Automotive display PMIC shrinks solution size by up to 50%

By Gina Roos, editor-in-chief

The MAX16923 four-output display power IC with watchdog timer from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. enables automotive designers to increase the number of displays from two to five per vehicle. It also reduces design complexity and shrinks solution size by 50% by replacing four or five discrete ICs with a single power management solution.

The number of automotive displays per vehicle continues to grow as more features are added, including advanced instrument clusters, infotainment, heads-up displays, center displays, rear-seat entertainment, and smart mirror applications. “Designers struggle with the complexity of adding these screens because the required power supply circuitry competes for space with a myriad of other electronic systems inside the car,” said Maxim.

The MAX16923 offers high integration with four power rails, featuring both a high-voltage and low-voltage buck converter, a high-voltage and low-voltage low-dropout (LDO) regulator, electromagnetic interference (EMI) mitigation, and a watchdog timer in a single IC. Maxim claims that the MAX16923 is the industry’s first automotive power management IC to integrate five functions (HV buck converter and LDO, LV buck converter and LDO, and watchdog timer) into a single IC.

This integration reduces the automotive power solution from four or five ICs to one chip while reducing power solution size, easing design complexity, and increasing reliability thanks to the integrated EMI mitigation and watchdog timer.

The MAX16923 can be combined with the MAX20069 TFT bias and LED driver to cover the power requirements needed for 12.3-inch and smaller displays, according to Maxim.

The MAX16923 is available at Maxim’s website (pricing on request), and the MAX16923EVKIT# evaluation kit is available for $50.