Qorvo® has introduced the first integrated broadband antenna routing switch that has been developed for Emergency Calling (eCall) in automobiles. The low loss, high linearity switch allows a primary cellular link to be switched to other antennas within the car to ensure reliable connectivity with life-saving services during an accident. eCall has been available as a car manufacturer offering within the U.S. beginning in 2008, and the safety feature has been mandatory on all cars sold in the EU since 2018.
Qorvo offers two versions of the new AECQ Grade switch: the QPC1251Q for eCall and QPC1252Q for Dual Sim Dual Active (DSDA) eCall. Both deliver up to 50 percent board area savings over traditional discrete switch implementations and provide hot switching capabilities up to +29 dBm – suitable for all Telematic Control Units (TCU). They also reduce insertion loss up to 1 dB, maximizing the effective power delivered to the external eCall antenna array. This minimizes thermals and enables better cellular and 5G connectivity, even in areas with limited signals.
The QPC1251Q/1252Q are designed in small, pin-to-pin form factors with 2DID-enabled traceability to support the most challenging TCU requirements. OEM and Tier 1 suppliers need only one switch to have a complete eCall antenna routing solution that supports DSDA and non-DSDA applications. Competing offerings require four-plus discrete switches, associated matching and several engineering man-months of TCU board layout.
Gorden Cook, general manager of Qorvo's Transport business, said, "The eCall requirement in today's advanced 5G TCUs demands an innovative approach to DSDA and non-DSDA antenna configurations. These new eCall products reflect Qorvo's in-depth understanding of automotive and cellular 4G and 5G NAD solutions, our deep system-level expertise, and our ability to deliver best-in-class integrated solutions addressing the eCall antenna routing challenge."
Roger C. Lanctot, director of Automotive Connected Mobility, Strategy Analytics, said, "A robust, reliable and yet simple antenna system is essential to implementing automatic emergency crash notification systems in cars. These systems are rapidly becoming standard equipment in connected cars for saving lives and fulfilling regulatory requirements."
