SUPERCAPS Lighten the Load in LED Flash Applications

Focus:

In cell-phone camera applications with LED flash bulbs, the combination of an LED flash controller IC and supercapacitor reduces demands on the battery, enabling use of a smaller battery and longer battery life. In a reference design presented here, the AAT1282 flash driver IC and a 0.55 F supercap deliver 1 A of drive current to two flash LEDs, which produce a flash that's brighter than a xenon strobe. Operation of the AAT1282 and design considerations are discussed. The article also provides a brief comparison of LED flash versus Xenon flash, a brief introduction to supercapacitors, and challenges (such as managing inrush current) that arise when using supercaps to power LED flash blulbs.

What you’ll learn:

• How to produce a compact power supply for LED flash bulbs used in cell-phone cameras
• How to reduce battery size and extend battery life in cell-phone camera applications

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Author & Publication:

Thomas Delurio, Senior Applications Manager • EDDIE LEE, Applications Manager Advanced Analogic Technologies, Inc., Power Electronics Technology, Jan 01 2009

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