100Wwireless power receiver delivers fastest Qi-compliant charging, says ST
Claimed to be the industry’s highest available power rating, the STWLC99 can recharge high end smartphone with the largest battery capacity in less than 30 minutes, said STMicroelectronics.
The battery charging power reaches up to 100W when combined with ST’s STWBC2-HP transmitter, enabling it to be used for medical devices and smart industrial technology as well as smartphones.
The energy-efficient architecture comprises a synchronous rectifier with MOSFETs of low RDS(on) and a low dropout regulator. The result is that the STWLC99 directs the received energy to the charging battery with minimal loss and low thermal dissipation, said ST.
The receiver is compliant with Qi 1.2.4 and 1.3 and supports the Qi Extended Power Profile (EPP). It uses ST’s optimised STSuperCharge (STSC) protocol for fast charging.
The STWLC99 contains non-volatile memory for storing configuration parameters and provides an I2C interface for exchanging configuration data and charging control. Safety features include foreign object detection with accurate current sensing, Q-factor detection in transmit mode as well as over-current, over-voltage and thermal protection.
Significantly faster charging increases availability of devices and equipment, commented Francesco Italia, general manager, analogue custom products division, at STMicroelectronics. The “unprecedented power also changes the outlook for equipment such as battery-powered industrial tools, medical monitors, medicine pumps, mobile robots and drones, enabling long runtimes with faster turnaround,” he added.
In addition to enhancing user convenience, high-power wireless charging lets designers create industrial products that are free of power sockets and cords. This can not only save but and allow devices and equipment to be sealed against water or dust ingress in challenging environments. Wireless charging also alleviates the complications of twisting or tangling the cord for access and mobility. By the same token, removing wires for charging means independently mobile devices such as robots and drones can recharge easily without a mechanism or human intervention to connect the cable.
STWLC99 is also capable of operating as a power transmitter up to 25W for charging other devices.
The STWLC99 is housed in a 4.859 x 4.859mm wafer-level chip-scale package (WLCSP) and is in production now.
