12-switch LED matrix manager targets automotive lighting

By Alex Pluemer, contributing writer

Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. has developed a 12-switch matrix manager that offers automotive designers greater flexibility and smaller solution sizes while boasting the lowest internal switch resistance on the market, according to the company. The MAX20092 is optimized for high-performance automotive lighting and adaptive driving beam LED applications.

The MAX20092 can drive LED currents of up to 1.5 A and features 12 integrated switches that can manage LEDs in string voltages up to 56 V while offering an integrated MOSFET on resistance (R_{DS_ON} ) of 70 mΩ, a figure that Maxim claims is 65% lower than its nearest competitors can provide.

In conjunction with the release of the MAX20092, Maxim also announced the availability of two dual-channel, synchronous buck high-brightness LED controllers (the MAX20096 and MAX20097) that work with the MAX20092. These controllers help mitigate electromagnetic interference and deliver ultra-fast transient response with near-fixed frequency thanks to Maxim’s proprietary average current mode control scheme.

Key features of the MAX20092 include:

• Flexibility: As many as 27 MAX20092 devices can be used in parallel without the need to daisy-chain them together, allowing designers to manage up to 324 separate LEDs in a variety of configurations.
• Safety: Advanced fault protection and management features allow for open, short, and open-trace LED detection.
• Integration: By combining features that typically require several components to adequately replicate, the MAX20092 reduces the amount of physical space used in a design while also reducing cost.

The MAX20092 (5 × 5-mm TQFN package) is priced at $2.93 each (in quantities of 1,000+, FOB USA). An evaluation kit is available and includes an LED adapter board, matrix manager board, and graphical user interface. The adapter board features Osram Opto Semiconductors’ Oslon Compact PL, KW CELNM1.TG, LED components, which are suitable for adaptive matrix-style headlights, said Maxim.