energy-efficient systems, has announced the sampling of the ACS37601, an ASIL C-rated, high-precision, best-in-class magnetic field current sensor for use in traction, auxiliary inverters, and battery management systems (BMS) in electric vehicles (EVs).

Engineers designing today and next-generation inverters and battery management systems face the challenge of achieving higher safety goals based on new Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) requirements.

To enable customers to meet these new safety requirements while improving system efficiency and extending battery life, Allegro has developed the ACS37601 programmable linear Hall effect current sensor IC, which has overcurrent, overtemperature protection, and self-test functions. The ACS37601 is designed to achieve high-precision and high-resolution sensing without compromising bandwidth. It is Allegro's most accurate magnetic field current sensor and is suitable for applications measuring currents greater than 200A.

“Allegro’s ACS37601 enables applications such as our BMS and EV traction inverter current sensors to meet the functional safety and accuracy requirements in the e-mobility industry,” said Julio Urrea, Vice President of Business Development at Littelfuse . Littelfuse is a diversified industrial application technology company dedicated to enabling a sustainable, connected and safer world by serving the electronics, transportation and multiple industrial markets.

The ACS37601 can be used with C-core and is the first magnetic field current sensor to reach ASIL C level. It can achieve 0.8% sensitivity error and less than 5mV offset error over the entire automotive temperature range, and 30% noise reduction compared to the original device, making it an ideal choice for battery management applications. The ACS37601 has a high operating bandwidth from DC to 240 kHz and a fast response time of 2μs, which can achieve higher performance in applications such as DC battery charging and high-frequency automotive inverters. The ACS37601 uses a 5V or 3.3V power supply and can support the use of the most advanced microprocessors without the need for other additional components.

“Littelfuse has a distinguished history as an automotive supplier with global reach across markets,” said Shaun Milano, Director of the Current Sensor Business Unit at Allegro . “We are pleased to collaborate with Littelfuse to deliver industry-leading magnetic field current sensor accuracy and safety for electric vehicle powertrain applications.”

To help designers implement state-of-the-art ASIL-compliant battery management and inverter systems, ACS37601 samples are currently available in an extremely thin (1 mm thick), 4-pin single inline package (SIP) (called KT package) . The KT package has straight pins (suffix TN) and lead forming options (suffix TH) to support surface mount assembly and has high tolerance to mechanical vibration. The ACS37601 package is lead (Pb) free and uses 100% matte tin lead frame plating. For more information on the ACS37601 data sheet and samples, please contact Allegro Shanghai Branch or local office.