Communications

To demonstrate ZigBee RF4CE wireless interfacing in the home, NXP has developed a remote control and remote monitor for a domestic appliance. Built around the firm’s JN5161 wireless microcontroller, the hand-held has a capacitive touch screen and can be used to control a single appliance in applications including home entertainment or residential air conditioning systems. “A wide range of information can ...

The universal expansion of vehicle communications systems will drive growth in the demand for automotive and roadside sensor systems, writes Andrew Ashby, automotive business development manager at Plextek Consulting The reality of a connected-vehicle has implications for a range of vehicle and infrastructure systems. The traditional automotive industry is trying to fully appreciate the impact of vehicle to vehicle (V2V) ...

NXP Semiconductors has partnered with Australia-based Cohda Wireless to develop technology for the wireless communications between cars and traffic infrastructure, in Europe. The two companies are the first automotive electronics suppliers to sign up to the Car 2 Car Communication Consortium, which already includes 12 car manufacturers. Cohda is developing wireless communications for automotive safety applications using higher than commercial ...

Spreadtrum Communications, the China-based mobile phone chipset supplier, has announced the commercial availability of its dual-core 1.2GHz smartphone chipsets for TD-SCDMA (SC8825, pictured) and EDGE (SC6825). This follows the successful qualification of its platform by operator China Mobile. The chips are based on a dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A5 core processor, a dual-core Mali 400 graphics processor with multimedia and hardware accelerators. ...

UL has been accredited to develop and operate a test centre for the functional certification of MIFARE-enabled products. MIFARE is a technology platform for contactless tickets, cards, mobile and readers. In 2012, MIFARE systems accounted for more than 80% of all contactless ticketing credentials deployed, according to ABI Research. The test centre will offer functional certification services of all current ...

Toshiba is planning to launch a 40Mbyte/s ultra-short-range wireless dongle this month, based on the TransferJet standard. TransferJet, supported by a consortium, is intended for transferring photos and video clips between phones and tablets. Its use model is similar to NFC, but it is much faster. Users touch the TransferJet ports of their enabled portable devices together, and initiate transfer by ...

Qualcomm’s cellular RF front-end the RF360,  which takes the company into the $5bn market for mobile front-ends, could significantly disrupt the existing power amp and RF front-end module market, says Strategy Analytics. Qualcomm is first to launch a CMOS PA (power amp) alternative to GaAs-based multiband, multimode PAs for high-tier 3G / 4G smartphones, a phone segment formerly the exclusive domain ...

Harpinder Matharu discusses mobile phone basestation design and the rationale for using small cells. Traditional wireless infrastructure relies on a monolithic basestation chassis sitting at the foot of the tower feeding signals back and forth to passive antennas mounted on top of the tower. The connection between the basestation chassis and passive antenna components is via a coaxial cable as ...

Monitoring and measurement through ingestible, implanted, and body-worn wireless sensors can improve healthcare, and if those sensors can support continuous data streaming, more real-time information will be available for analysis. Properties of the radio transceiver are a key consideration in such medical applications. Each application has different requirements from the radio, which makes it obvious that one size will not ...

Microchip has developed a capacitive contactless identification system that relies on near-field effects around the human body. A $1 fob or token, carried about a person, sets up a field that extends to the wearers fingertips, allowing them to prove they are the carrier by reaching their hand towards a reader. Branded BodyCom, no licence fees are payable providing it is ...