Kinetic Technologies has introduced the KTS1642Q, an AEC-Q100 qualified automotive load switch built to help automotive electronic systems withstand the demanding electrical conditions defined by two key automotive standards: ISO 16750-2, which covers electrical loads on vehicle systems, and ISO 7637-2, which covers electrical transients specifically, sudden voltage spikes or disturbances on the power line.
Jan Nilsson, CTO of Kinetic Technologies, said meeting automotive power transient requirements has become increasingly difficult as vehicles pack in more sophisticated electronics. He said the KTS1642Q integrates the key protection functions designers need to address both ISO 16750-2's electrical stress conditions and ISO 7637-2's transient requirements, while also reducing the number of components needed, minimizing power loss, and speeding up system qualification testing.
The chip is designed to help electronic control units (ECUs) in modern vehicles withstand a range of electrical events they're commonly exposed to, including reverse battery connection, cold-crank conditions (when a cold engine draws heavy current to start), jump-starts, load dump (a voltage spike that occurs when a battery is suddenly disconnected while the alternator is charging), and transients caused by inductive switching. The KTS1642Q is meant to help designers build power systems that can absorb these events without damaging the sensitive electronics downstream.
On specifications, the device operates across a voltage range of 4V to 40V, offers reverse battery protection down to -28V, provides fixed overvoltage protection at 20.3V with a typical response time of 360 nanoseconds, and features 41mΩ of on-resistance (a measure of how much the switch itself resists current flow when active) along with support for 6A of output current. It also includes over-temperature protection with automatic retry, battery detection, and fault reporting.
When paired with appropriate external TVS diodes, which handle voltage suppression, the KTS1642Q supports full compliance with ISO 7637-2 transient requirements while also helping address the electrical stress conditions defined in ISO 16750-2.
Kinetic Technologies is targeting the chip at applications including automotive ECUs, ADAS camera modules, digital video recorders, digital instrument clusters, infotainment and head units, wireless charging systems, and telematics equipment.
On the full feature set, the KTS1642Q offers a 4V to 40V operating range, -28V reverse battery protection, a fixed 20.3V overvoltage protection threshold, a typical overvoltage response time of 360 nanoseconds, a 41mΩ MOSFET, and 6A of continuous output current. It also includes input ESD protection compliant with IEC61000-4-2 Level 4, covering ±8kV of contact discharge and ±15kV of air discharge, along with ±2kV of human-body-model ESD protection on other pins per AEC-Q100-002. The chip includes a fault flag output, is AEC-Q100 qualified, operates across a temperature range of -40°C to +125°C, and comes in a compact 4mm x 4mm TDFN package.
Two variants are available now: the KTS1642AQGDV-TR, which uses an active-high enable, and the KTS1642QGDV-TR, which uses an active-low enable.
