Melexis drives industry transformation: achieving ultra miniaturization of automotive lighting LED driver chips
2024-06-17
Melexis, a global microelectronics engineering company, recently announced that as a leader in the field of automotive dynamic lighting LED driver chips, it has officially launched its new product MLX81123, further expanding its LIN RGB series product line. This chip is deeply optimized based on the previous generation products, with a more compact packaging design and significantly improved cost-effectiveness, while maintaining stable and reliable excellent performance. In addition, by laying out new supply chains, Mailaixin not only significantly enhances industry competitiveness, but also ensures customer business continuity.

As an upgrade to the popular MLX81113, the all-new third-generation MLX81123 adopts SOIC 8 and a small DFN 8 3mm x 3mm packaging design. This miniaturization packaging innovation allows for flexible lighting arrangement in any position inside the car without space constraints. The MLX81123 is manufactured using cutting-edge silicon on insulator (SOI) technology, which not only makes the packaging smaller, but also significantly increases the number of chips produced per wafer. This breakthrough technology has brought the market the introduction of the smallest RGB LIN IC controller, and the production has significantly increased, which can meet the growing demand of the automotive dynamic lighting market.
The MLX81123 can be easily integrated into existing design architectures with its universal software design and pin compatibility with its predecessor products (SOIC 8 packaging). Customers can directly replace the current MLX81113 chip with the brand new MLX81123 for rapid iterative updates without the need to overturn the previous design.
MLX81123 efficiently supports RGB output that complies with LIN 2. x and SAE J2602 standards. In terms of security applications, this device has been certified according to the ISO 26262 standard and supports ASIL B-level system integration.
This advanced 16 bit microcontroller unit (MCU) not only integrates 2KB of RAM and 32KB of available flash memory for applications, but also comes with a system ROM that includes bootloader and LIN driver. In addition, the built-in 512B EEPROM can achieve efficient configuration, such as fine adjustment of LED calibration coefficients, ensuring even brightness and color inside the cabin.

The LIN system of MLX81123 integrates a transceiver and protocol processor, which helps to achieve seamless connection between the RGB environment module and the existing LIN network of the vehicle. This chip has four high-voltage I/Os and a flexibly configurable current source of up to 60mA, supporting RGB and white LEDs from multiple suppliers, greatly improving product adaptability and procurement flexibility. In addition, its independent 16 bit PWM output function can provide precise color and brightness control for connected LEDs, meeting various vehicle environmental application requirements such as door trims, bright lights, and interior lights.

In sleep mode, the typical standby current consumption of MLX81123 is as low as 25 µ A. It has a 28V assisted starting capability and integrates battery overvoltage and undervoltage detection functions. The operating temperature range is -40 ℃ to+125 ℃, and the built-in temperature sensor chip can be used for real-time heat monitoring, making it an ideal choice in harsh automotive environments.

"Dynamic lighting has evolved from a decorative element in high-end vehicles to a fundamental function in the automotive industry. It not only sets a new benchmark for car customization and visual differentiation, but also drives the continuous growth of demand for automotive LED controllers." Michael Bender, Manager of the Embedded Lighting Product Line at Mailaixin, said, "Our second-generation LIN RGB chip controllers have achieved significant success in the market. Now, the third-generation MLX81123 inherits these advantages while further achieving compact design solutions and increasing production capacity. We offer a range of excellent features at highly competitive prices, making it easy to meet demand for both luxury and entry-level models."