Nexperia introduces AEC-Q100 qualified 12-channel LED driver

Nexperia has introduced an AEC-Q100 qualified 12-channel, 40 V high-side LED driver integrated circuit (IC) that complies with the ASIL-B level.

AEC-Q100 qualified 12-channel LED driver Credit: Nexperia

Intended for designing functionally safe automotive lighting, including tail, brake, signal and in-cabin illumination applications the driver meets the demand from automotive manufacturers for ICs that can help systems achieve ASIL-B compliance much earlier in the design cycle.

The NEX13120FPC-Q100 exhibits improved thermal performance thanks to its low dropout voltage of 600 mV at 100mA current, which translates into power saving of 15 mW per channel and 5 °C reduction in operating temperature.

Independent channels on the NEX13120FPC-Q100 can deliver up to 100 mA of 8-bit programmable output current and can be connected in parallel for applications with higher current requirements.

This LED driver supports phase-shift pulse width modulation (PWM) dimming to deliver better load-transient and reduced electromagnetic interference (EMI). Configurable analogue dimming and Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) dimming can support various application requirements, including dynamic animation effects.

Long distance off-board communication at data rates up to 2 Mb/s is supported by the UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) over a controller area network (CAN) digital interface, which can support up to 27 node addresses. The extensive range of diagnostic features on the NEX13120FPC-Q100 include LED open-circuit, short to ground, and single LED short-circuit detection.

In addition, a configurable watchdog automatically places the device in a fail-safe state if connection to the CAN bus is lost.

The NEX13120FPC-Q100 can operate at a junction temperature range from -40 °C to +150 °C and is housed in a thermally enhanced 24-pin HTSSOP24 package. The NEX13120PC-Q100 is identical to the NEX13120FPC-Q100 and is suitable for applications without chip level functional safety requirements.