“Panasonic Corporation announced today that its Industry Company has commercialized a small power inductor[1] (4 mm by 4 mm square) for automotive use that enables higher performance and downsizing of electronic control units (ECU) for advanced drive assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving systems, with the ability to withstand harsh environment. Mass production of the power inductor will start in May 2022.
As the computerization of cars advances, ECUs are now incorporated in many cars. ADAS and autonomous driving require a number of ECUs capable of highly efficient control over cars, with such ECUs requiring small and high-performance power inductors free from connection failures.
The company has commercialized a small power inductor of 4 mm by 4 mm square for automotive use to address these needs. It is manufactured with a molding technology where the power inductor is completely filled with a melted metal composite material[2], and is highly resistant to vibrations, thereby preventing crack formation. Further, its leads have a redundant design[3] that improves the connection reliability of the coil. The improved manufacturing process has reduced CO2 emissions during the production of this product by 50% (CO2 emissions/unit).”