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CES – Las Vegas –Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC) offers a complete reference model for indoor proximity applications, or beacons, which use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to communicate signals detectible by smart devices. The TC35670 reference system, housed in a 75- x 35- x 12-mm case, comprises an ultra-low-power BLE component, a best-in-class NFC Type 3 Tag1 and complete system software. BLE beacon applications include indoor positioning, mobile wallet and couponing and digital signage.
“Beacons represent a valuable opportunity for commercial locations to connect with consumers in a variety of settings, such as retail shopping environments or through products used in the home, such as high-function remote controls,” said Deepak Mithani, senior director, Mixed-Signal Business Unit, System LSI Group at TAEC, in a statement. “This reference design gives developers a leading-edge tool to explore the full range of possibilities for beacons using the combination of BLE and NFC technologies.”
Toshiba’s TC35670 reference model enables devices to remain in nearly zero power standby, with the wakeup mode engaged either by the built-in microprocessor’s 6-axis sensor or by a reader coming into proximity with the NFC Tag subsystem. Custom software is implemented in the built-in 512-Kbit EEPROM, enabling a high degree of configurability, such as modifying Bluetooth parameters (e.g., advertising interval, transmit power, beacon ID2) from the NFC tag, said the company.
The reference model also includes the BLE RF block and NFC Tag analog and logic blocks; BLE and NFC antennas; UART, I2C, SPI, PWM, GPIO and JTAG interface blocks; SRAM and MROM blocks; and ADC and DC-DC converters. Power is supplied by a CR2032 coin battery.
TAEC will demonstrate the beacon reference design this week at CES 2015.
Availability: Samples of the TC35670 reference model are available now, with mass production set to begin later this month.
Notes:
1 Produced under license of Sony Corporation’s FeliCa Lite-S technology
2 Also known as UUID – universally unique identifier
