ROHM provides automotive-grade wireless charging solution with NFC communication

ROHM has recently announced the development of an automotive wireless charging solution with integrated NFC communication. This solution combines ROHM’s automotive-grade (AEC-Q100 qualified) wireless power transmission control IC (BD57121MUF-M) with STMicroelectronics’ NFC Reader IC (ST25R3914) and 8-bit microcontroller (STM8A series). In addition to being compliant to WPC’s Qi standard supporting EPP (Extend Power Profile) that enables the charger to supply up to 15W of power, the multi-coil design enables a wide charging area that provides some spatial freedom in vehicle applications (2.7x greater charging range vs single coil configurations). This means that consumers do not need to worry much about exactly aligning their smartphones to the provided charging area in order to be able to charge wirelessly.

Wireless charging technology, commonly used in portable devices such as smartphones to improve the safety and resistance to water and dust of connectors, is seeing increased adoption in infrastructure applications including vehicles, hotels, airports, cafes, and similar public locations. At present, Qi, the most popular standard, has already been adopted by the European Automotive Standards Group (CE4A) as the charging standard in vehicles, and by 2025 it is predicted that most cars will be equipped with Qi-based wireless chargers.

Meanwhile, NFC communication provides user authentication to allow Bluetooth/WiFi communication with infotainment system, lock/unlock the doors, and allow engine start. NFC also enables vehicle setting customization for multiple drivers such as seat and mirror positioning, infotainment pre-sets, and navigation destination pre-sets.

A reference board integrating this solution will be exhibited at the 11th International Car Electronics Technology Show at Tokyo Big Sight from January 16-19, 2019. In the future ROHM plans on releasing a sample reference board that will allow users to easily configure a wireless charger for automotive use compatible with the latest Qi standard (EPP), when combined with our Qi certified receiver board (BD57015GWL-EVK-002) already on the market,.

ROHM is committed to develop solutions that will enable greater convenience and performance for the rapidly expanding wireless charging market.

Availability: February (The reference board), April (BD57121MUF-M)