LED backlighting for feature-rich consumer devices

ON Semiconductor has introduced the CAT3649, a six-channel Quad-Mode LED driver for use in smartphones and other consumer handheld applications, such as digital cameras and portable media players.

The Quad-Mode architecture, coupled with Content Adaptive Brightness Control (CABC), ensures efficient LED backlighting using only external capacitors.

According to the company, the combination of pulse width modulation (PWM) dimming, CABC and filtering capabilities make the CAT3649 unique within the industry.

With a total of four charge pump modes (1x, 1.33x, 1.5x and 2x), rather than the customary three it is differentiated from similar systems.

Inclusion of a 1.33x mode increases the driver's efficiency by up to 10 per cent compared to traditional charge-pump LED drivers using 1.5x operation, allowing the handheld products into which it is incorporated to extend their battery life.

The Quad-Mode fractional charge pump supports a wide range of input voltages, from 2.4 to 5.5V and the LED current can be adjusted by analogue dimming in 32 linear increments via the one-wire interface.

Further adjustment can be carried out through PWM dimming control, which is compatible with CABC for PWM signal frequencies from 100Hz to 200kHz.

The CAT3649 is offered in a compact 3 x 3mm, Pb-free TQFN-16 package.

Pricing for these devices is $0.49 (?0.31) per unit in 100,000 unit quantities.

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