Panoramic analysis of the Type-C industry chain, telling you about those business opportunities
Type-C industry chain: upstream chip links (processors and chipsets, interface control chips) - system platform (Microsoft, Google, Apple) - system factory (mobile phones, computers, flat lights) - connectors / lines Cable manufacturers (terminals, wires, etc.) - to storage, testing, etc.
USB Type-C An electronic device interface standard, also known as USB-C, is an upgraded version of USB Type-A/B. In August 2014, USB IF released the USB Type-C interface 1.0 standard, which established the standard specification for the next-generation USB interface for the industry. Compared with USB Type A/B, USB Type-C has a significant technical advantage, coupled with the industrial chain and ecological chain formed by the industry giants, and gradually unified the electronic device interface.
Full-featured: Supports data, audio, video and charging at the same time, laying the foundation for high-speed data, digital audio, high-definition video, fast charging, multi-device sharing, and one line can replace multiple previous cables;
1. Forward and reverse insertion: similar to Apple's Lighting interface, the front and back of the port are the same, supporting positive and negative insertion;
2. Two-way transmission: data and power can be transmitted in both directions;
3. Downward compatibility: through the adapter, it can be compatible with USB Type A, Micro B and other interfaces;
4. Small size: the interface size is 8.3mm X 2.5mm, which is about 1/3 of the USB-A interface;
5. High rate: Compatible with USB 3.1 protocol can support up to 10Gb/s data transmission
USB Type-C is compatible with all major interfaces
Data, audio and video interface standards will eventually be unified by Type-C
USB Type-C cable cross section
The four main applications of Type-C:
fast charging. A standard-size cable with a Type-C connector that can pass 3A current, while also supporting USB PD beyond the existing USB power supply capability, providing up to 100W of power;
Intelligent digital audio. In the fast-developing environment of the digital streaming media market, it is a general trend for the mobile terminal to cancel the 3.5mm analog audio interface. From high-definition lossless audio sources to audio processing circuits to audio output devices, a revolution in digital audio is imperative. Headphones and smart headphones will have huge market space.
HD video. Display Port alternate mode, supports up to 4K Ultra HD (UHD) and even 8K resolution.
High speed data transmission. The maximum data transmission speed reaches 10Gbps, which is also the standard of USB3.1, compatible with USB2.0 standard;
According to IHS, regardless of accessories such as cables, about 2 billion devices with USB-C interfaces will be shipped by 2019, with a CAGR of 231%.
The PC and peripheral PCs were the first to adopt the Type-C solution in 2015, and the penetration rate including notebooks and desktops is expected to reach 80% in 2019;
Wireless products, including smartphones and tablets, will begin to increase in volume this year and grow rapidly. It is expected that penetration will reach 50% by 2019;
Other consumer electronics flat-panel TVs, set-top boxes, players, AR/VR, etc. have come out with Type-C interface devices this year. By 2019, the penetration rate is expected to reach 30%.
The progress of automobile and automobile applications is slightly slow, and it will take until 2017 that related products will come out, and in 2019, it will occupy more than 20% of the market;
The market with the largest usage of Type-C will initially focus on smart phones, tablets and laptops, but future applications will be broader. For example, TVs and set-top boxes are worth looking forward to, as well as sports cameras (GoPro), DVDs, home consoles, etc. Devices that still use USB are now available in the future with Type-C. There are also applications for VR/AR devices. USB-C integrates high-speed data, fast charging, audio and video integration. It is most suitable for VR/AR equipment VR/AR requirements for HD, large bandwidth, low latency and human-computer interaction. It will be VR. The ultimate solution for connecting AR/AR devices to PCs and mobile phones.
Type-C will accelerate the unification and popularization of fast charging standards
1, fast charging principle
Fast charging technology will become standard on mobile phones. Under the premise that the battery capacity cannot be quickly achieved and the power consumption of mobile phones is increasing rapidly, the popularization of fast charging technology is particularly necessary. China Information and Communication Research Institute defines fast charging as follows: 30 minutes of charging into the battery, the average current is greater than 3A or 30 minutes, the charging power is greater than 60%. Common fast charging technologies can be divided into two types:
High-voltage fast charge: Qualcomm Quick Charge is representative
Improve terminal charging power and speed by increasing the power adapter output voltage
Low-voltage fast charge: MediaTek Pump Express3.0 and OPPO VOOC
Improve terminal charging power and speed by increasing the power adapter output current
The fast charging system includes fast charging standard, fast charging source adapter, interface E-marker chip, cable, mobile phone chip, battery and other parts. Each part must be specially designed for different standards to achieve fast charging function and ensure charging safety.
Fast charge adapter
A special adapter is required to reduce the AC current to the voltage and current specified by the fast charge protocol used and to provide adequate safety.
Fast charging cable
It needs to be able to carry a large current of 5A or higher and is equipped with an interface chip for identification, authentication and protection.
Mobile phone chip
Higher requirements for power management ICs and processors to support charging type selection and protection in the mobile phone software interface.
Fast charge battery
Use a special fast charging battery, the charging rate (charging current / battery power) is at least 1.5C or more. At present, most of the fast-fill mobile phone batteries on the market use ATL batteries.
2, there are many fast charging standards, and it is urgent to be unified
Quickly charge each staking area, the standard is different. The mainstream mainstream fast charging standards include Qualcomm Quick Charge solution, MediaTek Pump Express and OPPO VOOC solutions. Huawei and Samsung also have their own fast charging solutions.
3, USB PD will use the USB Type-C unified fast charging standard
USB Power Delivery is the latest power transmission standard proposed by the USB Developer Alliance after the USB Battery Charge standard for smartphones. It has been developed to the USB PD 3.0 standard and has the following features.
Increased charging power, improving power transmission capability to 100W on existing USB standards;
The direction is flexible, the power transmission direction is not fixed, and the charging and receiving equipment can be specified;
Optimize power transfer between multiple peripherals;
Intelligent charging management;
Allow low power charging;
The USB PD transmission current capability is greatly enhanced. At present, the charging interface and data line used by mainstream smartphones are based on Micro USB and cannot carry excessive current. The USB Type C interface has several times the number of contacts on the Micro USB interface, which allows it to withstand the increased current strength** for fast charging technology applications. At the same time, the Type C interface chip incorporates an E-marker chip that recognizes each other, which automatically recognizes the charging device, ensures charging safety, and supports two-way charging.
Type-C opens the era of intelligent digital audio
Lossless audio will become a mainstream for high quality audio. High-quality audio generally refers to audio files with a bit rate of 256kpbs and above, and can be divided into lossy compression and lossless compression. Common lossy compressed music formats include MP3, WMA and AAC. The paid music client can provide two types of high bit rate lossy compressed music downloads of 256kbps and 320kbps, while free customers can only download standard quality of 128kbps or lower bit rate. Music files. Common formats for lossless compression include APE, FLAC, WMA Lossless, and ALAC. Only paid users with higher levels can download.
We believe that Apple canceled the 3.5mm analog audio interface in the iPhone 7, and directly using the Lighting interface to transmit digital audio is a high probability event. The Android camp will follow Apple's footsteps and use the USB Type-C interface to transmit audio. This will directly set off a smartphone interface revolution and trigger a series of innovations.
1, 3.5mm analog audio interface has become a design bottleneck for mobile phone thin and light
The audio processing system can be divided into three parts: audio source, audio processing and audio output.
Sound source: Lossless audio will become the mainstream of the market;
Audio processing: Codec and amplifier; Codec is used to provide codec with sufficient accuracy and speed. The core is digital-to-analog converter; the amplifier is used to amplify the decoded analog signal to enough power to drive the output differently. load;
Audio output: wired, wireless headphones, speakers, speakers, etc.
At present, mobile phones and other electronic devices process analog audio signals internally. The original audio signals are decoded by an internal decoder and converted into analog signals, which are then amplified or directly output to a 3.5 mm interface. However, the internal processing of the mobile phone must simultaneously process multiple signals of radio frequency, analog and digital, and the electromagnetic environment is complicated. Audio
The signal is a high-precision small signal, which is easily subject to interference and distortion. After the PCB board and the 3.5mm interface, power loss occurs, which ultimately affects the output sound quality.
2, Apple and Android two camps together, can say goodbye to 3.5mm
The implementation of canceling the 3.5mm audio interface mainly involves transferring the audio processing chip such as the codec and the amplifier originally located inside the mobile phone to the Lighting or Type-C interface, the wire control or the earphone cavity. If the undecoded digital audio signal is directly output from the data interface and decoded and amplified outside the mobile phone, distortion can be reduced and higher isolation can be achieved. With the advancement of integrated circuit technology, the development of SoC and SIP technology, the area and power consumption of the audio chip are continuously reduced, and the technology also supports moving the chip out of the mobile phone motherboard to the earphone.
Digital audio implementation
Apple camp: Cirrus Logic has developed a development kit for MFi Lighting headsets. Cirrus Logic, Apple's exclusive provider of audio decoding chips, announced on June 30, 2016 that it will launch an official MFi headset development kit based on Apple's official certification to help OEMs quickly develop digital headsets for the Lighting interface.
MFi Lighting Headphone Development Kit
Lighting headphone wire control internal circuit
Lighting interface headset
Android camp: LeTV released the Type-C digital interface CDLA mobile phone. As a member of the Android camp, LeTV released the world's first CDLA phone that cancels the 3.5mm interface and directly uses Type-C to transmit audio in April 2016.
3. Industry giants support digital audio revolution
Google: In 2014, USB audio output was supported from the Android 5.0 operating system;
Apple: Remove the 3.5mm interface from the iPhone 7 and use the Lighting and Bluetooth to directly transmit digital audio;
Intel: In April 2016, Intel demonstrated the USB-C headphone jack design at the IDF 16 Information Technology Summit to replace the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack, hoping to promote analog audio to digital audio by using the USB-C interface. change;
Cirrus Logic: On June 30, 2016, Apple audio chip supplier Cirrus Logic released the MFi Lighting headset development kit;
Conexant: On June 29, 2016, the industry's first USB Type-C single-chip audio solution, the CX20888, was released with active noise reduction in a 5mm x 5mm x 0.5mm 81Pin BGA package.
Type-C brings a more convenient HD video integration solution
1, USB Type-C compatible with a variety of video standards through Alt Mode
USB Type-C is compatible with a variety of video standards. USB Type-C provides functions compatible with Display Port, SuperMHL, HDMI, VGA, etc. through Alternate Mode. Intel is fully compatible with USB Type-C in the third-generation Thunderbolt interface standard, enabling dual 4k video transmission at transfer rates up to 40Gbps.
Alternate mode compatible with Display Port
Alternate mode compatible with Thunderbolt 3
Display, flat-panel TV to VR/AR is the penetration route of Type-C in video applications. USB Type-C penetration in display has begun with LCD displays and is moving toward flat panel TVs and other display devices. Acer has introduced the industry's first Type-C display, the R1, which combines video and charging in a thickness of only 7mm. ASUS also introduced the portable display MB169C+ with UBS Type-C.
2, USB Type-C will become the mainstream technology for VR/AR and host connection
Portability is an important requirement for VR/AR headsets. Oculus and HTC Vive use three to four cables to connect PCs and VR devices, seriously affecting the user experience. The LG 360 VR requires only one USB Type-C cable to perform all functions, making it lighter and more portable. In addition to reducing connectivity, high resolution and refresh rate are also a further development trend of VR. Type-C supports high-definition video transmission. DisplayPort Alt Mode has a bandwidth of up to 20Gbps, which enables full HD, 3D, and low-power. 4K Ultra HD and full screen output, as well as higher resolution and refresh rate. The Type-C cables used in VR/AR devices are full-featured and high-quality cables. At the same time, they integrate fast charging and audio and video functions, representing the highest requirements of consumer electronics, and the cost will be several times that of ordinary mobile phone cables.
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Post time: Mar-19-2019