Microwave Engineering Europe - March 2009 - (Page 4) 4 NEWS IN BRIEF Skycross/Infineon simplify ultra-low-cost handsets SkyCross has partnered with Infineon Technologies AG to reduce the bill of materials for ultra-low cost handsets. The innovative handset architecture leverages the technical advantages of Infineon chips and award-winning SkyCross iMAT antennas to eliminate conventional RF components. This enables lower cost, simpler integration, and space savings without sacrificing performance. The benefits of the new handset architecture result from consolidating components. The Infineon platform is comprised of one single chip that integrates baseband, power management, RF, and two SIM interfaces. When this chip is paired with an iMAT antenna from SkyCross, which offers multiple feeds, each with high isolation, developers can eliminate the switchplexer in the system. This solution also bundles technologies, development tools, and customer support specifically designed for high volume production. www.mwee.com/213402260 Thermoharvester-driven wireless sensor node enables battery-free operation Micropelt GmbH claims to offer the world’s first commercially available thermo-powered wireless sensor system, the TE-Power NODE. The company’s built-in chip thermogenerator takes a few degrees of temperature differential and harvests that thermal energy to operate the wireless sensor node, enabling unlimited battery-free operation. Wireless sensor networks offer many advantages. Market growth, however, lags behind expectations as many potential users avoid the burden of having to maintain hundreds or thousands of batteries. Also available is the TE-Power NODE evaluation kit, which transmits multiple channels of digital sensor data helping both users and integrators of thermoharvesters better understand many aspects of their implementation in terms of application scenarios and energy budgets. The TE-Power NODE consists of a 60 by 27 mm footprint aluminum base plate that carries up to two Micropelt MPG-D751 thermogenerators, allowing the energy supply to be scaled for the amount needed by the designated application. An aluminum heat spreader is mounted on top of the thermogenerators and is stabilized and insulated by a PCB which also holds the receptacles for various plug-on modules. The heat spreader features threaded holes for accessing various heat sinks with minimal effort, allowing for detailed exploration of the device’s thermal path and easy repair. To convert the variable incoming thermovoltage into a battery-like constant voltage, the original TE-Power PLUS DC/DC converter was modified to supply a constant 2.4 V and to charge a 100 microfarad (F) capacitor to feed the duty cycle of the accompanying pluggable wireless system. The company’s evaluation kit uses widely accepted ultra-low-power technology from Texas Instruments (TI), supporting both IEEE 802.15.4 compliant and custom solutions. To operate the wireless sensor node, it must be attached to a suitable heat source. After a few seconds the TE-Power NODE begins transmitting information to a PC via TI’s standard eZ430RF2500 USB receiver module. Within as little as 2 milliseconds a minimized stack protocol transmits the temperature of the thermogenerator’s hot and cold sides once every second along with the respective operating voltage. www.mwee.com/214501503 Next generation RF architecture for mobiles TriQuint Semiconductor has introduced its TRIUMF Module™ family, convergence architecture for mobile device manufacturers designing next generation 3G/4G products. TRIUMF stands for TriQuint Unified Mobile Front-end and will offer manufacturers a streamlined radio frequency footprint combining GSM, EDGE, WCDMA and HSPA transmit functionality into one module. This convergence of functionality into one power amplifier module should offer up to a 50 percent size reduction over today’s multi-band module solutions. TRIUMF modules are scalable and will work seamlessly in a variety of board configurations including 3G low-cost, middle tier and high-end smartphones, as well as 3G/4G datacards. www.mwee.com/213201184 Infineon set to sample low-cost 2G/3G/ HSDPA platform in June Infineon Technologies AG (Munich, Germany has stated it is developing a “platform” offering for fast mobile internet access along with “costoptimized” 3G network connection, which is due to start sampling in June. The XMM 6130 platform includes a mixedsignal system chip, the X-Gold 613 with analog, baseband and power management functions, together with an RF engine, a reference design, a dual-mode protocol stack with a common software API layer and the company’s user interface and application framework. Infineon say the X-Gold 613 is due to sample in June 2009 and will be available in volume quantities in the first half of 2010. XMM 6130 is due to support the data rates provided by 3G HSDPA. The platform is based on the X-Gold 613, an integrated 2G /3G digital and analog baseband plus power management functionality, manufactured in 65-nm CMOS technology. ● The X-Gold 613 is the company’s first baseband dedicated to the low-cost entry 3G markets. The chip is designed for low-cost cellular phones and brings together an ARM11 processor core, multimedia features with dedicated interfaces for camera, display, USB, memory cards and the benefits of a 3G air interface. The device supports, together with the company’s low-cost 2G/3G RF transceiver, 3.6-Mbps modem functionality up to 3G dual-band and up to quadband EDGE. The XMM 6130 platform is set to follow on from the XMM 2130 platform, which was presented at last year’s Mobile World Congress, and which brought internet browsing, music and video, 3-megapixel camera, FM radio and messaging into the low-cost market, according to Infineon. www.mwee.com/214502649 Microwave Engineering Europe ● March 2009 www.mwee.com http://www.mwee.com/214501503 http://www.mwee.com/213402260 http://www.mwee.com/214502649 http://www.mwee.com/213201184 http://www.mwee.com
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