Panthronics AG has released the industry's first integrated, single-chip solution for the listener circuit in NFC wireless charging systems. The PTX30W is an integrated solution that is easier to implement than a circuit made of multiple discrete components. The fully autonomous chipset runs an NFC Forum-derived wireless charging protocol that supports power negotiation. This means that the PTX30W can operate in stand-alone mode with no need for an external microcontroller to run NFC wireless charging operations.
The PTX30W is supplied in a compact 3.2mm2 WL-CSP package, that enables manufacturers of small battery-powered products to implement NFC wireless charging with a board that is around four times smaller than existing designs based on multiple discrete components.
Paired with an NFC poller such as the Panthronics PTX130W in the charging cradle, the PTX30W can supply as much as 1W to charge the Li-ion battery in products such as fitness trackers, smart watches, earbuds, hearing aids, smart glasses, smart rings, styluses and medical sensors. Both the PTX30W and PTX130W are supported by a software development kit (SDK) to accelerate integration into end-product designs.
Optimized power performance
The PTX30W combines an efficient rectifier, NFC tag, battery charger and power management as well as protocol handling. The NFC tag supports bidirectional data communication in NFC Type A mode. This enables the transfer of data between the charging cradle and the charged device, such as the battery's state of charge or fault indicators, as well as enabling firmware upgrades of both devices.
The device's power management unit supplies the chip from RF power when available, or from the battery when not. A sophisticated battery charger circuit in the PTX30W regulates the input voltage from the antenna to match the voltage profile of the constant current/constant voltage charge supplied to the li-ion battery. This minimizes power losses in the charger, easing thermal management in sealed, space-constrained enclosures.
Mark Dickson, Chief Marketing Officer of Panthronics, said: "The introduction of the ultra-compact PTX30W opens up new opportunities for consumer device manufacturers to replace wired charger connections with a tiny NFC wireless charging circuit, even in devices as small as earbuds and smart rings. And by using the PTX30W, OEMs also benefit from NFC communication alongside charging capability, to enable battery status reporting and firmware upgrades."
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