Freescale Semiconductor officially introduced a range of fully programmable wireless charging ICs and reference designs targeting automotive and consumer applications. The new Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) Qi-certified transmit controller ICs and reference designs are fully qualified and available now.
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As feature-rich, power-hungry mobile devices rapidly proliferate, the need to charge anywhere grows imperative. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the average American’s daily work commute time to be about 50 minutes, and more consumers are bringing their mobile lives into the car expecting the same options as the home for charging and connectivity - thereby fueling demand for in-vehicle wireless charging. Meanwhile, new wireless charging system deployments in offices, hotels, airports and other public spaces are driving demand for highly flexible solutions that allow for innovative, highly customizable implementations. Freescale is addressing these needs by providing differentiated wireless charging solutions to meet the needs of both automotive and consumer applications.
Freescale’s new offerings enable the rapid development of differentiated wireless charging systems. Flexibility is provided through a programming interface that places maximum control of the end-solution in the product developer’s hands.
“Freescale’s programmable wireless charging solutions offer groundbreaking design flexibility, combining silicon and software to give systems designers advanced technology to help redefine mobility,” said Denis Cabrol, director of global marketing and business development for Freescale’s MCU group.
Freescale’s customizable automotive solution consists of a Qi-certified transmit controller IC and accompanying reference design. The programming interface allows systems designers to address critical, auto-specific issues such as avoiding key fob and car radio interference. The entry-level device, MWCT1001A, provides a multi-coil wireless charging transmit solution, while MWCT1003A is the premium option providing more feature-rich capabilities. Integrating technologies such as Near Field Communication (NFC), multi-standard support, or CAN technology is easy using MWCT1003A, and is showcased on the reference design - WCT-5WTXAUTO. The auto-focused ICs meet AEC-Q100 requirements and support any 5W coil topology.
For consumer applications, Freescale offers the MWCT1000 Qi-certified transmit controller IC and the associated WCT-5W1COILTX reference design, addressing 5W single-coil applications. This solution dramatically reduces time-to-market, provides exceptional performance and low bill-of-materials cost, while maintaining the principle of design flexibility