Renesas Electronics μPD720115 USB 2.0 hub controller chip

The μPD720115 USB 2.0 hub controller chip from Renesas Electronics supports simultaneous USB communication and charging of portable devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs via a single USB connector.

The most important feature of the chip is its implementation of USB ports with battery charging functionality which supports the USB Battery Charging Specification, Revision 1.2 (USB BC 1.2).

The μPD720115 is expected to make it easier to develop products that support simultaneous data communication complying with the USB 2.0 standard and charging portable devices via a single USB connector, such as PCs, digital TVs and charging adapters.

The chip also has a clock output function (24 MHz) to enable cascade connection of the USB ports to other μPD720115 chips or connection to other chips used by USB peripheral devices. This eliminates the need to add an external crystal oscillator for the lower-level chip, as was previously the case.

Comparable earlier products had an operating temperature range with a lower limit of 0° or above, but the μPD720115 extends this down to -40°.