Design and Development of GaN HEMT Based High Performance LED Driver for Automotive DRL Application

LED technology paved way to rapid advancements in the automotive lighting with increased demands for safety and luxury. This paper presents design and development of a LED driver for DRL application using a modified Buck-Boost converter with GaN HEMT switching at 500kHz. High performance is achieved by using the GaN based HEMTs as switching device, with the primary advantage of switching at higher frequency with low losses. The converter topology is analyzed for the Bright/Dim operation requirements of the DRL application. GaN LED driver with a power rating of 9W was developed. Measures were taken to meet the critical parasitic restraints of high frequency power switching. The high performance of the module is test evaluated and it is having higher power density compared to the presently available DRL drivers. The technology has evolved as import substitute in this area of application. The proto model is further encapsulated to be demonstrated in the rugged environment of the in-vehicle operations.