The mini zone controller for automotive side mirrors offers features like folding/unfolding, inclination adjustment, dimming, and defrosting with enhanced safety and personalization options.
Side mirrors, also known as wing mirrors or door mirrors, are an indispensable component of any vehicle, serving a vital role in ensuring the driver’s visibility and safety. These mirrors provide a clear view of the areas to the side and rear of the vehicle that are otherwise obscured from the driver’s direct line of sight or the rearview mirror. By expanding the driver’s field of vision, side mirrors significantly reduce blind spots, allowing for safer lane changes, turns, and reversing manoeuvres. Furthermore, their importance is underscored by legal requirements in many regions, mandating their presence on all roadworthy vehicles.
The SL-MCAMC01004V1 side mirror solution by STMicroelectronics presents a cost-effective mini zone controller tailored for automotive side mirror applications. This controller leverages an SPC58 2B general-purpose automotive 32-bit Power Architecture MCU and an L99DZ200G multi-output driver to manage a variety of functions, including folding/unfolding, adjusting the mirror’s x/y-axis inclination, electrochromic dimming, and defrosting.
The driver incorporates a current monitor to detect mechanical end stop limits accurately and can power two LED strings for turn signals or puddle lights. Moreover, the integration of external encoders enables the monitoring of the precise position of the side mirrors, facilitating the transmission of data to the MCU for the implementation of safety features and the creation of personalised positioning profiles for individual vehicle users.
An optional feature of the mini zone controller is its ability to be controlled through CAN messages from a host ECU, thereby enhancing its connectivity and control capabilities.
In conjunction with the AutoDevKit development initiative, which aims to assist automotive engineers in managing the increasing complexity of car electronics, our side mirror evaluation solution offers a low-cost, comprehensive kit that allows designers to test various functions of car mirror applications effortlessly.
The AEK-MOT-MR200G1 side mirror controller board, equipped with the same SPC58 2B MCU and L99DZ200G driver, functions independently without needing a domain controller. The driver enables the board to control folding/unfolding, x/y-axis inclination, electrochromic dimming, and defrosting functions of a car mirror, in addition to powering two LED strings for turn signals or puddle lights.
Furthermore, the driver integrates a current monitor (high-side only) to detect the mirror’s mechanical end-stop limits. The board supports external encoders through dedicated connectors, which determine the precise position of the side mirror and relay this data to the MCU to implement safety features or create and store personalised profiles for each vehicle user.
STMicroelectronics has tested this reference design. It comes with a Bill of Material (BOM), schematics, etc. You can find additional data about the reference design on the company’s website. To read more about this reference design, click here.
