ChipON Unveils Optical Rain Sensor Chip KF32A626x and Showcases Multiple Automotive-Grade Chip Solutions at electronica China

On July 1, 2024, ChipON Microelectronics unveiled its optical rain/light sensor SoC KF32A626x and showcased dozens of automotive-grade products—including chassis driver ICs, motor control solutions, application solutions based on KF32A158 and KF32A136, and RF chip solutions—at electronica China (Shanghai New International Expo Centre). The KF32A626x is a highly integrated SoC designed for automotive optical rain/light sensors, integrating an MCU main controller, rain detection channel, ambient light detection channel, and a LIN communication interface. By capturing photocurrent signals from photodiodes and converting them via an ADC, the MCU transmits data through the LIN bus to the Body Control Module (BCM) to enable functions such as automatic wiper control, HUD brightness adjustment, headlamp control, and cabin temperature regulation. This solution integrates the MCU, SBC, and ASIC photodetector into a single chip, reducing PCB footprint, simplifying hardware design, and lowering BOM costs. At the exhibition, both an integrated solution based on KF32A626x and a discrete solution based on KF32A136 were demonstrated to meet diverse customer requirements. Samples of the KF32A626x are now available for request. In the chassis driver IC section, key highlights included the SMC6008AF, SMC6012, KF32A600, and ABS solutions. The SMC6008AF integrates brake control, digital valve drivers, high-precision constant-current valve drivers, pump motor pre-drivers, high-side drivers, vehicle speed output drivers, and warning lamp drivers. It supports three types of wheel-speed sensor input formats and is suitable for ABS and chassis control systems. The higher-performance SMC6012 offers extended applicability to ESC and One-Box systems. The motor application solutions area featured electric A/C compressor controls, dual-motor synchronous control, brushless dual-motor seat controls, and in-vehicle refrigerator solutions based on the KF32A158 and KF32A138 series. Specifically, the KF32A138SF solution incorporates sensorless FOC vector control algorithms and supports full vehicle communication and comprehensive protection mechanisms. The KF32A158SF solution delivers dual-channel sensorless FOC drive capability with complete protection features. Both solutions comply with AEC-Q100 Grade 1 and ASIL-B functional safety requirements. The KF32A158 application zone displayed products including headlamp controllers, seat controllers, backup instrument clusters, 50W dual-channel wireless chargers, EPS systems, and digital key modules. The KF32A158 supports up to 2MB ECC Flash and 256KB RAM, features an information security unit and A/B partition bootloader, and provides interfaces such as CAN FD, USART (LIN), SPI, and I2C, along with AutoSAR-compliant MCAL software services—making it suitable for applications in vehicle control, chassis systems, smart cockpits, thermal/power management, and lighting/sensing. The KF32A136 application section showcased window lifters, HVAC panel controllers, seat massage systems, steering wheel button switches, headlamp controls, and the 136xxxSC demo board. Based on ChipON’s proprietary KungFu 32-bit core, the KF32A136/138 series are automotive-grade MCUs compliant with ASIL-B. They offer Flash capacities ranging from 64KB to 480KB, operating frequencies from 48MHz to 120MHz, support DFlash, and come in QFN32, LQFP48, and LQFP64 packages. Integrated peripherals include CAN FD, SPI, LIN, and ADC, making them ideal for various body-domain controllers and sensors. In the RF chip section, BCM boards and demo boards based on the SRT1200 were exhibited. The SRT1200 is a low-power UHF ASK/FSK RF receiver integrating an RF front-end and digital baseband module. Utilizing dual quadrature mixing and a low-IF architecture, it delivers high image rejection and strong blocking immunity, making it well-suited for keyless entry and TPMS signal reception. During the exhibition, ChipON Microelectronics’ booth was located at Hall N5, Booth No. 609.