Two International Innovative LED Driver Devices

Let us get to know the top ten innovative LED driver devices in the world in the past three years.

1. Three-channel linear LED driver

Application field: Automotive Lighting

In June of this year, Diodes Incorporated launched the three-channel linear LED driver AL5873Q, which aims to simplify the design of the taillight group and expand its equipment portfolio to support automotive exterior lighting.

The device is compatible with automobiles and meets the AEC-Q100 level 1 standard, which can meet the needs of next-generation automobile design while saving energy and space, thereby reducing overall system costs. Each channel of AL5873Q can drive up to 250mA of current, which is set by two reference resistors connected to the REF1 and REF2 pins of the driver integrated circuit. It supports two different levels of LED current, making the lighting system more streamlined.

AL5873Q has analog and master PWM dimming control functions and supports pulse width modulation (PWM) frequencies up to 1 kHz. When driving LEDs at low currents, the PWM dimming function is of great significance for improving current accuracy. The current on each channel of the device can be accurate to within a tolerance of ±4%, enabling the rear combination lamp to achieve better channel-channel matching.

2. Multi-mode smart dimming LED driver

Application field: Indoor Space Lighting in Large Places

In June of this year, ON Semiconductor launched two new devices, NCL31000 and NCL31001 LED drivers that can improve the performance of interconnected lighting systems, enabling manufacturers to develop LED lamps with light-based positioning technology and visible light communication. These solutions increase data intelligence and accurate positioning (up to 30 cm), and will revolutionize the lighting of many spaces including supermarkets, warehouses, hospitals, and airports.

NCL31000 is specially designed for lighting applications, supporting high-bandwidth analog dimming and low-to-zero current PWM dimming. The drive device contains an integrated 3V3 fixed DC-DC converter and a further adjustable DC-DC (2.5 to 24V), which can be used to power system components such as sensing and microcontrollers, and by connecting multiple power sources, the solution is integrated into the drive, which greatly simplifies the system design while improving energy efficiency.

More importantly, NCL31000's precise linear dimming enables visible light communication (VLC) and supports the development of light-based indoor positioning systems, which is suitable for many places where RF-based solutions cannot be used (such as dangerous spaces like mines and other radio-frequency sensitive areas like hospital and aircraft).

NCL31001, as a supporting driver for NCL31000, can provide the same features as NCL31000, and at the same time, it combines with NCL31000 to create a solution that supports multi-string lighting applications, opening up more new business opportunities for intelligent lighting systems.