专访美商凌特市场产品
经理Tony Armstrong
CompoTech China:随着应用情况变得越来越复杂，对于便携式设备来说，电源之间的功率通路控制将会变成一个难题，请问linear是如何看待这一问题，如何解决，并体现在具体产品方面？
CompoTech China: With the increasing complexity of portable devices, the power channels control between powers is getting more difficult. From Linear’s point of view, how to solve this problem? What kinds of solutions are available now?
Linear:2005年的第一个季度刚刚过去，显然今年对便携式设备中电池的能源解决方案来说，是一个充满机遇的一年。对于这些已经集成了很多功能的小型电池来说，设备生产商仍然不断的将更多的特性嵌入其中。这意味着他们总是在寻求更好的IC解决方案，以更高的集成度、最小的残留量、最高的操作效能来扩展电池的持续时间。
Linear: The first quarter of 2005 is just behind us, but it is clear that it is a year full of opportunity for power management solutions in battery powered portable devices. Manufacturers of such products are constantly packing more features into an already constrained form factor. This means that they are always on the lookout for IC solutions that provide high levels of integration, the smallest footprint, and the highest level of operating efficiency to extend battery run time.
很多设备将会使用单节锂离子（Li-Ion）电池作为它们的能源装置。然而，如何维持电能的冲入和耗用已经变成了一个更为复杂的问题，这是因为可能要面临多个耗电源、效能最优的需求、设备内多重的连接链路、有限的放置空间等问题。
Many of these devices will use a single-cell Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery as their primary power source. However, managing the flow of power into and out of the battery has become more complex due to the presence of multiple charging sources, demands for optimum efficiency, multiple supply rails within the products, and limited board space.
为了证实这一点，可以简单地考虑一下数码相机（DSC）、MP3、全球定位器、掌上电脑等小型设备。这些设备通常可以使用交流电源、USB电缆或者锂离子电池作为它们的能源供给装置。但是，在管理这些诸多能源装置的能源路径时，会遇到很大的技术挑战。到目前为止，相关的设计人员仍然尝试着通过使用MOSFET（金属氧化物半导体场效应晶体管）、op-amp等来分别完成各自的功能。这样做将会面临热量难以散失、大量电流的涌入等问题，有时甚至会给整个系统带来很大问题。
To illustrate this point, one has only to consider such products as digital still cameras (DSCs), MP3 players, GPS receivers and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Most of these products can be powered from an AC adapter, a universal serial bus (USB) cable, or the Li-Ion battery. However, managing the power-path control between these power sources presents a significant technical challenge. Until most recently, designers have tried to do perform this function discretely by using a bunch of MOSFETs, op-amps and such, but have faced tremendous problems with hot plugging and having large inrush currents which cause big system problems.
大多数电池驱动的便携设备使用“特定用途集成电路”（ASIC）以处理面临的诸多问题，这些问题包括电池消耗、能源路径控制、提供多重供给电压，还有一些保护特性，像真正的输出断开和USB电流限制等。采纳这些方法的原因非常明了，那就是它们可以满足这些小型设备的所有能源管理的需求。然而，这种方法也有缺陷。首先，ASIC是在一个特定的晶片制作流程中生产出来的，这就给尽可能地提升每一项性能带来了困难。其次，动态设计周期对于ASIC的定义和开发来说，已经成了核心的时间。对于一个管理ASIC的能源部门来说，花费一年半载的时间去将概念转化成市场上的产品，已经是非常普遍的现象。在这期间，特定产生的设计需求可能已经改变了至少3次了。以MP3为例，看一下不同厂商提供的MP3的各种性能指标就会发现，它们存在公共的特性和功能，事实上它们都仅仅是将“特定用途标准产品”（ASSP）应用到产品中，与晶片制作流程中的IC生产过程没有任何的关联，它们的性能都是通用的。凌特最近推出的LTC3455代表了最高的集成度，它代表了最高的集成功能。
Most battery-powered handheld products have used an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) to deal with the requirements of battery charging, power-path control, providing multiple supply voltages, as well as protection features such as true output disconnect and accurate USB current limiting. The reasons for adopting this approach are clear; they can obtain a single device that meets all of their power management needs. However, there are also drawbacks to this approach. First of all, ASICs are manufactured on a specific wafer fabrication process, making it difficult to maximize their performance for each of these functions. Secondly, and becoming more important in these times of short, dynamic design cycles, is the long lead-time associated with the definition and development of an ASIC. It is common for a power management ASIC to take over one and a half years to produce from conception to delivery. During this time, the design needs for a particular product could have change three or more times.
Take an MP3 player as an example. Looking at the many variations of MP3 players from over a dozen manufacturers, there exists a commonality of features and functions for which an application specific standard product (ASSP) could be used without any of the usual performance compromises normally associated with manufacturing an IC on a single wafer fabrication process. Linear Technology has recently introduced the LTC3455, which represents the highest level of functional integration for these applications.
经理Tony Armstrong
CompoTech China:随着应用情况变得越来越复杂，对于便携式设备来说，电源之间的功率通路控制将会变成一个难题，请问linear是如何看待这一问题，如何解决，并体现在具体产品方面？
CompoTech China: With the increasing complexity of portable devices, the power channels control between powers is getting more difficult. From Linear’s point of view, how to solve this problem? What kinds of solutions are available now?
Linear:2005年的第一个季度刚刚过去，显然今年对便携式设备中电池的能源解决方案来说，是一个充满机遇的一年。对于这些已经集成了很多功能的小型电池来说，设备生产商仍然不断的将更多的特性嵌入其中。这意味着他们总是在寻求更好的IC解决方案，以更高的集成度、最小的残留量、最高的操作效能来扩展电池的持续时间。
Linear: The first quarter of 2005 is just behind us, but it is clear that it is a year full of opportunity for power management solutions in battery powered portable devices. Manufacturers of such products are constantly packing more features into an already constrained form factor. This means that they are always on the lookout for IC solutions that provide high levels of integration, the smallest footprint, and the highest level of operating efficiency to extend battery run time.
很多设备将会使用单节锂离子（Li-Ion）电池作为它们的能源装置。然而，如何维持电能的冲入和耗用已经变成了一个更为复杂的问题，这是因为可能要面临多个耗电源、效能最优的需求、设备内多重的连接链路、有限的放置空间等问题。
Many of these devices will use a single-cell Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery as their primary power source. However, managing the flow of power into and out of the battery has become more complex due to the presence of multiple charging sources, demands for optimum efficiency, multiple supply rails within the products, and limited board space.
为了证实这一点，可以简单地考虑一下数码相机（DSC）、MP3、全球定位器、掌上电脑等小型设备。这些设备通常可以使用交流电源、USB电缆或者锂离子电池作为它们的能源供给装置。但是，在管理这些诸多能源装置的能源路径时，会遇到很大的技术挑战。到目前为止，相关的设计人员仍然尝试着通过使用MOSFET（金属氧化物半导体场效应晶体管）、op-amp等来分别完成各自的功能。这样做将会面临热量难以散失、大量电流的涌入等问题，有时甚至会给整个系统带来很大问题。
To illustrate this point, one has only to consider such products as digital still cameras (DSCs), MP3 players, GPS receivers and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Most of these products can be powered from an AC adapter, a universal serial bus (USB) cable, or the Li-Ion battery. However, managing the power-path control between these power sources presents a significant technical challenge. Until most recently, designers have tried to do perform this function discretely by using a bunch of MOSFETs, op-amps and such, but have faced tremendous problems with hot plugging and having large inrush currents which cause big system problems.
大多数电池驱动的便携设备使用“特定用途集成电路”（ASIC）以处理面临的诸多问题，这些问题包括电池消耗、能源路径控制、提供多重供给电压，还有一些保护特性，像真正的输出断开和USB电流限制等。采纳这些方法的原因非常明了，那就是它们可以满足这些小型设备的所有能源管理的需求。然而，这种方法也有缺陷。首先，ASIC是在一个特定的晶片制作流程中生产出来的，这就给尽可能地提升每一项性能带来了困难。其次，动态设计周期对于ASIC的定义和开发来说，已经成了核心的时间。对于一个管理ASIC的能源部门来说，花费一年半载的时间去将概念转化成市场上的产品，已经是非常普遍的现象。在这期间，特定产生的设计需求可能已经改变了至少3次了。以MP3为例，看一下不同厂商提供的MP3的各种性能指标就会发现，它们存在公共的特性和功能，事实上它们都仅仅是将“特定用途标准产品”（ASSP）应用到产品中，与晶片制作流程中的IC生产过程没有任何的关联，它们的性能都是通用的。凌特最近推出的LTC3455代表了最高的集成度，它代表了最高的集成功能。
Most battery-powered handheld products have used an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) to deal with the requirements of battery charging, power-path control, providing multiple supply voltages, as well as protection features such as true output disconnect and accurate USB current limiting. The reasons for adopting this approach are clear; they can obtain a single device that meets all of their power management needs. However, there are also drawbacks to this approach. First of all, ASICs are manufactured on a specific wafer fabrication process, making it difficult to maximize their performance for each of these functions. Secondly, and becoming more important in these times of short, dynamic design cycles, is the long lead-time associated with the definition and development of an ASIC. It is common for a power management ASIC to take over one and a half years to produce from conception to delivery. During this time, the design needs for a particular product could have change three or more times.
Take an MP3 player as an example. Looking at the many variations of MP3 players from over a dozen manufacturers, there exists a commonality of features and functions for which an application specific standard product (ASSP) could be used without any of the usual performance compromises normally associated with manufacturing an IC on a single wafer fabrication process. Linear Technology has recently introduced the LTC3455, which represents the highest level of functional integration for these applications.
