Flexible Electronics News

STMicroelectronics Offers Miniature Wireless Battery-Charging Chipset for Smaller Wearables

Designed for ultra-compact sports wearables, wellness monitors, medical sensors, and remote controllers.

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By: DAVID SAVASTANO

Contributing Editor, Coatings World and Ink World

A miniaturized wireless battery-charging chipset from STMicroelectronics saves space, simplifies enclosure design and sealing, and accelerates time to market for ultra-compact sports wearables, wellness monitors, medical sensors and remote controllers.
 
The combination of ST’s STWBC-WA charging-transmitter controller and STWLC04 wireless battery-charger receiver enables power transfers up to 1W with smaller coils than any other chipsets in the market: just 11mm diameter coils on the receive side and 20mm for the transmitter allow tinier, slimmer form factors. Power-transfer capability can be increased to 3W by using larger coils and a full-bridge circuit on the transmitter side. Eliminating any need for a conventional charging connector simplifies enclosure design and eases sealing to prevent contamination by dirt or moisture.
 
The fully featured chipset supports wireless-charging for Li-ion or Li-polymer battery chemistries and includes safety mechanisms such as Foreign-Object Detection (FOD), active transmitter-presence detection, and receiver thermal protection. The receiver supports direct battery charging, which allows smaller circuit-board size.

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