New devices from Microchip provide unparalleled flexibility to fit customers’ designs
With the rise in in-vehicle infotainment systems, car manufacturers need to provide a reliable, intelligent connection between the car’s display and one or more smartphones or tablets. Microchip Technology Inc., the industry leader in supplying the integrated circuits (ICs) that enable these connections, provides unrivaled options with its five new USB 2.0 smart hub ICs. These devices, available in a variety of architectures, offer greatly increased flexibility to fit car manufacturers’ design needs and meet consumer demand for easy-to-use, intuitive systems.
The five new devices enable multiple architectures so manufacturers can implement their design of choice to easily interface with all major smartphone operating systems. These systems allow the graphical user interface of the phone or tablet to be displayed on the vehicle’s screen and enable integration with voice commands inside the car, all while simultaneously charging the mobile devices. They also enable driver assistance applications on mobile handsets to be integrated with an automobile’s infotainment system.
Microchip’s new smart hub ICs enable cascading of the hubs to the second- and third-row seats with simultaneous data and charging in all ports. For example, if there are dual USB ports, one port can connect the phone or tablet to the head unit, leaving the other port free to charge and upload/download data. With Microchip’s new USB4914, USB4916, USB4925, and USB4927 smart hub ICs, car makers can customize solutions to meet their design needs. As the car becomes more of an entertainment environment, manufacturers can create solutions that allow consumers, for example, to use one phone for navigation and another for music or video.
“Microchip is the leader in USB hub ICs for the automotive industry,” says Mitch Obolsky, vice president of Microchip’s USB and Networking Group. “Our long-term investment delivers patented technology that provides unique host/device bus configurations for handset connectivity into vehicles to allow better access to information and safer driver assistance and communication.”
Microchip’s new USB4715, USB4914, USB4916, USB4925 and USB4927 USB 2.0 smart hub ICs provide unique USB configurations including single- and dual-bus implementations for optimal connection to infotainment systems. All devices operate with standard USB drivers present in most automotive head units for faster development, system validation and field updates. Each device also contains an integrated 32-bit microcontroller for advanced bridging, audio application support and USB Power Delivery (USB PD).
A demonstration application board and evaluation board are available for each of the new USB 2.0 smart hub ICs. The demonstration application board emulates a system that a tier one supplier or Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) would use in their actual application. Microchip also provides a USB Power Delivery application showing charging for the USB PD 3.0 specification.
The USB4715, USB4914 and USB4925 are offered in a 48-pin QFN package. The USB4916 and USB4927 come in a 64-pin QFN package. Devices are available today in volume production in 10,000 unit quantities.
