Chip makers grab cloth wireless charging platform

Power Supply chip makers are competing for the wearable wireless charging market. Wireless charging is promising in the field of wearable devices, so chip vendors including Broadcom, IDT, Texas Instruments, and On Semiconductor are actively targeting wearable applications to launch wireless charging solutions and targeting peripherals. The power management platform development strategy has made corresponding changes.

Wearable devices are not designed to be placed horizontally on a charging base station due to their external design. Such inherent limitations make it necessary to perform magnetic induction (magnetic induction) technology that can only be recharged horizontally through the transmitter and receiver (Rx). Development bottlenecks, so wafer vendors must be actively looking for solutions.

AJ El Jallad, senior manager of strategy and business development in the wireless market department of ON Semiconductor, said that the company’s wearable device and wireless charging development strategy is based on the Rezence standard of the Wireless Power Consortium (A4WP) and will use Loosely Coupled technology. To standardize the charging specifications of wearable devices. ON Semiconductor will introduce a solution using this technology to meet the needs of consumer wearables and medical wearable devices.

On the other hand, Broadcom, who has been working on magnetic resonance technology, has different strategies. Chen Junjun, general manager of Broadcom Taiwan, revealed that wireless charging in the future is very likely to become the standard equipment for middle and high-end wearable devices. Therefore, the company has considered wireless charging as an important development project for wearable device product strategies in 2015.

Chen Junjun further pointed out that in the past year or so, Broadcom has launched a Bluetooth integrated magnetic resonance wireless charging platform, but in response to current market conditions and needs - that is, the market is still filled with a large number of Qi magnetic induction wireless charging points, The ecological environment is still relatively complete with respect to the A4WP; therefore, the company is actively promoting the availability of dual-mode wireless charging receiver solutions.

In fact, Broadcom has unveiled a multi-mode wireless charging power management unit (PMU) capable of receiving 7.5 watts (W) in June 2014. The solution is achieved through a built-in frequency detection mechanism. Module identification function. In the future, Broadcom is expected to expand its multi-mode wireless charging product platform so that the receiving end of the wearable device can identify the transmitting end of magnetic induction and magnetic resonance and provide corresponding feedback.

In the field of magnetic induction wireless charging technology, the major supporting wafer vendors such as IDT, Texas Instruments, etc., have also launched corresponding solutions for wearable devices. For example, in mid-2014, Texas Instruments launched the Qi-compliant 2.5-watt receiver, the bq51003, for small portable and wearable applications, measuring 1.9mm (mm) x 3.0mm, and can be used exclusively with the company. The single-cell lithium-ion battery charger modules designed by the wearable device are matched with each other; IDT, in the second half of 2014, released the P9026 with a receiving power of only 2 watts and a footprint of 2.21 millimeters by 3.41 millimeters. This product also complies with Qi. standard.

In addition to actively expanding the wireless charging product line, El Jallad believes that to expand the ecosystem of wearable device power design, it must rely on ultra-low power power management, very small packaging technology and strength. Taking Texas Instruments as an example, the company's battery charger module, which is paired with a wearable device's wireless charging receiver, uses a highly integrated 9-bump MicroSiP packaging technology to integrate switching regulators, inductors, and input-output capacitors. Can realize ultra-micro package size of only 6.7 square millimeters.

According to ElJallad, in order to achieve this goal, ON Semiconductor has introduced a semi-custom system-in-package (SiP) solution, the Struix, for use in blood glucose monitors and heart rate monitors for the rapidly evolving product development needs of the portable medical market. And various electrocardiogram analyzers and other mobile medical electronic devices; and the company's next-step development strategy for power management products will be toward the Mini-PMIC, hoping to combine the power and battery management product lineup. With IP and other simple logic and memory blocks, designers can provide a complete wearable power management platform that can be launched in less than 4 months