Issue link: https://resources.mouser.com/i/1484091
34 The Future of Automotive Meeting the Challenge with Integration Approaching the complexity problem is made easier by implementing simple integration on some of the RF pathways. This approach will obviously reduce some of the complexity, path-losses, and matching challenges, but it only gets you slightly down the design road. As shown in Figure 2, integrating some of the switches does help reduce matching, removes the need for many GPIO controls, replaces them with fewer MIPI (mobile industry processor interface) controls, and reduces the number of switches. Cost savings can be seen with this approach, even though this is minimal as compared to a fully integrated approach. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, moving toward a fully integrated approach offers even more improvements beyond the integration shown in Figure 2. Figure 3 incorporates the DSDA switch option architecture and requires less RF front-end matching, lowers the number of RF losses, uses one RFFE MIPI control, integrates all the splitters inside one package, and reduces the cost of materials and design time. The design in Figure 4 is similar to that in Figure 3, but it does not integrate the DSDA switch option architecture. However, it still requires less RF front-end matching, offering all the benefits shown in Figure 3. Figure 2: Example of somewhat integrated eCall switch architecture approach. (Source: Qorvo) Figure 3: Example of fully integrated eCall switching architecture – using pin-to-pin optional DSDA (QPC1252Q) (Source: Qorvo). Qorvo Expands Portfolio of Automotive eCall Solutions for Improved Emergency Communications Qorvo's high-performance broadband antenna switches for eCall are helping provide connectivity to life-saving services after an accident. The switches enable a vehicle's primary cellular signal to automatically relay—or hot switch—to undamaged car antennas to call for help. The newest addition to Qorvo's automotive line-up is the QPC1220Q broadband, high-linearity Dual-Pole Four- Throw (DP4T) antenna routing switch, which spans the full Automotive AEC-Q100 Grade 2 operating range. It supports hot switching capability of up to + 34dBm—making it ideally QPC1220Q Broadband DP4T Routing Switch LEARN MORE >