Automotive-grade wireless charging solution

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 customisation 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 16th to 19th, 2019. In the future ROHM reportedly 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 the Qi certified receiver board (BD57015GWL-EVK-002) already on the market,.

Key features

Foreign object detection
Per the Qi standard, a foreign object detection function for detecting metallic objects is included to prevent deformation or damage from occurring due to excessive heat generation in the event a metallic object is placed between the transmitter and receiver. This time, however, designers were faced with the challenge of ensuring detection of the NFC antenna can damage the NFC card by the magnetic field. This was achieved by integrating an NFC communication function that enables detection of the NFC card even when inserted in a smartphone case or the like.

NFC enables seamless infotainment operation via device authentication
Previously, when connecting smartphones to infotainment systems it was necessary to perform manual pairing for each device. However, by combining Qi wireless charging with NFC communication ROHM made it possible to not only charge mobile devices such as smartphones but also perform Bluetooth or WiFi pairing at the same time through NFC authentication. To use, simply place a smartphone on the charging pad to automatically initiate screen sharing with the infotainment and navigation system.

Achieves system sharing via personal authentication using NFC
In the future, all vehicles are expected to utilise NFC protocol to connect smart devices with the onboard system to provide shared functionality that does not rely on traditional keys or dedicated cards.