New Industry Products

IR Unveils IPS10xx Family of Intelligent Power Switches

November 10, 2005 by Jeff Shepard

Power-management semiconductor firm International Rectifier Corp. (IR, El Segundo, CA) introduced the new IPS10xx family of low-side, intelligent power switches (IPS), which are qualified to Q100, making them suitable for harsh automotive environments and any other applications that benefit from additional ruggedness and reliability. The new IPS line includes the IPS1011R, a 13 mΩ device in a D-Pak that enables circuit designers to pack more current-handling capability into existing board layouts. In addition, the IPS devices include protection and a logic-level input and diagnostic information pin to monitor or detect faults during operation. Signals from this pin can be fed back to a microcontroller to trigger a specific sequence or restart strategy following a fault condition.

The new low-side family features all the standard protection features generally found in protected switches, namely over-current, over-temperature, ESD protection, and active clamp. Protection features are required in order to help protect the electronic control unit and the application circuit from damage if a short circuit or an overload condition occurs. Although each circuit in a wiring harness could include traditional fuses or circuit breakers for protection, the IPS10x family of devices can simplify designs, reduce weight, and increase reliability. The new IPS products can also be used as replacements for mechanical relays and in some applications, additional fuses or circuit breakers can be eliminated.

The new IPS10xx devices are available immediately. Pricing begins at $1.84 each for the IPS1011R in 10,000-unit quantities. Prices are subject to change.