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Eekol 2008dec12 Opt Pow NT 88
Eekol 2008dec12 Opt Pow NT 88
VO
LED1
VIN
VIN NGATE
LED1
LEDn
LEDn
VO = n x VF VO = n x VF VO < VIN VO > VIN Figure 1: Buck and Boost LED Drivers with VO Calculation
voltage of the AC-DC power supply that forms the input of the boost LED driver. Common rails are 12V and 24V, and in some cases 48V. Rarely are these intermediate bus rails higher than 60V, which is the cutoff for DC voltages under UL Class 2.
but the system can operate without suffering damage. In general, the buck regulator makes the best LED driver, followed by the boost, but neither is appropriate for this case. If a buck-boost regulator must be used, the most difficult decision to make is often which topology to use. One fundamental difference between buck-boost regulators of any topology and the buck regulator or the boost regulator is that the buck-boosts never connect the input power supply directly to the output. Both the buck and the boost regulator connect VIN to VO (across the inductor and switch/diode) during a portion of their switching cycles, and this direct connection gives them better efficiency. All buck-boost regulators store the entire energy delivered to the load in either a magnetic field (inductor or transformer) or in an electric field (in a capacitor) which results in higher peak currents or higher voltage in the power switches. In particular, evaluation of the converter at the corners of both input voltage and output voltage is necessary because peak switch current occurs at VIN-MIN and VO-MAX, but peak switch voltage occurs at VIN-MAX and VO-MAX. In general this means that a buck-boost regulator of a certain output power will be larger and less efficient than a buck or boost regulator of equal output power. The single inductor buck-boost can be built with the same parts count as a buck regulator or boost regulator, making it attractive from a system cost standpoint. One disadvantage of this topology is that the polarity of VO is inverted (Figure 2a) or regulated with respect to VIN (Figure 2b). Level-shifting or polarity inverting circuitry must be employed in these converters. Like the boost converter, they have a discontinuous output current, and require an output capacitor to maintain a continuous LED current. The power MOSFET suffers a peak current of IIN plus IF and a peak voltage of VIN plus VO.
VIN
VIN SW
VO
LED1 -VO LEDn
VIN
VIN SW
LED1
LEDn
Differential Current Sense/Level Shift
-VO
VIN
The SEPIC converter has the advantages of a continuous input current due to the input inductor and positive output voltage. Like the boost and single inductor buck-boost it requires an output capacitor to maintain a smooth LED current. A further advantage of SEPIC converters is that almost any low-side regulator or controller can be configured as a SEPIC without the need of polarity inversion or level shift circuitry.
VO VIN
VIN SW
LED1
LM3410 as SEPIC
GND FB
LEDn
Figure 3: SEPIC LED Driver Rarely used in voltage regulation, the Cuk converter has emerged as an LED driver thanks to a continuous input and continuous output current resulting from input and output inductors. The output voltage polarity is reversed, as with the high-side buck-boost, but the output capacitor can be eliminated like the buck converter. The Cuk is the only other practical non-isolated regulator with this ability.
-VO VIN
VIN SW
LED1
LM3410 as Cuk
GND FB Negative Feedback
LEDn
Conclusion
Neither the boost nor the buck-boost regulator are preferred topologies for switching LED drivers, owing to their higher complexity and parts count, lower efficiency (especially for the buck-boosts) and scant choice of control topologies. However, both are necessary evils as LEDs push into more and more lighting applications. In some cases the system architecture can be altered to allow buck or even linear regulator-based LED drivers. Examples include very large light sources, such as street lights, where a hundred or more 1W+ LEDs are required. In general, LEDs for general illumination are working their way from lower to higher power, and in the intermediate arena, such as automotive headlights and small lighting fixtures, boost and buck-boost regulators do represent the best choice for constant current driving.