ST announces robust and reliable USB Type-C controllers

     STMicroelectronics introduces two new USB Type-C™ standard certified port controller chips. The new product has built-in protection circuits that help designers achieve cost-effective interfaces and support USB functional integration needs. These include Power Negotiation(charge handshake negotiation), Managed Active Cables(active cable management), and Guest Protocols(external device protocol support).

     The USB Type-C standard stipulates that cables can be plugged in and out, making the interconnection of various devices easier. The Type-C interface also supports all the functions of USB, including 480Mbps USB 2.0 and 10Gbps USB 3.1 data transfer; 5V/0.5A, up to 20V/5.0A power supply; Managed Active Cables to extend the connection distance; Alternate mode of transmitting other protocol signals such as HDMI or DisplayPort using the same cable. Making user connections easier and ensuring that each line is connected correctly requires the use of more complex interface components. In addition, the 20V maximum bus voltage (VBUS) of the power supply function requires an increase in the amount of the external circuit to protect the low-voltage circuit.

     St's new control chips simplify the designer's choice of products, including a downlink (DFP) dedicated control chip and a dual role port (DRP) controller that can be used to control both the downlink (DFP) and uplink (UFP) ports. Both new products support Type-C cable connection and interface orientation detection, and operate in a voltage range of 3V to 22V without the need for an external regulator, which reduces the number of components and saves board space.

     Using ST's high-performance analog CMOS process, the new USB Type-C controller combines the benefits of low power consumption with robustness and high voltage. CC line overvoltage protection up to 22V, high voltage pin up to 28V, if an accidental short circuit to the VBUS, overvoltage protection mechanism to prevent circuit burn. The VBUS and VCONN power cables also have single-chip discharge circuits that allow users to safely unplug cables.

     The STUSB4710 DFP controller is mainly used in power supply end, such as AC power adapter, power supply, USB HUB splitter, charging dock, smart plug and display. The chip integrates all the circuitry needed to charge and shake hands with connected devices and supports up to five Power Delivery Profiles. Through the internal non-volatile memory, all parameters can be customized, can handle the entire connection process, no external CPU intervention, so can be used directly, no additional hardware and software. If it is a multi-port application (for example, a towed quarter), multiple STUSB4710 chips can be connected to a microcontroller (MCU) through an I²C interface to implement the power allocation algorithm.

     The STUSB1602 manages USB Type-C ports in power supplies or devices. The on-chip Configuration Channel (CC) control logic manages the entire connection setup process, including the selection of VBUS default, medium current, or high current modes. In addition, the chip integrates a protected programmable 600mA VCONN power switch to support accessories and active cables. The STUSB1602 also implements a USB PD physical layer (including biphase markup coded IP) that supports an external microcontroller implementation of the power transmission software stack. Both the hardware and software are certified by the USB PD 2.0 power receiving and power supply terminals. In addition, the product is compatible with USB PD 3.0 core features and most options. The STUSB1602 supports accessory mode and battery dead mode.