Because the engine directly measures the junction temperature of the diode, it achieves accuracies up to +/- 1C, which roughly doubles the accuracy obtainable with incumbent indirect solutions that measure the junction temperature of the silicon in the IC and then extrapolate the temperature at the LED. Alternatively, for solutions that rely on an external temperature sensor, the LED-Sense™ reduces system cost and complexity.
In today's power-hungry environment, LEDs are growing as a green, higher-efficiency alternative used to light our world. Regardless of the application, a critical factor to the adoption of LEDs is its reliability, which degrades with self-heating. Preventing excessive heating on the device is one of the most significant challenges system designers face today. This is especially the case for High Brightness LEDs in automotive and general illumination. The first step in preventing excessive self-heating of LEDs is to accurately and continuously monitor their junction temperature and quickly react to changes. In this context, Leadis' LED-Sense™ Temperature Sensing and Compensation Engine is a unique tool that can be added to every system designer's tool box.
"We are pleased to bring to the market our patent pending LED-Sense™ Temperature Sensing and Compensation Engine IP," said Donato Montanari, Vice President at Leadis Technology. "The modular structure of this IP engine and its small gate count of approximately twenty thousand gates make it economical and flexible for system designers to adopt. Our IP can be used in systems where the LEDs are connected in either series or parallel."
About the LED-Sense™ Temperature Sensing and Compensation Engine IP
The LED-Sense™ Temperature Sensing and Compensation Engine is comprised of three independent IP blocks. The Sensing and Acquisition block is a mixed-signal block that outputs 10-bit codes representing sequential readings of the Threshold Voltage of the different LEDs. The Digital Temperature Processing block is a hardwired digital signal processor that transforms the 10-bit voltage codes into 5-bit Temperature codes. The Temperature Compensation block is the last block of the pipe and consists of a Look-Up Table that takes the Temperature codes as address and produces an adjustment value that is summed to the PWM signal controlling the current of the LED.
Leadis' LED-Sense™ Temperature Sensing and Compensation Engine has been proven on the LDS8160, a backlight driver for portable applications, and is now being made available as a stand-alone IP for embedded use. Both the LDS8160 and its evaluation board are available for sampling.
About Leadis Technology, Inc.
Leadis Technology, Inc., headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, designs, develops and markets analog and mixed-signal semiconductors that enable and enhance the features and capabilities of portable and consumer electronics devices. Leadis' product offerings include color display drivers, which are critical components of displays used in mobile consumer electronic devices; LED drivers, which provide controlled levels of current required to drive light emitting diodes in diverse applications including mobile backlight units; and touch controller ICs, which enable highly reliable touch-based input controls and attractive industrial design options for both mobile and non-mobile applications.
Cautionary Statement
Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, the features and benefits of Leadis' LED-Sense™ Temperature Sensing and Compensation Engine and LDS8160 LED driver, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the lack of market adoption of the LED-Sense™ Temperature Compensation engine technology, that pending patent applications will not result in issued patents or that any issued patents may not be sufficiently broad to protect our proprietary technologies, that competing technologies will evolve rapidly, that customer specifications will change, general mobile handset and semiconductor industry trends, and other risks detailed from time to time in Leadis' reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2008. Leadis disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
For more information, visit www.leadis.com. Contact Information: Julie Pestka Schardt 408-331-8603
