The ML7661 (transmitter) and ML7660 (receiver) eliminate the need for an external MCU by incorporating a control circuit required for transmission/reception, resulting in one of the smallest system sizes in the 1W class making it suitable for wearables with a large battery capacity designed to be worn for long time frames.
Typical products are wristband blood pressure monitors, fitness trackers, smart watches, and hearing aids, for example. Moreover, the adoption of the high 13.56MHz frequency band enables the support for Near Field Communication (NFC).
Providing wireless power and communication in a single chipset contributes to improved design flexibility in devices with rotating mechanisms that would normally be restricted by wired designs – such as industrial equipment, PC cooling fans, and e-bike torque sensors.
There has been a growing need to improve the safety of compact electronics (especially small medical devices) against electric shock and wireless power supply eliminates the need for a power cord, significantly improving safety during charging or sweating by increasing the waterproof, dustproof, and (electric) shockproof performance of sealed housings.
However, although the Qi standard is widely used and can supply up to 15W, the system size which includes the chipset and antenna is also typically large, making it difficult to incorporate into wearable devices.
In response, LAPIS Technology previously developed the ML763x chipset that utilizes the 13.56MHz frequency band to deliver 200mW of power and enable communication wirelessly. However, there were calls for increased power to support wearables with large battery capacities such as wristband blood pressure monitors, smart watches, and hearing aids.
ROHM’s latest chipset meets this need by providing a power capacity up to 1W in a compact form factor, expanding the application range.
An evaluation kit is available that makes it easy to evaluate this new 13.56MHz wireless power supply chipset.
