Renesas Electronics announces USB 2.0 hub controller chip with battery charging function

JAPAN: Renesas Electronics Corp. announced the development of the μPD720115 USB 2.0 hub controller chip, which supports simultaneous USB communication and charging of portable devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs via a single USB connector.

The most important feature of the μPD720115 is its implementation of USB ports with battery charging functionality which supports the USB Battery Charging Specification, Revision 1.2 (USB BC 1.2). The μPD720115 will make it easier to develop products that support simultaneous data communication complying with the USB 2.0 standard and charging portable devices via a single USB connector, such as PCs, digital TVs, and charging adapters. It can help shorten system architecture development cycles and reduce development costs.

In recent years, the USB communication market has become divided into two segments as a result of faster data transfer speeds. The first segment centers around storage devices, such as hard disk drives, which require high-speed data transfer. It utilizes the USB 3.0 standard, which supports data transfer speeds up to 5 gigabits per second (5 Gbps). The second segment includes applications such as digital TVs, printers, audio components, and industrial equipment.

This segment employs the earlier USB 2.0 standard, which supports data transfer speeds up to 480 megabits per second (480 Mbps). USB 2.0 remains a widely used interface for connecting devices of all sorts.

The European Commission (the executive of the EU) has adopted Micro USB as the standard charger interface for mobile phones, smartphones and tablet PCs sold in Europe. As a result, applications in which the communication USB ports of PCs and docking stations are used for charging such portable devices are increasing. The market for products complying with the USB 2.0 standard in these application fields is growing rapidly, and it is expected to continue to expand moving forward.

In response to this demand, Renesas decided to develop and introduce to the market the μPD720115, utilizing technology accumulated over many years of developing products with USB support. Renesas has long devoted considerable attention to the USB interface, offering a broad lineup of microcontroller (MCU) products equipped with USB functions. The μPD720115 is a USB hub controller suitable for a wide variety of systems requiring USB functionality, and is also ideal for extending the number of ports of a USB MCU.