Nordic demonstrerer RF-moduler fra japanske samarbejdspartnere
På 'Wireless Japan' udstillingen i Tokio demonstrerede Nordic Semiconductor kompakte RF-moduler fra fem førende japanske ODM'er (in english).
Ultra low power (ULP) RF specialist Nordic Semiconductor demonstrated Bluetooth low energy and ANT+ wireless connectivity solutions from the company and its manufacturing partners are exhibiting at Wireless Japan in Tokyo.
A highlight of the Nordic booth was the demonstrations of RF modules developed by leading Japanese ODMs Braveridge, Fujitsu Component, Hosiden Corporation, SMK, and Taiyo Yuden. The modules are based on Nordic's nRF51822 Bluetooth low energy and 2.4GHz proprietary System-on-Chip (SoC) and are supplied complete with Nordic's verified and qualified Bluetooth low energy Soft Device. The Soft Device is separated from the application code allowing the developer to rapidly create novel applications safe in the knowledge that the RF protocol software can't be corrupted and is already Bluetooth v4.0- and RF-approved.
- At the exhibition Nordic is keen to demonstrate how Bluetooth low energy and ANT devices, such as the nRF51 Series-based RF module, provide companies with the flexibility to adopt an 'app/service'-driven business model, explains Mitsuo Yamazaki, Nordic Semiconductor's Regional Sales Manager for Japan.
- Companies can take the RF module - manufactured by third parties and supplied complete with a tested and qualified Bluetooth low energy 'Soft Device' stack - and then add their own software profile and application code to develop appcessories which will link seamlessly to iOS and Android smartphones. The release of the RF modules allows many new and lightly-resourced companies to enter this market without needing any previous RF and electronics hardware experience.
Nordic's silicon solutions, reference designs, and sample applications provide designers with an ideal starting point and ready-built design framework to accelerate development of Bluetooth Smart and ANT+ applications teamed with accessories ('appcessories'). These appcessories - which take advantage of assured wireless connectivity to a wide range of smartphones and tablet computers - will also form a major theme of the booth.
The booth will also feature a range of Bluetooth low energy- and ANT-based applications such as heart rate monitors, proximity sensors, smartphone remote controlled toys, fitness monitors, and a remote DSLR camera shutter, demonstrating how small vendors can enter the appcessories market without needing RF experience or having to worry about RF qualification.
The RF modules and manufacturing partner products are based on Nordic's nRF51 Series multiprotocol Bluetooth low energy and ANT SoCs. The nRF51 series SoC architecture is designed specifically to minimize average current consumption and enable single-chip implementations of a wide range of wireless applications.
- Tough international competition is changing the nature of the Japanese electronics sector, says Mitsuo Yamazaki.
- But a sector that has been so successful in the past is not about to give up without a fight, and Japanese companies plan to secure their futures by focusing on engineering know-how and innovative thinking.
Nordic has collaborated with ANT Wireless of Cochrane, Canada - the company behind ANT RF protocol software and ANT+ Managed Networks (see "About Nordic ANT wireless connectivity" below) - for over a decade. ANT chips are used in over 60 million wireless nodes worldwide.
The latest smartphones from major manufacturers incorporate chips and software supporting Bluetooth v4.0 (which includes Bluetooth low energy as a hallmark element) or ANT+ that can communicate with Bluetooth Smart devices or ANT+ peripherals.
This functionality promises many new opportunities for compact wirelessly-connected products, powered by coin cell batteries, such as handset accessories, sports & fitness monitors, and toys.
