A Scalable N-Color LED Driver Using Single Inductor Multiple Current Output Topology

Constant current sources are required to drive multiple color LED strings and the LED drivers that drive these LED lighting systems should provide multiple constant currents from a single dc source. In this paper, a single inductor multiple current output (SIMCO) converter that can provide N- independently controllable constant current outputs is reported. The average current in each color LED string is controlled independently by using hybrid average current mode control (HACMC). The HACMC combines the advantage of both average current mode control and charge control method. Traditional dimming approaches such as pulse width modulation and analog dimming can be incorporated in the proposed topology for color tunability and correlated color temperature control. The proposed approach uses a simple control logic, which is modular and can be scalable to N color LED lighting systems. The operation of the SIMCO converter with the HACMC is explained in detail. Simulation and experimental results with 48 V input and 12 W for N = 3 (RGB) color systems are presented.