Automotive-grade backlight LED driver is compatible with vehicle LCDs
Common design across vehicle control boards can be accommodated with the latest LCD backlight driver by Rohm Semiconductor.
The BD81A76EFV-M is optimised for LCD backlighting in instrument cluster, centre information displays and car navigation. While conventional drivers with four channels support LCDs up to 8-inches, the BD81A76EFV-M provides six channels of output (with 120mA per channel) that can support LCD panels of up to 10 to 12inches.
Conventional LED drivers are only capable of driving 36 to 60 LEDs (six to 10 LEDs per channel), the BD81A76EFV-M driver IC expands the range from six to 60 LEDs (one to 10 LEDs per channel). This ensures the support of not only larger displays but also small and medium size panels as well using a single driver, contributing to a common design of control board.
The buck-boost control ensures compatibility with both small and large LCDs using a single driver, adds Rohm, making it possible to develop a common design of LCD control board suitable for conventional panels along with the latest large-size displays.
To improve visibility and design in automotive displays, LCDs are increasingly used in systems such as instrument clusters, head-up displays and car navigation. Customers are also demanding larger screen sizes which require a greater number of high brightness LEDs for backlighting as well as LED drivers featuring multi-channel operation. Advanced dimming features are also required to prevent flicker effects.
Rohm’s patented pulse width modulation (PWM) dimming technology provides a dimming ratio of 10,000:1, improving visibility and greater design flexibility for centre information displays and instrument clusters, says the company.
The low standby current of just 10 microA reduces power consumption to less than 1/3 compared with functionally equivalent products featuring a standby current of 40 microA (typical).
In addition to AEC-Q100-qualification for automotive use, the BD81A76EFV-M integrates a spread spectrum function as a countermeasure against EMI that allows it to clear CISPR25 noise requirements for vehicle applications. The result is stable operation in automotive systems sensitive to noise, concludes Rohm.
