Cypress Semiconductor's new LED drivers are making LED front lighting systems smaller and more cost-effective. The company says that automotive LED drivers are unique in that they can drive a single LED at a switching frequency of 2.1 MHz, providing a compact solution that uses small, inexpensive inductors, which reduces Physical size and reduced bill of materials costs.
Kiyoe Nagaya, vice president of Cypress's analog business unit, said: "LEDs consume less power and are smaller than traditional light bulbs, giving automakers the flexibility to create iconic lighting effects for their vehicles." With this compelling LED driver solution, Plass has raised the bar in automotive headlights, which can drive a single LED without the need for large, expensive inductors. "
In addition, Cypress's new S6BL111A automotive LED driver has an input voltage range of 4.5V-42V, which includes extreme operating conditions such as cold start; when a car engine starter consumes excessive current due to starting the engine at low temperatures – Or load dump – A surge that occurs when a car battery is disconnected while the generator is supplying current during engine operation. S6BL111A is a single-channel 1A output LED driver that supports analog and PWM dimming functions for fine brightness control. The device's switching frequency can be set between 205 kHz and 2.1 MHz with high output current accuracy of +/- 2%. The driver also works by including system safety features such as overcurrent and voltage protection,
Cypress also offers a related kit to help designers evaluate their automotive LED technology. Automotive LED Driver Evaluation Kits (CYALKIT-L01, CYALKIT-L02) include S6BL111A drivers, automotive-grade peripheral components, external pins that can easily monitor the waveform of each test point, and auxiliary PCB patterns that can easily change circuits and add components.
