Backlight driver sustains full and constant brightness of in-car displays

Maxim Integrated Products has released the four-channel, low-voltage MAX25512 automotive LED backlight driver with integrated boost converter. It is claimed to be the only integrated solution that maintains full, constant brightness of in-car displays even through extreme cold crank conditions down to 3V input voltage. The single-chip LED driver removes an external MOSFET and current sense resistor and incorporates I²C communication to lower BOM and decrease board space by 30%. The highly integrated LED driver comprises four 120mA channels with the industry’s highest efficiency at 2.2MHz operation.

The device’s low, 3V input voltage and high, 91% efficiency at 2.2MHz operation drives full, constant brightness of in-car displays through the most demanding cold crank/start-stop conditions. Diagnostic functions such as SHORT to GND on each current sink alert the microcontroller and individual channel PWM settings through the I²C interface to secure a safer and higher quality display.

The device integrates a boost converter and current sense resistor and eliminates the external MOSFET typically needed to drive automotive displays. Offered in a small 24-pin, 4mm x 4mm x 0.75mm QFN package, the device’s high integration shrinks solution size by 30% through the elimination of external components.

“Over the next five years, the number of displays in automobiles is expected to grow to accommodate new and existing vehicle functions with the size and resolution of these displays increasing as well,” said Sang Oh, senior research analyst at Omdia. “Powering these displays consistently to maintain full, constant brightness while doing so as efficiently as possible is critical to automakers today.”

“Car manufacturers are demanding LED drivers with higher integration to reduce solution cost and PCB area,” said Szu-Kang Hsien, director of business management for the Automotive Business Unit at Maxim Integrated. “Maxim Integrated’s MAX25512 LED driver provides the highest level of integration and efficiency at 2.2MHz switching frequency.”