New Cypress Automotive LED Driver Delivers Robust Performance and Minimizes the Bill-of-Material for Headlight Systems

Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: CY) today introduced an automotive LED driver that enables smaller and more cost-effective headlight systems. The new S6BL112A automotive-grade LED driver is the industry’s first to feature synchronous control, which helps it provide industry-leading conversion efficiency, enabling stable performance in a lighting system. The device is able to drive LEDs at a high 2.1-MHz switching frequency, which enables a compact headlight solution that uses small, inexpensive inductors, reducing physical size and bill-of-materials costs. The LED drivers combine with Cypress’s Traveo™ microcontrollers (MCUs) and power management ICs (PMICs) to provide a best-in-class automotive front-lighting solution.

Cypress’s S6BL112A Automotive LED driver features an input voltage range of 4.5-42 V that encompasses extreme operating conditions such as cold-cranking—when the automobile engine starter draws an excessive amount of current due to starting the engine in cold temperatures—or load dump—a power surge that occurs when an automobile battery is disconnected while the alternator is supplying current during engine operation. The LED driver also facilitates the design of electrical system safeguards by including System Safety Functions such as under current detection, over current and voltage protection, as well as the ability to mask undesired LED OPEN diagnosis during cold cranking. Additionally, its synchronous operation eliminates unstable dimming that can occur when the input voltage is low. More information on Cypress’s automotive LED drivers is available at https://www.cypress.com/automotive-led.

“With the fast-growing usage of LED lighting systems in cars and other vehicles, automotive suppliers are seeking to minimize the component count and cost in these systems without compromising on reliability or performance,” said Kiyoe Nagaya, vice president of the Analog Business Unit at Cypress. “Cypress’s automotive LED drivers provide a compact, efficient headlight solution, supported by our complementary automotive MCUs and PMICs, with robust performance even in extreme temperatures or when faced with disruptive electrical noise.”

The S6BL112A is a one-channel 2A output Buck LED driver that supports both analog and PWM dimming functions, enabling precise brightness control. Its switching frequency can be set between 205 kHz and 2.1 MHz, with high output current accuracy of +/-2%. The device enables slew rate control without an external filter, limiting Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI) generation that can harm peripherals.

Product Availability
The new S6BL112A LED driver is currently sampling, with production expected in the fourth quarter of 2016. It is available in a 16-pin, thermally-enhanced TSSOP package.

Cypress Enables Leading-Edge Automotive Systems
Cypress works with the world’s top automotive companies to bring leading-edge automotive systems typical of luxury models to mainstream vehicles, including Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), 3-D graphics displays and full-featured touchscreens. The Cypress-Spansion merger created the industry’s No. 3 provider of memories and microcontrollers (MCUs) for the automotive market with a combined portfolio that includes the Traveo™ MCU family, power-management ICs (PMICs), PSoC^® programmable system-on-chip solutions, CapSense^® capacitive-sensing solutions, TrueTouch^® touchscreens, LED drivers, NOR flash, F-RAM™ and SRAM memories, and USB, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth^® connectivity solutions. The portfolio is backed by Cypress’s commitment to zero defects, world-class service and by our adherence to the most stringent industry standards, such as the ISO/TS 16949 quality management system, the Automotive Electronics Council (AEC) guidelines for ICs and the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP). Learn more atwww.cypress.com/automotive.

Follow Cypress Online

Read our Core & Code technical magazine and blog, join the Cypress Developer Community, follow us onTwitter,  Facebook and LinkedIn, and watch Cypress videos on our Video Library or YouTube.