NCL31000 and NCL31001 LED Driver Solutions for Implementing Visible Light Communication (VLC) and Indoor Positioning Systems

24 June 2021 - 0 Comments

For supporting the development of smart LED luminaires with visible light communication (VLC) and indoor positioning systems, On Semiconductors has introduced two new LED drivers, namely NCL31000 and NCL31001. The drivers come with data intelligence and accurate positioning for improvising the lighting system in supermarkets, warehouses, hospitals, and airports.

The NCL31000’s core includes a high energy efficient buck LED driver that supports both high-bandwidth analog dimming and PWM dimming down to zero current. The integrated 3V3 fixed DC-DC converter and the adjustable DC-DC (2.5 - 24V) of the device can be used to power system components, such as sensing devices and microcontrollers.

Visible light communication(VLC) is achieved through accurate linear dimming. This enables the development of indoor light-based positioning systems. The ability to dim to true dark with an accuracy of 0.1% ensures that there is no ghost light at the lowest dim settings. Highly accurate diagnostics further reduce system complexity by integrating a 10-bit analog to a digital converter (ADC).

The system voltage, current, and temperature are being regularly measured for monitoring LED and overall system efficiency and detect anomalies. All the diagnostic data can be transferred to an external MCU that can monitor and control the intelligent lighting system through a serial(I2C/SPI) interface.

Features of NCL31000 and NCL31001 LED Drivers

High-efficiency buck LED driver
Integrated 3.3V buck converter
Adjustable 2.5 to 24V buck converter
High modulation bandwidth (~50kHz); VLC capable
I2C or SPI serial interface
Deep dimming to zero with 0.1% accuracy
Low EMI design
Protection against LED shorts and opens
IC and LED over-temperature protection
Diagnostic functions to measure voltages and currents

Note: More technical information can be found in the NCL31000 Datasheet linked at the bottom of this page and in the NCL31000 LED Drivers and NCL31001 LED Drivers product page.