12V Heating Systems

ST’s heating system solution - based on a VIPower® Zero series power stage and SPC56 32-bit microcontrollers - provides an outstanding level of comfort, with an accurate and efficient temperature control. Complementary devices are also available for power management and ESD protection. ST’s VIPower® Zero series and SPC56 MCUs are specially designed for guaranteeing robustness in harsh environments and conditions. 

ST, leading supplier of IC solutions for Smart Driving and IoT, provides a dedicated offer to drive and control the most modern heating systems, not only in cars, but also in everyday applications:

Smart Driving:

• Seat heater
• Glow plug driver
• Cabin heater
• Windshield defroster
• Heated/Cooled compartments

Smart Power high-side switches provide:

• Reduced switching losses for achieving better efficiency and better EMI performance
• Embedded protections avoiding device destruction due to excessive current, voltage, or temperature
• Means to return status information to the logic controller

VIPower high-side drivers integrate digital control, output sensing, diagnostics, and protection features (overload/overcurrent/over-temperature/overvoltage).

Benefits over a discrete design:

• Simpler design
• Lower bill-of-material 
• Reduced board space
• Increased circuit reliability
• Reduced assembly costs

It is worth considering how to configure the drivers in a safe way. Indeed, in HSD mode, the current flows from a high-side source current to the load. While the low-side type connects or disconnects the load to ground. Short-to-ground of the load is a more likely system failure mode compared to short-to-battery.
This is the reason why a growing number of designers prefer HSD over LSD for their circuits.