- The power management ICs by Samsung Electronics come with integrated discrete components that saves space for battery that allows longer playback time
- The ICs also provide communication between the charging case and earpieces to share essential information such as battery levels
Samsung Electronics’ all-in-one power management integrated circuits (PMICs), MUA01 and MUB01 offer a high-quality listening experience for today’s True Wireless Stereo (TWS) devices.
Unlike wireless headphones, TWS earbuds do not have a wire connecting the two earpieces, which allows users of TWS devices more freedom in movement and range in day-to-day activities. However, like other mobile devices, long battery life and small form factors are key requirements for these wireless earbuds.
The MUA01 and MUB01 PMICs have been designed for the charging case and the earbuds, offering fully-integrated solutions optimised for TWS devices. To achieve this, up to ten discrete components were integrated into one, including switching chargers and discharge circuits, enabling the PMICs to occupy less than half the space compared to other alternatives. This also allows compact solutions to allocate more room for the battery for longer playback time and enable more flexible and efficient designs.
Dual charging support
The MUA01 is also the industry’s first solution (as claimed by the company) to support both wireless and wired charging in a single chip. For wireless charging, it supports the Wireless Power Consortium’s (WPC) latest wireless power transfer interface standard, the Qi 1.2.4. To provide efficient power management, the MUA01 integrates a highly effective switching charger. Additionally, MUA01 comes with a microcontroller unit (MCU) and embedded Flash (eFlash), offering the option of modifying its firmware to support other applications.
“TWS earbuds present elevated listening experiences for more users and the trend is rapidly expanding the mobile accessory market, creating new opportunities for device manufacturers,” said Dong-ho Shin, senior vice president of System LSI marketing at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung’s industry-first, all-in-one power management solutions optimized for TWS devices will allow manufacturers to craft new applications with greater flexibility.”
With power line communication (PLC) support, the new PMICs can communicate with each other over the charging pins. This allows the charging case and earpieces to share essential information such as battery levels and whether the earpieces are inserted in the case.
The MUA01 and MUB01 are currently in mass production and are featured in Samsung’s recently-announced Galaxy Buds+ TWS earbuds.
