Avoid redesigning automotive camera module power supply circuits with scalable PMICs

Automotive camera module designers must reduce time to market while creating smaller camera module designs that are scalable and reusable for various types of image serializers and sensors. In this article, I will address several key design challenges for automotive camera module design, including design simplification and platform scalability.

Simplify design and accelerate time to market with scalable PMICs

Maintaining a common power design platform helps engineers reduce design time, thereby accelerating time to market. Pin-to-pin and programmable power management integrated circuits (PMICs) with integrated voltage supervisors can be expanded from non-functional safety applications (such as surround view cameras) to functional safety applications (such as driver monitoring, electronic mirrors, and cameras in autonomous vehicles) without redesigning the power circuit.

There are two types of programmable PMICs: software programmable PMICs and hardware programmable PMICs. Software programmable PMICs enable fully scalable power management platforms without redesigning printed circuit boards (PCBs).

Let's illustrate this with the TPS650330-Q1 software programmable PMIC. The software has an integrated toolset that enables design reuse and simplifies design. The TPS650330-Q1 also enables platform scalability through electrically erasable programmable read-only memory programming for output voltage and power sequencing settings, and has enough current margin to support image sensors with various resolutions. Engineers can reuse power designs between image sensors because there is no need to redesign the power circuit.

The TPS650330-Q1 integrates a voltage supervisor and also supports pin-to-pin platform scalability from non-functional safety applications to functional safety applications without redesigning the power circuit.

The same power board can support multiple types of image sensor boards by using two stacked PCBs, which can be found in some automotive camera modules. For example, when the application must comply with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 26262 functional safety standard, engineers can upgrade the same power board to a functional safety TPS650330-Q1 derivative by simply dropping in a TPS650330-Q1 functional safety device. For a single PCB design, engineers can also reuse the same power supply design by copying and pasting it into multiple platforms.

in conclusion

In addition to solution size, thermal performance, electromagnetic compatibility issues, and power supply rejection ratio performance, platform scalability is also a key factor to consider in automotive camera module power supply design. Selecting a PMIC that enables platform scalability/reusability can shorten time to market and save development costs between platforms.