GaN-Based Three-Level Flying Capacitor Buck-Boost Converter for Automotive LED Headlamp

초록

LEDs are widely adopted in automotive lighting due to their long lifespan, energy efficiency, and fast response. Accordingly, the development of LED drivers has gained significant attention. Automotive LED drivers must quickly regulate output voltage to accommodate wide battery voltage variations (7-60V) and the requirements of LED arrays. Although buck-boost converters are commonly used, conventional designs with output capacitors risk LED damage from voltage fluctuations and switching. To overcome this, we propose a buck-boost converter, using a flying capacitor structure to ensure the inductor continuously supplies current to the LEDs. By employing LED current-based feedback, separate current and reference voltage controllers are unnecessary. The designed converter maintains stable output voltage and LED current across the 7-60V input range and was fabricated using TSMC's 180nm BCD process.

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