Rohm has launched a new product capable of controlling backlights of up to 192 zones with a single IC, contributing to higher precision and lower power consumption in vehicle displays.

Rohm (ROHM) Co., Ltd. announced on the 8th that it has developed the automotive LCD backlight LED driver IC 'BD94130xxx-M' (BD94130MUF-ME2, BD94130EFV-ME2) suitable for large displays that are increasingly being adopted in next-generation car infotainment systems and automotive meter clusters.

The 'BD94130xxx-M' is a matrix-type LED driver that combines 8 switch controllers and 24-channel current drivers.

Backlights composed of Mini LEDs can be independently controlled (dimmed) up to 192 zones with a single IC. Additionally, Mini LEDs in each zone can be independently controlled with local dimming functionality, contributing to higher display precision and lower power consumption.

Currently, automotive displays show a market trend of increasing zone numbers as screen sizes increase.

The new product allows control of more zones with a single IC compared to standard direct-type products, enabling significant reduction in mounting area and quantity of LED drivers.

For example, in the case of car infotainment systems equipped with currently mainstream 10-inch class automotive displays, independent control of approximately 600 zones is required.

When using the new product in such cases, control is possible with 1/4 of the LED driver quantity compared to standard direct-type products (supporting 48 zones), and the mounting area occupied by LED drivers can be reduced by up to approximately 84%.

Additionally, as screen size increases in next-generation cockpits and the number of zones increases, the merit of adopting this new product will become even greater.

The 'BD94130xxx-M' began mass production with a production capacity of 100,000 units per month starting April 2023 (sample price 2,000 yen/unit, excluding taxes).

Production sites are Rohm Hamamatsu Co., Ltd. (Hamamatsu) for all processes, ROHM Electronics Philippines, Inc. (Philippines) for post-processes (BD94130MUF-M), and ROHM Integrated Systems (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (Thailand) for post-processes (BD94130EFV-M).