Nisshinbo Micro Devices, a Tokyo-based semiconductor company, has unveiled a new quad-channel power management integrated circuit (PMIC) designed for automotive camera modules, targeting increasingly compact and high-performance vehicle sensor systems.
The NP8700 series integrates four independent regulators into a single QFN2634-26-NC package, allowing camera manufacturers to deploy devices in confined spaces such as headliners, mirrors, and centre consoles while reducing the complexity of printed circuit board layouts.
The PMIC is tailored for applications sensitive to image quality, offering a combination of a 1.2 A synchronous buck converter, a second 1.0 A synchronous buck converter, a configurable third channel that can operate either as a 1.0 A buck converter or a 0.2 A low-noise linear regulator, and a fourth 0.2 A linear regulator that can also function as a high-side switch. Anti-phase operation and optional spread-spectrum frequency modulation are designed to minimise electromagnetic interference, maintaining sensor stability and camera reliability.
Additional features include a programmable power-good output that removes the need for a separate reset IC, a resistor-programmed power-on sequence for controlled startup, and a suite of protection circuits including overcurrent, thermal shutdown, and selectable under-voltage lockout. The device operates at a fixed 2 MHz switching frequency, with external clock synchronisation as an option.
The NP8700 is compatible with a wide input voltage range, supporting automotive power rails from 3.9 V to 20 V for the primary converter and 2.4 V to 5.5 V for low-voltage channels. The chip is qualified to AEC-Q100 Grade 1 standards and rated for operation from −40 °C to 125 °C, meeting automotive reliability requirements.
Nisshinbo Micro Devices was formed in 2022 through the merger of Ricoh Electronic Devices Co, Ltd., and New Japan Radio Co, Ltd., both part of the Nisshinbo Group. The company has more than six decades of experience in the electronics sector and supplies analogue and power-management ICs to consumer, industrial, and automotive markets.
