According to the current EU regulations, all smartphones, tablets and cameras sold in the EU must be equipped with a USB Type-C charging port by the end of 2024. And from the spring of 2026, it will also apply to laptops. Therefore, the USB Type-C interface will become the most concerned technical standard among all USB transmission technologies.
In addition, as India intends to join the EU, it has also begun to enforce the use of USB Type-C as a unified charging port for all smartphones, tablets and laptops on the market. These changes may take effect as early as 2024. The main reason for India to do this, in addition to complying with EU regulations, is to reduce the electronic waste generated by the use of different charging ports (in this context, the main influencer is Apple). At the end of 2022, the Indian Central Inter-Ministerial Working Group has reached a consensus on the standardization of USB Type-C charging ports on all electronic devices.
USB Type-C technology has expanded to embedded and industrial fields
Unlike USB-Type A and USB-Type B, the shape of the USB-Type C terminal is symmetrical, so there is no need to worry about the direction of the front and back. Because of this interface design, data can be transmitted more conveniently. In addition, the power supply also has a better fast charging capability than the traditional USB-Type A and USB-Type B.
In addition to information products, the current technical applications of USB Type-C have gradually expanded to include: industrial automation, medical imaging, self-driving cars and ADAS, security and monitoring, smart retail, construction, manufacturing and agriculture. This is because USB Type-C provides enhanced features that are superior to USB-Type A and previous generations of USB-Type B. It can provide high-speed data transmission and power supply capabilities through a single USB cable, while also providing more connection interfaces for system integrators and OEM designers.
Although USB Type-C is not a new technology on the consumer side, it has gradually been integrated into the embedded industry today. The functions provided by USB Type-C are slowly eliminating the speed and connectivity requirements of Type A and Type B. Currently, different industrial computing solutions offer USB Type-C with USB 3.2 Gen 2.
As technology advances exponentially, there will be more data to process. In embedded applications, such as machine vision and other AI-enabled operations, industrial computers need to obtain large amounts of data from IoT devices and sensors. USB Type-C has extremely fast speeds to send these large amounts of data to industrial computers and provide additional next-generation USB technology for the edge.
Compared with other types of USB, USB Type-C has a slimmer and smaller architecture. Embedded systems such as SFF (small form factor) PCs and SBCs (industrial control boards) need to provide the required processing power in space-constrained applications. For these limiting factors and the high demand for greater computing power, USB Type-C can alleviate these limitations.
USB-Type C still needs to face challenges with existing transmission technology standards
Type-C is a new USB standard that only appeared in 2014, but due to its high convenience, more and more digital devices such as PCs and smartphones have built-in Type-C interfaces. According to data from Indian research company FMI, the market size of USB-Type C reached US$15.9 billion in 2022, accounting for 37% of the global USB device market. It is expected to reach US$127.2 billion by 2030.
This trend has not only spread to various smart digital products, but has also been promoted to the automotive market, so more and more new models have introduced USB-Type C. For example, Honda's 6th-generation Step Wagon, which was newly redesigned in 2022, is equipped with a USB-Type C charging slot for the entire series.
Today, when smartphones are connected to cars via USB-Type C, most of them can achieve the following three uses (Figure 2):
(1) Play music via USB-Type C;
(2) Provide charging function;
(3) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connect to the vehicle's in-vehicle information and communication system via USB-Type C.
But are cables absolutely necessary for these applications? The answer is "it depends on the car model", but in fact, these can all be handled wirelessly. Including: (1) connecting via Bluetooth; (2) supporting the Qi standard, which allows electronic products to be wirelessly charged; (3) connecting via wireless CarPlay/Android Auto.
However, there are still few models that use wireless CarPlay/Android Auto technology, so most cars still use Bluetooth technology.
In this way, some people will question why USB-Type C should be introduced in the future since there are already so many alternative technologies. The reason why USB-Type C is promoted to vehicles is that the USB-Type C standard is designed and expected to have high compatibility in future applications in automobiles. ;
Powering through the USB PD interface is a general trend
As smartphones move towards 5G, power consumption will increase further. Therefore, through PD (Power Delivery) technology, you will have more time to enjoy various content in the back seat and charge at the same time.
The USB PD protocol allows USB Type-C to provide up to 240W of power, accelerating the promotion of this transmission technology to the automotive market. However, automotive USB Type-C designs must meet strict automotive safety standards, such as EMC and thermal management regulations. Because each regulation is to ensure the comfort and convenience of driving and passengers. Therefore, the new features of USB PD will make the design more complicated. In fact, many new cars are already equipped with USB interfaces. Due to these power consumption, new cars of all models are required to have more stable power supply capabilities.
Therefore, the PD technical standard of USB-Type C is still developing. The latest PD specification can provide up to 240W of power. Unfortunately, there are no vehicles that can provide 240W of power (because system cost is an issue that must be faced).
On the other hand, due to the electrification of automobiles, the strengthening of electrical systems such as alternators should also affect the power supply of infotainment systems, so the development of USB-Type C in automobiles is still in its infancy.
In terms of convenience, Qi and wireless connections will not disappear. However, USB-Type C is expected to develop in different ways, including high-speed data transmission, and support for vehicles and cables (such as alternate mode), so that high-quality video content can be enjoyed through a single cable.
It is unlikely that automotive manufacturers will need to provide more than 100 W or 240W of power for each USB Type-C in the vehicle. Therefore, in order to reduce costs as much as possible without affecting charging time or reliability, a 100 W or 240 W power supply can be shared between slots, which is called dynamic load sharing. For example, a USB Power Delivery controller and parts could reduce the power delivery capability of one USB Type-C slot to 60 W, so it can deliver 40 W or more of power to the second slot when a device is plugged in.
USB interoperability is quite
Interoperability is critical to ease of use. Just because two devices meet USB standard specifications does not necessarily mean that they can work together.
Interoperability plays a key role in automotive applications, because poor interoperability can cause considerable trouble and negative perceptions to users.
Because the USB interface has developed into an indispensable interface standard for automobiles, it has assumed more and more responsibilities for charging, playing music and interacting with smartphones. When buying a vehicle, people are often more concerned about the convenience of connecting their phones and playing music than the running condition of the engine.
At the same time, in order to make the service life longer, the vehicle needs to be able to interoperate and access not only all current smartphones, tablets and laptops, but also new products that may appear in the next few years. Because according to current consumer usage habits, the average smartphone will be replaced every two years, so interoperability is even more important.
Like many standards, the USB power supply standard will continue to evolve over time. For example, although the latest Power Delivery (PD) 3.1 and Quick Charge (QC) 5 are currently supported, the USB Type-C and PD specifications are constantly changing, so the vehicle may not be able to fully support the latest smart electronic products on the market.
Solve interoperability issues through programmable USB controllers
The only way to achieve robust interoperability is through programmable USB controllers. With programmable controllers, the stack structure in USB Power Delivery can be upgraded at any time to achieve interoperability with new products. Just like many systems in today's vehicles use software, car owners can also accept software upgrades as a standard maintenance item.
It must also be noted that based on the existing information product classification, fixed-function and configurable controllers are very suitable for applications such as consumer electronic devices (such as USB mice or keyboards), and in these applications, the product life is mostly expected to be only a few years, so the product only needs to provide limited and good interoperability.
In contrast, programmable USB controllers provide developers with full access to the controller's functions, thereby maximizing the capabilities of the device, and through data feedback, the controller can dynamically and optimize device performance. In addition, if new standards emerge or unforeseen problems occur, firmware upgrades can be used to resolve these issues. To ensure interoperability, quality and reliability throughout the life cycle of industrial equipment or vehicles.
In fact, the USB controllers built into industrial equipment and cars are not cheap commodities. For example, when a USB mouse does not work, the cost of replacing a cheap new mouse may be less than 100 RMB. But if the USB interface in a car stops working, expensive maintenance repairs may be required. Therefore, USB controllers used in industrial equipment and vehicles must fully meet higher standards and must also be able to withstand higher operating temperatures. Therefore, the reliability of the components used needs to last longer than that required for traditional consumer electronics.
Overvoltage, overcurrent, ESD and short-circuit protection are all issues
One of the main challenges in designing USB Type-C subsystems with higher power output is that the power supply requires overvoltage, overcurrent, ESD and short-circuit protection as well as high-voltage gate drivers. Cable compensation is also required to ensure that signal quality is maintained on long cables in vehicles. In order to support vehicles or industrial production lines, they can operate reliably under restricted and environmental extreme operating conditions, and temperature protection mechanisms are required to prevent overheating and damage.
Since USB sockets are exposed to the elements, USB circuits need a higher level of protection from many electrical events. One of the most common is electrostatic discharge (ESD). For example, passengers walking around on vinyl seats or rubbing carpets can generate an electrical charge. If you touch the exposed USB socket, it is very likely to damage sensitive electronic devices in the car, which are difficult and expensive to repair.
To prevent the effects of ESD, the system needs to be designed with a grounding mechanism so that the energy can be dissipated safely. Ideally, the controller has integrated ESD protection capabilities, providing 8 KV contact and 15 KV air discharge protection, which is enough to protect the controller from ESD.
In the future, some USB types will soon be replaced by USB Type-C, which will not only replace Type-A, but also Mini-USB and Micro-USB connectors. If the new generation of industrial equipment or new car models still have signal transmission and power supply interfaces, USB Type-C will undoubtedly become the most mainstream connector in the future.
Therefore, the latest devices have at least one USB-C interface designed, and according to EU regulations, it will remain for a long time. However, this regulation only affects power transformers. Since USB A/B has no advantage in data transmission, it is not expected to be used in data applications in the future. Therefore, it is believed that USB Type-C will appear in more industrial fields in the future.