Freescale intros automotive airbag system products for PSI5 standard

NUREMBERG, GERMANY: At the PSI5 Forum in Nuremberg, Germany, Freescale Semiconductor introduced two advanced airbag system solutions for the emerging Peripheral Sensor Interface 5 (PSI5) protocol, including an inertial satellite sensor family and a mixed signal analog IC.

The company is also complementing these products with the addition of an electronic control unit (ECU) inertial sensor family. Freescale’s airbag safety products are targeted at airbag systems that are based on the PSI5 open standard.

As automotive airbag systems continue to enhance passenger safety through the incorporation of more airbags and increasingly sophisticated crash detection capabilities, automotive suppliers face continuing pressure from the market to improve performance while reducing overhead costs. Freescale’s PSI5-based solutions are developed with this in mind as both of these trends are expected to intensify as the focus on safety remains in the forefront.

“Freescale’s solution enables a reduction in complexity and development time of airbag systems while improving reliability through its automotive sensor and analog solutions,” said Tom Deitrich, senior vice president and general manager of Freescale’s RF, Analog and Sensors Group. “PSI5 is designed to be a flexible communication protocol that meets requirements for automotive sensors, such as those found in airbag systems.”

Adding to an extensive product portfolio for next-generation airbag applications, including components for the Distributed Systems Interface (DSI), Freescale’s PSI5 airbag system solutions leverage the company’s SMARTMOS technology for a high level of system integration available worldwide.

Freescale’s PSI5 solutions include the micro-electromechanical (MEMS)-based MMA5xxxW satellite accelerometer portfolio and the MC33789 Airbag System Basis Chip (SBC). The MEMS-based MMA68xxW dual-axis SPI inertial sensor for the main ECU facilitates a complete airbag system solution.

Freescale’s MMA5xxxW is the industry’s first PSI5 X- or Z-axis satellite inertial sensor in a Quad Flat No-Lead (QFN) package designed for a smaller footprint compared to other SOIC-based solutions currently available.

The MMA5xxxW inertial sensor family enables smaller and more robust front and side airbag satellite solutions, and improved system reliability against parasitic vibrations due to Freescale’s advanced overdamped transducer. Compatible with the PSI5 rev 1.3 standard protocol, these inertial sensors can be easily integrated as part of an overall PSI5 airbag system, and also include a bus-switch drive enabling very cost effective daisy chain configurations.

The MMA52xxW X-Axis satellite inertial sensor family is available now for a suggested resale starting price of $2.99 (USD) in 10,000-piece quantities. The MMA51xxW Z-Axis satellite inertial sensor family is available now, with production quantities planned for third quarter 2010.

The MC33789 airbag system basis chip is available now for a suggested resale price of $4.38 in 10,000-piece quantities.

The MMA68xxQ XY-Axis airbag inertial sensor family is available now for a suggested resale starting price of $2.80 in 10,000-piece quantities.