USB smart hub ICs enable smartphone-connected automotive infotainment

Microchip has five new USB 2.0 smart hub ICs: The USB4xxx series devices provide unrivalled options for car manufacturers to provide a reliable, intelligent connection between the car’s display and one or more smartphones or tablets and meet consumer demand for easy-to-use, intuitive systems. The devices enable multiple architectures to enable manufacturers to implement their design of choice to easily interface with all major smartphone operating systems. These systems allow the graphical user interface of the phone or tablet to be displayed on the vehicle’s screen and enable integration with voice commands inside the car, all while simultaneously charging the mobile devices. They also enable driver assistance applications on mobile handsets to be integrated with a vehicle’s infotainment system. The company’s new smart hub ICs enable cascading of the hubs to the second and third-row seats with simultaneous data and charging in all ports. For example, if there are dual USB ports, one port can connect the phone or tablet to the head unit, leaving the other port free to charge and upload/download data. With their new USB4914, USB4916, USB4925, and USB4927 smart hub ICs, car manufacturers can customise solutions to meet their design needs. As the car becomes more of an entertainment environment, manufacturers can create solutions that allow consumers, for example, to use one phone for navigation and another for music or video. The company’s new ICs provide unique USB configurations including single and dual-bus implementations for optimal connection to infotainment systems. All devices operate with standard USB drivers present in most automotive head units for faster development, system validation and field updates. Each device also contains an integrated 32-bit microcontroller for advanced bridging, audio application support and USB PD.