QUARTER 1 | SPRING 2013

COVER STORY

Heads-up onheart health smart tVs needsmarter remotes

ant makes inroads in smartphone market

Fitbit Zip packs functionality into small package

A few years ago, 3D-TV was touted as the next big thing, and while sales haven’t quite skyrocketed as forecast, they are buoyant. Analyst DisplaySearch, for example, says that sales of the sets will climb from 25 million units in 2011 to around 180 million in 2019.

At this year’s event, TVs - in the form of ‘ultra high definition’ giant flatscreens (or even curved ones in some instances) - again pushed smartphones and tablets out of the headlines. Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung, for example, exhibited what it claimed was the world’s biggest ultra high definition screen, measuring an incredible 110-in (279cm) and with twice the resolution and four times the pixel count of current high definition TVs.

How we consume our electronic entertainment has changed dramatically in the last fifteen years. The former dominance of TV and radio has been eroded first by the PC, then mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. The emergence of digital media carried over the Internet - often delivered wirelessly - has powered this revolution. But now the TV is fighting back to restore its position as the home’s dominant entertainment device.

Ultra high definition pictures and superior sound will help in this battle, but it is the emergence of ‘smart TV’ that will primarily drive this change. Smart TVs are sets that can tap into digital content - whether it’s video, music, social networking or still images from the Internet, or wirelessly transmitted content from mobile devices such as tablets - helping reinstate the appliance to its former glory.

Ultra low power wireless technology will be a fundamental component of smart TV. Navigating the sets using the venerable but limited infrared (IR) remote control will make the whole experience tedious and frustrating. But RF control, powered by Bluetooth v4.0 (which includes Bluetooth low energy as a hallmark feature), offers low latency, high bandwidth, and bidirectional communication that will make navigating smart TVs simple. The dozens of buttons on the traditional remote will be replaced with the touch-sensitive interfaces common to our mobile devices.

Nordic is in the vanguard of this revolution. The company has already established a significant presence for RF remote control with its proprietary 2.4GHz technology and now, with its new, award-winning, nRF51 Series Bluetooth low energy solutions, Nordic is making inroads into the interoperable sector. Part of the strategy is to collaborate with specialist communication chip suppliers such as Taiwan-based MediaTek. You can read more about smart TV and RF remote control on pages 12 and 13.

2 | SPRING 2013 | uLp wireLess quarter

the international Consumer electronics show (Ces), the annual

January gadget-fest in Las Vegas, has a reputation as a barometer for

what’s likely to be the hottest technology for the coming year.

“RF remote control will make navigating smart TVs simple” J. dARReN o’doNNell

Cover image:o-synce’s ‘screeneye x’ provides exercise data without the runner taking their eyes off the road

Contributors

wireless technology hastens smart tV’s emergence

Yours Sincerely,

J Darren O’DonnellDirector of Marketing & Sales – Americas

opinionJ darren o’donnell

The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Nordic Semiconductor is under license.

© Nordic Semiconductor 2013

www.nordicsemi.com

Sally Ward-Foxton is a freelance journalist specializing in electronics. In this issue she explains why RF remotes are the natural complement to smart TVs

Page 12

Page 16

Jack Shandle is a freelance writer specializing in semiconductors. In this issue, he looks at ANT's penetration into the smartphone sector

Svein-Egil Nielsen, Chairman of the Bluetooth SIG Board and a Nordic Director, makes his points in the annual Incisor round table

Page 8

uLp wireLess quarter | SPRING 2013 | 3

The latest developments from Nordic semiconductor

news

www.nordicsemi.com

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) – the standards body behind Bluetooth wireless technology – has appointed Nordic Semiconductor’s Director of Emerging Technologies and Strategic Partnerships, Svein-Egil Nielsen, as the new Chairman of its Board of Directors. Nielsen was appointed an Associate Board Member 18 months ago and was tasked with helping to drive the expansion of Bluetooth low energy wireless technology.

Nordic director is new SIG chair

In briefprecise laser measurement ready for consumer sector

Heart-rate monitoring without a chest strapA newly available Bluetooth low energy sportswatch uses optical technology to measure heart rate without requiring a conventional chest strap.

The MIO ALPHA stores the exercise information and wirelessly transmits it after training to any Bluetooth v4.0-enabled smartphone or computer.

The sportswatch, which employs a Nordic µBlue™ nRF8001 Bluetooth low energy single-chip connectivity IC, is designed for serious amateur and professional athletes alike. The device uses an electro-optical cell on the underside of the watch with a pair of optical sensors tracking blood flow in the wrist as the heart beats to extrapolate heart rate.

“This technology enables the MIO ALPHA sports watch to measure a user’s heart rate without an uncomfortable strap at speeds up to 12mph [19kmph], with the same accuracy as traditional EKG/ECG [electrocardiogram] based heart-rate straps,” comments Emily Rothwell, VP of Sales and Marketing at Physical Enterprises Inc., the company behind the MIO ALPHA.

“Achieving this level of end-user simplicity without compromising accuracy compared to a

Global leader in professional handheld laser distance meters, Leica Geosystems,

has launched its first laser meter for the consumer. The Leica DISTO D510 laser meter uses a Nordic Semiconductor µBlue™ nRF8001 Bluetooth low energy chip to send measurements from the unit to a smartphone running the company’s ‘DISTO Sketch’ software application (‘app’).

The app allows consumers to record measurements of objects with unprecedented accuracy, ease, and speed compared to the system of manual measurements and hand-drawn diagrams traditionally used by professional surveyors and engineers.

“Users can photograph a building or room, for example,

ANT launches product directoryA recently launched ANT+ Product Directory (www.thisisant.com/directory) serves as a complete guide of all ANT+ compatible and certified sports and health devices. The directory is organized by brand (for example, adidas, Garmin, Timex), product category (devices and apps/software), and activity (for example, cycling, gym/indoor fitness). The directory also includes direct ‘more info’ links back to the websites of original manufacturers.

Balun frees up board spaceAn integrated 2.4GHz balun device from STMicroelectronics converts the output of a Nordic nRF51- or nRF24L-Series RF chip into the format required by an antenna. In addition, the device eliminates the need for RF antenna matching circuitry comprising up to eight passive components and the interconnections between them while occupying up to 90 percent less board space. The balun measures just 1.0 by 1.5mm and targets coin cell-powered applications.

explains Johannes Maunz, a Software Design Engineer at Leica Geosystems who helped develop the new meter.

Data is transmitted from the D510 laser meter to the smartphone app each time a measurement is made and displayed in a box within the DISTO Sketch app.

The user can then drag the measurement to a point on a photo or diagram, and even export recorded data to a spreadsheet for further analysis.

“Although the D510 is a highly sophisticated instrument that offers a lot of features to experienced users, in quick start mode anybody can use the device in a matter of minutes,” adds Maunz.

The MIO ALPHA measures a user’s heart rate from blood flow in the wrists

traditional heart-rate strap wasn’t easy,” admits Rothwell. “An onboard motion detector and built-in noise filtration software developed by consumer electronics giant Philips compensate for arm movements and perspiration typical of fast running and cycling, which can all interfere with blood flow measurements.”

The MIO ALPHA can be used as a standalone device or in conjunction with popular smartphone apps such as MapMyRun, RunKeeper, and Wahoo Fitness.

and draw lines over key features with their fingers that they can then laser measure and have automatically recorded via Bluetooth low energy wireless technology on their smartphone,”

A smartphone app makes laser distance measurement easy

Winner

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nrF51822 wins two industry awards, shortlisted for third

In brief

A Bluetooth low energy module, developed by Hong Kong ODM LiSeng, helps non-RF expert engineers simplify incorporation of Bluetooth v4.0 connectivity into healthcare products such as blood-pressure monitors and glucose meters. The module is based on the Nordic Semiconductor µBlue™ nRF8001 chip and is available in three sizes measuring from 15 by 22 mm to 23 by 33 mm. The company claims the module can be easily incorporated into a battery-powered health-care product (or other portable consumer devices) without in-depth knowledge of RF engineering. The module includes a built-in PCB antenna, crystal, and supporting passives, and can be soldered directly to the target device’s PCB. The product has a maximum RF range of 10 meters.

Module links to smartphones

news

www.nordicsemi.com

The Nordic Semiconductor nRF51822 Bluetooth low energy and proprietary

2.4GHz System-on-Chip (SoC) has been honored by two prestigious industry award schemes. The SoC won the 2012 Golden Mousetrap Award from U.S. magazine Design News and the 2013 Spirit of Wireless Award from specialist European wireless publication Incisor and the associated Incisor.TV website.

In China, the nRF51822 has also been shortlisted by EETimes China for ‘Product of the Year’ in the RF & Wireless category in its China Annual Creativity in Electronics (ACE) Awards.

The nRF51822 is part of Nordic’s nRF51 Series of SoCs that have redefined ULP wireless industry benchmarks in terms of power consumption and RF performance.

The chips are accompanied The Nordic nRF51822 becomes a multiple award winning product

Wahoo Fitness has launched a Bluetooth Smart (Bluetooth low energy) weight scale which wirelessly connects to any Bluetooth Smart Ready (Bluetooth v4.0) enabled smartphone or device.

Target devices include Apple iPhone, iPad, iPad mini, and iPod touch devices running either the free Wahoo Fitness application (‘app’) or one of a growing list of compatible leading weight tracking apps.

The ‘Wahoo Balance Smartphone Scale’ retails for $99 and the wireless link is powered by a Nordic µBlue™ nRF8001 single-chip connectivity IC.

At launch, supported apps will include TargetWeight for Adults, Target Weight Pro, TactioHealth, iBody, Wahoo Fitness Scale App (free), and Monitor Your Weight (including the HD variant for iPad).

Other apps that will be supported in the future include Lose It! and Calorie Counter by MyNetDiary.

Wahoo also plans to roll out an Android app for Bluetooth v4.0 enabled Android smartphones in the near future.

The Wahoo Balance functions like a regular

weight and body mass index (BMI) scale and supports up to 16 individual user profiles.

Weight and BMI data is stored in memory until the user activates their favorite weight app on their smartphone. When the device is within range (indicated by a light on the scale’s LCD display to let the user know it is successfully connected to the app) recorded weight data is imported automatically via Bluetooth low energy wireless technology.

The use of the ultra low power nRF8001 chip enables the scale to operate for up to 12 months from a pair of regular AAA batteries under typical (daily) usage conditions.

These scales may make losing weight a bit easier

by an easy-to-use and versatile development platform based on Nordic software development kits (SDKs). The chips feature a unique and powerful separation of protocol stack and application code, easing development (see ULP Wireless Q Summer 2012 pg 6).

“The combination of Nordic’s multiprotocol RF technology and the innovative software architecture has the potential to underpin a limitless number of next-generation wireless solutions,” says Vince Holton, Publisher of Incisor. “The nRF51822 is a stand out product.”

“The development of our flagship nRF51 Series demanded a huge amount of engineering effort and financial investment to produce something that was genuinely game-changing within the ULP wireless market,” notes Nordic CEO, Svenn-Tore Larsen.

Scale tracks weight trend via smartphone

Application

nRF518 SDK

S110 SOFTDEVICE

Services and Profiles

S110 SOFTWARE STACK

APIs

GATT

ATT

GAP

SMP

L2CAP

Link layer

nRF518xx SoC

CorrectionIn the last issue of ULP Wireless Quarter we used a graphic to illustrate the separation of application code and RF protocol software in Nordic’s nRF51 Series chips (see ULP WQ Winter 2012 page 15). The figure contained an error; specifically it indicates that the S110 software stack includes DTM when this is not the case. The figure below shows the correct schematic. The Editor of ULP Wireless Quarter is happy to put the record straight.

Finland-based adventure sports-equipment maker Suunto has launched a ‘stripped down’ GPS tracker.

The device uses GPS data to record speed, distance, and route information such as altitude and journey mapping.

Called ‘GPS Track POD’, the company says this 35g waterproof (to 100ft/30m) device is designed to be “totally hassle-free”.

The tracker can be attached to a backpack or put in a pocket and operated with a single button push even if the user is wearing gloves.

The GPS Track POD can be customized to deliver between 15 and 100 hours of battery life from a single charge depending on the set recording frequency, and can connect wirelessly to Suunto heart rate monitors.

Recorded data can also be uploaded to an online sports diary allowing users to view their completed course, distance, and speed, to analyze for training purposes or for sharing with networked friends.

Stripped-down GPS tracker is “hassle-free”

A Bluetooth low energy tag concept called ‘DropTag’ claims to show at a glance if a parcel has been dropped during transit warning the recipient of potential damage before accepting a delivery.

Produced by British product development firm, Cambridge Consultants, DropTag is a low-cost sensor employing Bluetooth low energy to connect to a smartphone. The handset hosts a dedicated app that is used to detect and warn the end user if a parcel has fallen. The company says that this eliminates the inconvenience of having to send back damaged goods at a later date.

DropTag can also be used by delivery companies to ensure packages that have been dropped and damaged don’t reach the customer - avoiding the risk of lost reputation and business.

Existing parcel condition monitoring systems tend to use basic mechanical sensors with little scope for future development.

In contrast, thedevelopers say thatfuture versions of theDrop Tag sensorplatform will be ableto log more detailsabout whathappenedto a parcelduring transitincluding theexact timethat any incidentsoccurred.

bluetooth low energy tag warns if parcel has been dropped

Solar-powered wireless sensors dispense with batteriesResearchers at Columbia University in the U.S. are developing a nanoscale wireless sensor chip architecture that is claimed to run on one percent of the power of current technologies.

Such a low power requirement would allow the device to dispense with batteries and use energy-harvesting techniques - such as solar power - to provide a power source.

The researchers claim the sensors eliminate maintenance requirements and once installed could remain in place functioning autonomously until they wear out or disintegrate.

To conserve power, the sensors are designed to transmit over short distances passing data across a network of devices rather than to a node at longer range.

A key part of the sensors is an architectural features that compensates for the fact that nanoscale transistors are less reliable than conventional semiconductor devices and cannot sustain large signal levels.

The chips face competition from ULP wireless transceivers, that, while requiring a small battery, can operate in power-conserving modes for several years without requiring a new cell and are available now.

Wireless nanoscale sensor chip uses energy-harvesting techniques to power itself

Drop Tag warns consumersif their parcel has beendropped during its journey

This GPS tracker couldn’t be easier to use claims its developer

The latest developments in technology

uLp wireLess trenDs

uLp wireLess quarter | SPRING 2013 | 5 www.nordicsemi.com

news

In brief

Nordic has announced a design partnership with Taiwanese original design manufacturer (ODM) Joybien. The venture is intended to accelerate the development of low-cost wirelessly controlled Bluetooth low energy ‘appcessories’ for the toy sector. An early product was demonstrated at the recent U.S. International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The toy was a low-cost racing car model based on a Lamborghini sports car - using a Nordic nRF51822 SoC - remotely controlled by a Bluetooth Smart Ready (Bluetooth v4.0) smartphone.

Partnership for smart toys

New ANT+ Bike Power profile

A new version of the ANT+ Bike Power profile allows ANT+ enabled bike power sensors to report advanced data metrics including Torque Effectiveness and Pedal Smoothness in real time. The data provide cyclists with greater opportunity to analyze power efficiency and performance of individual legs. The Torque Effectiveness feature specifically measures percentage force used to pull up and push down the left and right pedals, and Pedal Smoothness calculates how evenly a cyclist applies power in their left/right pedal stroke.

ULP IC market to hit $2bn by 2016The total size of the ULP wireless IC market will exceed $2 billion by 2016, according to analysts ABI Research. ABI says the market will be divided among a number of wireless technologies with Bluetooth low energy (Bluetooth Smart) being a main contributor. “Bluetooth Smart has seen strong growth in applications such as sports & fitness, in many cases supplanting proprietary technologies,” comments ABI’s Peter Cooney. “Shipments [could] grow to over one billion units per annum in the next five years.”

Nordic Semiconductor has launched a lower-cost variant of its award-winning

nRF51822 Bluetooth low energy and proprietary 2.4GHz System-on-Chip (SoC).

The variant offers an identical feature-, peripheral-, and performance-set but half the Flash memory at 128kB (instead of the existing version's 256kB).

This new part will complement the current chip by targeting the most price-sensitive ULP wireless applications that are typically high-volume consumer products such as entry-level PC mice and keyboards, smartphone accessories, and toys.

The nRF51822 (128kB) offers pin-to-pin compatibility with the existing nRF51822 (256kB) and serves as a drop-in replacement

enhanced 2.4GHz radio, 32-bit ARM Cortex-M0 based processor, and multiprotocol capability of the current chip.

Like its larger-memory sister product, the nRF51822 (128kB) variant is 100 percent on-air compatible with Nordic’s existing nRF24L Series ICs.

“This new nRF51822 128kB variant means that the maximum range of products can benefit from the technically superior performance and design advantages of the nRF51 Series,” comments Geir Langeland, Nordic Semiconductor’s Director of Sales & Marketing. “But the reduced expense means manufacturers will still be able to compete successfully in even the lower cost segments of the consumer electronics market.”

for current designs that can operate with half the Flash memory. This enables cost savings while ensuring smooth migration without any engineering risk or re-qualification requirements.

The chip's identical architecture offers the same

Nordic Semiconductor is collaborating with MediaTek to develop design solutions using Bluetooth v4.0 (which includes Bluetooth low energy). The designs will wirelessly link 'smart TVs' to peripheral devices - such as remote controls and game controllers - as part of a strategy to make the smart TV the digital hub for all home entertainment and monitoring activities.

Smart TVs are characterized by the integration of computing power, Internet, and Web 2.0 features. Existing products allow the user to access online interactive media, Internet TV, and on-demand streaming media, while relying less on traditional broadcast media.

Using Bluetooth v4.0 to link a range of control and monitoring devices to smart TVs could enable consumers to enjoy remote navigation of electronic program guides (EPGs) and media libraries, communicate with the set using voice input, and display information from sports, fitness & health monitors such as heart rate belts, weight

Low-cost nRF51822 is identical to existing version but with less Flash

Making smart TVs the hub of the home

Low-cost soC targets price sensitive consumer products

6 | SPRING 2013 | uLp wireLess quarter www.nordicsemi.com

scales, medical thermometers, and blood-glucose meters , for example. In addition, users will be able to play games and use apps to control and monitor the temperature, humidity, and ventilation in their home - among other functionality.

At the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held in January in Las Vegas, Nordic and MediaTek, a leading fabless semiconductor company for wireless communications and digital multimedia solutions,

highlighted an early part of their vision using a Bluetooth low energy remote to control a smart TV. The demonstration used Nordic’s new nRFready Smart Remote 2, a complete hardware and software reference design using the company’s nRF51822 SoC running the Bluetooth v4.0 HID over GATT (HoG) profile for RF remote controls suitable for advanced browsing control of Internet- and Web 2.0-enabled TVs and set-top boxes (STBs) (see this issue pg 7).

Wireless connectivity will maximize the potential of smart TVs

uLp wireLess quarter | SPRING 2013 | 7

reference designs updated with multiprotocol soCs

the release of Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF51 Series of ultra low power (ULP) RF Systems-on-

Chip (SoC) in June 2012 (see ULP WQ Summer 2012 pg 6) offered designers enhanced RF performance from their wireless designs. Keen to demonstrate just what the new chips can do, the company used the occasion of International CES - the world’s premier consumer electronics show held in Las Vegas during January - to introduce reference designs based on the nRF51822 for wireless desktop- and remote control-applications.

The nRFready Desktop 2 reference design extends the company’s existing range of separate Bluetooth low energy and 2.4GHz proprietary nRFready Desktop (1.x) reference designs to include a product that simultaneously supports class-leading Bluetooth low energy and proprietary 2.4GHz wireless technology courtesy of the nRF51822 SoC’s multiprotocol capability. The nRFready Desktop 2 also supports Near Field Communication (NFC) proximity pairing as well as other NFC features for Human Interface Device (HID) functionality.

These features make it an good staring point for developing next generation wireless keyboard and mouse designs, independent of technology trends, while providing full backward compatibility with previous Nordic-based 2.4GHz proprietary designs based on the nRFready Desktop 1.2 (or later) and Nordic Gazell software protocol.

The nRFready Desktop 2 allows manufacturers of desktop PC peripherals to release

products into the market that can simultaneously and adaptively support Bluetooth low energy and Nordic’s proprietary 2.4GHz Gazell protocol in a single product. (Gazell is a proprietary low-power protocol for HID peripherals that can work reliably in even the most challenging 2.4GHz RF environments.)

Commercial protectionSimilarly, the nRFready Smart Remote 2 allows remote control manufacturers to bring products to market that can simultaneously support Bluetooth low energy (via the HID over GATT profile) and proprietary 2.4GHz wireless technology in the same product form factor. This offers developers a high level of commercial protection against

news extra

www.nordicsemi.com

nordic unveils new versions of its Desktop- and smart remote-reference designs with support for Bluetooth low energy and proprietary 2.4GHz software

the nRFready Smart Remote 2 features a multitouch enabled TouchPad from Synaptics, a miniaturized Qwerty keyboard, a six-axis motion sensing solution from Invensense, and an ultra low power accelerometer from STMicroelectronics.

“Internet-enabled smart TVs, set-top boxes and their supporting TV-based apps are what consumers want,” says Geir Langeland, Nordic Semiconductor’s Director of Sales & Marketing. “But navigating and controlling these devices with a traditional IR remote can be frustrating, slow, and annoying - which isn’t helping consumer adoption and use. Smart RF remotes are the solution that users are crying out for.” (See ULP Wireless Q Winter 2009 page 6.) Z

For more information on the nRFready reference designs go to www.nordicsemi.com.

The Desktop 2 is a good staring point for developing next generation wireless keyboard and mouse designs, independent of technology trends

future consumer technology trends.

The Smart Remote 2 is a complete hardware and software reference design. Nordic says the remote provides a platform for developing remote controls for the latest Internet-enabled and Web 2.0 digital TVs and set-top boxes (STB). The company is collaborating with leading fabless semiconductor company MediaTek to realize a vision of the smart TV as the hub for all home entertainment and monitoring activities (see this issue page 6).

Prime application examples for the device include audio, video, gaming, web browsing, social media, and online shopping, where an essential ingredient to the success and adoption of these services by end users is the remote control. To this end

See the full round table video at: http://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=r9ZJKimoDWU

The video was originally published by Incisor. This digital publication is produced by Click I.T.

Further Information

8 | SPRING 2013 | uLp wireLess quarter www.nordicsemi.com

rounD tabLe

During CES in Las Vegas last January Incisor.TV, a UK-based trade publication, hosted

and recorded the latest edition of its annual round table debate on the wireless segment.

This time round the participants, including Nordic’s Svein-Egil Nielsen, Director of Emerging Technologies & Strategic Partnerships and Chairman, Board of Directors, Bluetooth SIG, and Rod Morris, Vice President, ANT Wireless, debated energy harvesting, the smart home, and Bluetooth v4.0’s competition among other topics. This extract also includes a comment from Tim Fowler, Commercial Director, Wireless Division, Cambridge Consultants.

Vince Holton, Editor-in-Chief of Incisor.TV, and Lisa Arrowsmith, Research Manager, Connectivity, IHS Electronics & Media asked the questions and the following is a selection of Nielsen’s and Morris’ responses.

Vince Holton: How is ultra low power (ULP) wireless

going to compete with energy harvesting devices such as those recently announced by the ZigBee Alliance?

Svein-Egil Nielsen: If you have a technology that features ultra low power consumption to begin with then it can be adapted to energy harvesting. No one technology has a monopoly on energy harvesting. For example, Bluetooth already uses energy harvesting in the form of solar-powered keyboards.

Rod Morris: Energy harvesting is not new. How you generate the power to run your radio really should have no bearing on either part. There’s also more than one way to solve this problem; for example, it’s possible to run ANT in a mode that consumes so little power that effectively the coin cell lasts as long as it would if it was stored on a shelf. With four or five years from a coin cell you’re effectively talking about a disposable device where it’s not intended that you would ever change the battery.

Lisa Arrowsmith: Have we reached a situation where standards have penetrated into all the areas of the market where their advantages are valued, and proprietary will still retain some niches?

SEN: It’s definitely not a static market. And from Nordic Semiconductor’s perspective some existing customers that use a proprietary solution will shift to a standard one as long as the key requirements such as cost, performance, and power consumption are met.

VH: The smart home is an area where standards are competing; is any likely to dominate or are we looking at a fragmented market?

SEN: This part of the wireless ecosystem hasn’t settled down yet. Wi-Fi is going to be a player, so is Bluetooth wireless technology.

RM: I think that what’s holding back home automation is a compelling application.

VH: Is there likely to be more consolidation between the various alliances pushing standards?

SEN: What you’re currently seeing is various parts of the wireless map being filled in. For example, Wi-Fi is going after the high-speed part of the market. But the idea of a standard is to grab as much of the market as possible so it makes sense for each standard to attack all applications – but some technologies will inevitably be better suited to certain segments than others.

VH: Will short range wireless technologies be able to play in the lucrative machine-to-machine (M2M) market?

Debating the wireless futureIncisor.TV asked the questions at its annual gathering of key executives from the wireless sector held alongside Ces

Tim Fowler: From our perspective, the technology that’s growing fastest in that space is Bluetooth low energy. Because it’s already in smartphones you can take a bunch of devices and network them. That’s not because Bluetooth low energy has a right to that market, but just that it’s in another part of the system that you need it to be in.

LA: To what extent will these devices communicate directly with the smartphone? Or will they have to go via a gateway?

rounD tabLe

uLp wireLess quarter | SPRING 2013 | 9 www.nordicsemi.com

cellphone companies to get them to turn on the technology.

LA: What were the most significant events for the wireless industry in 2012?

SEN: I think 2012 was exciting because it was the year that Bluetooth low energy got the attention that I think it deserves.

RM: I think 2012 was the year that activity monitoring really exploded as a new product segment. After years of predicting it was going to happen, this was the year that things really started to take off. Z

RM: The cellphone interaction comes down to the use case and the consumer involvement. If it’s home monitoring of elderly patients or something like that it’ll probably be an installed gateway in their home rather than based around a cellphone.

VH: NFC [Near Field Communication] is virtually unknown among consumers; does it have a future?

SEN: I like NFC, it’s a promising technology that’s doing fine in many areas. It’s part of the Bluetooth specification, and

Nordic, for example, uses NFC pairing on its Bluetooth low energy keyboard and mouse reference design.

VH: Does Bluetooth v4.0 have any competition in mobiles?

SEN: I don’t think Bluetooth v4.0 has any competition because it's ubiquitous in handsets.

RM: I don’t think there has to be only one solution. ANT is supported in most of the multimode comms chips that are in cellphones today. Perhaps the reason why NFC is struggling

is because it does require new hardware and antenna to be added to a cellphone where real estate and cost are paramount. ANT can still play in the cellphone because it doesn’t add any cost and leverages the existing radios. So there is some competition for personal area networks [PANs] to Bluetooth low energy in the cellphone market.

VH: How do you get more of the handset manufacturers to enable ANT in cellphones?

RM: It's a case of speaking to the more informed people in the

Wireless sports & fitness sensors, long adopted by professionals, are now making it into the mainstream

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“2012 was the year that wireless activity monitoring really exploded as a new product segment” Rod MoRRIs, ANT WIReless

www.nordicsemi.com10 | SPRING 2013 | ulp wireless quarter ulp wireless quarter | SPRING 2013 | 11 www.nordicsemi.com

ulp prODuCt seleCtiOn guiDe

Find the chip you need using this latest listing of every nordic product

ultra low power wireless connectivity solutions

DATE: Q1 2013

Product Line

Product SeriesRF: Radio Frequency

“wireless”

ICsIntegrated Circuits

“chips”

OperatingBand

WirelessProtocol

IC Type

On-chip CPU

On-chip Memory

OTP: One TimeProgramable

Peripherals Applications

Ref. Designs Dev Tools

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2.4 GHz RF

nRF24L

nRF24LE1 2.4GHz Proprietary l 80511kB + 256B RAM

16kB + 1.5kB Flash16MHz / 32kHz Crystal

16MHz / 32kHz RCl l l l l l l l l l l l l l l

PC Desktop, Smart Remote, R/C Toy

nRFgo Dev Kit Prog. Kit

nRF24LE1 OTP 2.4GHz Proprietary l 80511kB + 256B RAM16kB + 1kB OTP

16MHz / 32kHz Crystal16MHz / 32kHz RC

l l l l l l l l l l l l l l lPC Desktop, Smart Remote,

R/C ToynRFgo Dev Kit

Prog. Kit

nRF24LU1+ 2.4GHz Proprietary l 80512kB + 256B RAM

16/32kB Flash16MHz Crystal l l l l l l l l l l

PC Desktop, Smart Remote, R/C Toy

nRFgo Dev Kit Prog. Kit

nRF24LU1+ OTP 2.4GHz Proprietary l 80512kB + 256B RAM16kB + 1kB OTP

16MHz Crystal l l l l l l l l l lPC Desktop, Smart Remote,

R/C ToynRFgo Dev Kit

Prog. Kit

nRF24L01+ 2.4GHz Proprietary l – – 16MHz Crystal l l l l l – Eval Kit

nRF24Audio Streamer

nRF2460 (mono) 2.4GHz Proprietary l – – 16MHz Crystal l l l l l l Microphone nRFgo Dev Kit

nRF24Z1 (stereo) 2.4GHz Proprietary l – – 16MHz Crystal l l l l l l l – Eval Kit

nRF51 nRF51822 2.4GHzBluetooth v4.0+

&Proprietary

l Cortex M016kB RAM

128kB or 256kB Flash16MHz / 32kHz Crystal

16MHz / 32kHz RCl l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l PC Desktop, Smart Remote Eval Kit, Dev Kit

Sub 1-GHz RF

nRF900Multiband

nRF9E5433 / 868915MHz

Proprietary l 8051 4kB + 256B RAM4 / 8 / 12 / 16 / 20MHz

Crystall l l l l l – Eval Kit

nRF905433 / 868915MHz

Proprietary l – –4 / 8 / 12 / 16 / 20MHz

Crystall l – Eval Kit

Bluetooth low energy

nRF8000nRF8001 2.4GHz

Bluetoothv4.0+

l – –16MHz / 32kHz Crystal

32kHz RCl l l l l l l l l l

PC Desktop, Smart Remote,Smartphone Demo Apps

nRFgo Dev Kit Prog. Kit

nRF8002 2.4GHzBluetooth

v4.0+l – –

16MHz Crystal32kHz RC

l lKey Tag,

Smartphone Demo AppsnRFgo Dev Kit

Prog. Kit

nRF51 nRF51822 2.4GHzBluetooth v4.0+

&Proprietary

l Cortex M016kB RAM

128kB or 256kB Flash16MHz / 32kHz Crystal

16MHz / 32kHz RCl l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l

PC Desktop, Smart Remote,Smartphone Demo Apps

Eval Kit, Dev Kit

ANT

nRF24AP2

nRF24AP2-1CH 2.4GHz ANT l – – 16MHz / 32kHz Crystal l l l l l l Smartphone Demo Apps ANT Dev Kit

nRF24AP2-8CH 2.4GHz ANT l – – 16MHz / 32kHz Crystal l l l l l l Smartphone Demo Apps ANT Dev Kit

nRF24AP2-USB 2.4GHz ANT l – – 16MHz Crystal l l l l l ANT USB Dongle ANT Dev Kit

nRF51 nRF51422 2.4GHz ANT l Cortex M016kB RAM

256kB Flash16MHz / 32kHz Crystal

16MHz / 32kHz RCl l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l Smartphone Demo Apps Eval Kit, Dev Kit

12 | SPRING 2013 | uLp wireLess quarter www.nordicsemi.com

inDustry perspeCtiVe

the TV is rapidly evolving beyond just displaying terrestrial broadcasts. The popularity of video-

on-demand services such as Google TV and Netflix mean that consumers are getting more and more of their TV via the Internet; it’s quick, convenient and on-demand. TV makers are taking notice of this trend and introducing TVs with bigger and bigger brains – today’s smart TV is actually a TV/computer hybrid incorporating a decent chunk of processing power combined with fast Internet and wireless connectivity and a user interface that makes finding the right content child’s play.

At the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this year, many new smart TV models came with integrated streaming and the ability to customize the TV’s functionality with apps including video-on-demand interfaces and games. A typical smart TV user interface allows the consumer to use a search engine to find whatever they want to watch.

But how does the consumer steer their way around all this functionality (which often demands navigating complicated nested and multilayered menus?) Controlling smart TV user interfaces has gone a long way beyond what infrared (IR) remotes can do. This technology will continue to be used in entry-level TVs, but for today’s smart TVs RF is the natural choice, handling even the most complex functions with ease. Controlling the LG GA7900 smart TV for example, is LG’s Magic Bluetooth

remote, which features a full Qwerty keyboard on the back and voice recognition capability.

Developments in RF technology mean that power consumption can be reduced through clever low power and sleep modes, allowing the remote to be powered for long periods by AA or AAA batteries. The remote's range is long enough for even the biggest living rooms and is not confined to line-of-sight operation. There's still a cost implication, of course, but for a high-end smart TV this is no longer seen as a barrier.

Smarter RF technologyRF technologies available for remote controls include

RF4CE and Bluetooth wireless technology, with the latter in particular already seeing wide adoption by the TV community. The latest version of Bluetooth technology, version 4.0, includes Bluetooth low energy as a key element. Billed as the answer to wireless connectivity for small, coin cell-powered peripheral devices such as sensors, does this new variant of Bluetooth technology fit with the needs of today’s smart TV makers?

“I think Bluetooth low energy is a natural successor to classic Bluetooth for remote controls,” says Svein-Egil Nielsen, Chair of the Board of Directors for the Bluetooth SIG, and senior executive with Bluetooth low

smart tVs need smart remote controlsthe rapid evolution and proliferation of features in today’s smart tVs is placing increasing demands on the humble remote control, as Sally Ward-Foxton finds out

Sally Ward-Foxton is a freelance journalist specializing in electronics

At a glance Controlling smart TV

user interfaces has gone a long way beyond what IR remotes can do

While classic Bluetooth technology is already widely adopted in the TV space, Bluetooth low energy offers advantages for remote control applications

In the future, designers will take full advantage of Bluetooth low energy’s connectivity options to differentiate their products from those of competitors

LG’s GA7900 is typical of a new generation of smart TVs. Users can customize the set with downloadable apps. The TV’s remote uses Bluetooth wireless technology

uLp wireLess quarter | SPRING 2013 | 13 www.nordicsemi.com

inDustry perspeCtiVe

smart TV, instead of the computer, could become a senior’s terminal to the Internet.

Nielsen commented that while it’s possible devices such as smartphones will be able to do the job of a remote control (the latest Apple iPhone is Bluetooth Smart Ready, for example), he doesn’t see the handset as a complete replacement.

“It’s a different user paradigm – the remote control belongs to the TV, the iPhone belongs to you,” he says. “If you are sitting watching football and drinking beer with your friends, are you going to pass your iPhone around [so they can control the TV]? I don’t think so!”

Hub of the homeA vision of how a smart TV and smart remote system could work was displayed by TV chipset maker MediaTek on its booth at CES 2013. Based on Nordic’s nRFready Smart Remote 2 reference design, the demo system uses the nRF51822 SoC, a single-chip Bluetooth low energy solution using the Bluetooth v4.0 HID over GATT (HoG) profile. The demo remote was able to navigate the smart TV’s EPG (Electronic Program Guide) easily as well as control an on-screen music library. It also included a multitouch touchpad (used by a games app), six-axis motion sensing, and a full Qwerty keyboard for navigation.

“We believe Bluetooth low energy will be the standard technology for TV remote controls in the near future,” says MediaTek’s Max Hsu.

According to Hsu, it’s the features of Bluetooth low energy that enable an omnidirectional remote with higher data rates and bidirectional data transmission that favor it over mainstream IR and proprietary RF technologies.

“Bluetooth low energy is also more power-saving, perfect for battery-powered devices,” he adds.

“As long as there are Bluetooth low energy applications around, such as near field device pairing and sensor networks, TVs will have to be equipped with the technology, as the central entertainment hub of the home,” concludes Hsu. Z

unsurprisingly, is power consumption. With strong market forces and initiatives like the One-Watt programme and Energy Star driving down the power consumption of mains connected devices, power consumption has never been more important and upgrading to lower power versions of Bluetooth will support this aim. Power consumption in battery-powered remotes is just as important, as consumers are used to the cells in IR remotes lasting years. Since Bluetooth low energy is designed with coin-cell operated devices in mind, with a current of around 15 milliamps when the radio transceiver is operating, and around one microamp when in sleep mode.

Bluetooth Smart (the consumer branding for Bluetooth low energy-equipped products) also builds on the legacy of previous versions of Bluetooth wireless technology by offering support

for communication with multiple devices. A Bluetooth Smart remote control could look after not just the TV but perhaps a DVD player or games console too, without becoming confused.

Race to add featuresThe race to add more features in order to differentiate smart TVs is another key driver behind the adoption of new technologies in this space. Svein-Egil Nielsen’s vision is that designers will take full advantage of Bluetooth low energy’s connectivity options as they look for opportunities to add more features.

“TV makers should be looking at whether they can use Bluetooth low energy for more than just entertainment, for instance, connecting with other Bluetooth low energy-enabled sensors like heart rate monitors or blood pressure meters,” Nielsen says, adding that, in the future, the

“Bluetooth as a technology has made great inroads into the TV market and Bluetooth low energy is a natural progression” sVeIN-egIl NIelseN

energy chipmaker Nordic Semiconductor. “It’s a market that is yet to develop, though. Bluetooth as a technology has made great inroads into the TV market – many TVs from the big players have Bluetooth remote controls already. They haven’t come to Bluetooth low energy yet, but it’s a natural progression, I think.”

Nielsen points out that the technology offers several key benefits for TV remotes.

“Bluetooth low energy offers some benefits versus classic Bluetooth for remote controls,” he says. “For a start, Bluetooth low energy remotes are much more responsive. The way Bluetooth remotes save power is that when you put the remote down, the Bluetooth controller powers down. But with Bluetooth basic rate, waking up takes a long time - it can take up to a second, meaning that when you pick up the remote it doesn’t respond immediately. Bluetooth low energy doesn’t have that problem, it’s much faster, seeming like it never powered down in the first place.”

Bluetooth low energy chips do go to sleep, but they wake from sleep mode (when a button is pressed) in around 2.5ms, which adds a lot to the overall responsivity of the remote. The maximum latency when both the transmitter and receiver start from deep sleep mode is 50ms, perceived as instantaneous by a user changing the TV channel or navigating a menu.

The other big advantage of Bluetooth low energy,

The nRFready Smart Remote 2 from Nordic is a complete hardware and software reference design for a Bluetooth low energy remote

Bluetooth low energy-powered remotes will be able to support Qwerty keyboards

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14 | SPRING 2013 | uLp wireLess quarter www.nordicsemi.com

Fitness FoCus

Last January, Google’s co-founder, 39-year-old Moscow-born computer scientist Sergey Brin,

ventured onto the New York subway wearing what appeared to be outsized ski goggles. The U.K.’s Independent newspaper reported that the eyewear was in fact a prototype of an ‘augmented reality’ device.

Using a small screen sited on the right lens, along with a camera, microphone, and speakers, users can point the camera at objects or people and download information from the Internet about who or what they’re looking at.

But while Google’s glasses are impressive, Brin might be mildly surprised to hear that his company wasn’t the first to roll out the new gadget. But he’d be amazed to find out that Microsoft, Amazon, or Samsung didn’t beat Google to the market, rather a small European company specializing in fitness monitoring.

Based in Weinheim, Germany, o-synce (pronounced ‘o-science’) was founded in 2008 and its augmented reality eyewear provides a visual display of fitness data without the person exercising having to take their eyes off the road ahead.

Fighting obesity“In every region of the world, obesity doubled between 1980 and 2008,” said Dr Ties Boerma, Director of the Department of Health Statistics at World Health Organization (WHO) in a statement. “Today [2012], half a billion people [12 percent of the world’s population] are considered obese.”

Obesity is a precursor of ailments such as diabetes and hypertension (high blood pressure) that can lead to

cardiovascular disease and strokes. One in three adults, according to WHO’s World health statistics 2012 report, suffers from hypertension – which causes around half of all deaths from stroke and heart failure – and one in ten has diabetes.

Prevention of obesity is an important pillar of many governments’ health policies and the official advice is that reducing calorie intake and increasing exercise is of great benefit.

Taking regular exercise can be tedious, but a proven motivator is tracking improvements in fitness. There are scores of products that can do this, ranging from footpods measuring distance run, through heart rate monitors (HRMs) wirelessly linked to smartphone-based apps, to sophisticated HRM-paired sportswatches. Some of these devices can track speed and distance via GPS and download the data to specialist websites via a wireless link when the user passes near their PC. Although these are impressive products, however, due to their compact nature, checking performance on tiny screens in anything but perfect conditions can be an inconvenience.

Eyes on the road“Glancing down at a smartphone or sportswatch while cycling or running is a distraction, but far worse is having to manually scroll through menus in poor light or peer at a sportswatch in driving rain,” explains Dirk Sandrock, o-synce’s CEO.

“Our solution is to provide a constant readout of the information the exerciser wants without them having to take their eyes off the road ahead.”

Called ‘screeneye X’, o-synce’s product projects fitness data

onto an LCD display integrated into the visor of the cap and positioned in front of the user’s left eye. The unit can display a full range of training data (current, average, and maximum)

screeneye X puts the answer to the challenge of exercise motivation right in front of your eyes. UlP Wireless Q reports

Heads-up on heart health

including elapsed time, heart rate, speed, distance, stop times, lap times, cadence, calories burned, plus training zones, coaching tips, and ambient temperature. screeneye X is

For more information on o-synce go to: www.o-synce.com

screeneye x constantly displays heart rate information at eye level

uLp wireLess quarter | SPRING 2013 | 15www.nordicsemi.com

Fitness FoCus

controlled using three discrete buttons embedded in the visor.

Not only does screeneye x make running, Nordic skiing or rowing safer, it also simplifies zone training – an increasingly popular fitness regime that relies on the user maintaining

heart rate in a narrow band. (See ‘Staying in the zone’ above.)

“Many people are now adopting a zone training approach where they work to maintain a heart rate that’s a set

handsets. (See ULP Wireless Q this issue page 16.)

The nRF24AP2 ANT chip suited o-synce’s requirement to minimize power consumption. This single-chip connectivity solution operates with average currents in the microampere range (for example, in simple broadcast mode, average operating current is 9 microamps). That helps to dramatically extend battery life.

To keep overall power consumption down, a light collecting film is integrated into screeneye x which absorbs ultraviolet light from the sun and then fluoresces to illuminate the data on the LCD display. The technology also allows regulation of illumination to alter the display: In a bright environment the display contrast is high and in a dark environment the contrast is low to prevent glare effects.

The Nordic transceiver’s performance allied to the efficient fluorescent display enables screeneye X to operate from a built in 150µAh rechargeable cell that’s around 33 percent smaller and lighter than a typical 225mAh CR2032 coin cell (watch) battery.

“Ultra low power wireless is the best way to transmit data from fitness sensors to display devices,” says Sandrock. “ANT+ is our preference because it’s a proven technology used in millions of sports and fitness sensors across the world.

“And it was very important that we kept the power consumption low to extend battery life and meet consumer expectations. While there are other ultra low power technologies available, none was able to approach the battery life offered by Nordic’s chip and ANT’s software.”

screeneye X may not be able to detail the origins of Gothic architecture when the user is examining a French cathedral – in the way that Internet giant Google’s product promises – but it does do something far more useful; it helps to strengthen the user's heart. Better yet, it’s available now. Z

a smartphone or sportswatch even in the best of conditions. But with screeneye X, heart rate information is constantly displayed at eye level.”

o-synce has taken advantage

percentage of the maximum,” explains Sandrock. “That requires checking the heart rate every few seconds which is difficult with

of ANT+ wireless

technology to connect the sensors

monitoring the user’s performance to screeneye X.

The company choose Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF24AP2 ANT chips, running Canada-based Dynastream Innovation’s ANT RF protocol software and ANT+ managed networks for two key reasons: interoperability and low power consumption.

“The market for sports monitoring is rapidly evolving,” notes Sandrock. “Formerly it was dominated by proprietary technology targeting a niche audience. But today, a much wider group has embraced smartphone-supported fitness apps. That makes it important for companies like o-synce to adopt technology that links both to the mobile everyone has in their pocket and the widest range of fitness sensors from multiple vendors.”

Simple pairingANT+ underwrites this strategy because it offers interoperability with equipment from the hundreds of companies that are members of the ANT+ Alliance. Users can, for example, select a HRM from one Alliance member and a cadence pod from another safe in the knowledge that they will pair with screeneye X and then transfer data seamlessly. (The nRF24AP2 ANT chip can simultaneously cope with inputs from eight separate sensors.)

According to Sandrock, screeneye X already connects to fitness sensors from scores of manufacturers, and the next generation of the product will communicate with smartphones from major manufacturers that are embedding ANT+ into their

Staying in the zoneTraining zone heart rates are calculated by subtracting the resting heart rate from the maximum heart rate (typically 220 bpm minus age) - to give the working heart rate - then multiplying by the required percentage to exercise in the required zone and adding the result to the resting heart rate.

For example, a person aged 30 with a resting heart rate of 55 bpm might want to develop the cardiovascular system for greater aerobic capacity. The aerobic training zone occurs at between 70 and 80 percent of the person’s working heart rate; in this case that would be between (((220-30) – 55) x 70 or 80 percent) + 55 = 150 and 163 bpm.

For more on ANT go to: www.thisisant.com; for more on the nRF24AP2 go to: tinyurl.com/nRF24AP2-8CH

To keep overall power consumption down, a light collecting film is integrated into screeneye x which absorbs ultraviolet light from the sun and then fluoresces to illuminate the data on the LCD display

16 | SPRING 2013 | uLp wireLess quarter www.nordicsemi.com

inDustry perspeCtiVe

Convergence is a hot topic again. But this time its impact on people’s everyday

lives will dwarf the computer-communications-consumer (3C) version of the 1990s. Today, the design community is being challenged to find ways to link any device that potentially can draw electric current with the rest of cyberspace. Watches, toasters, weight scales, and thermostats; bicycles, blood pressure monitors, and smartphones are just a few candidates for the new convergence.

In the tiniest and most cost sensitive devices, power consumption will be an important consideration but other design issues such as network topologies and security will be also feel the pressure to simplify, simplify in order to achieve optimal results.

The latest generation of smartphones are the driving force behind the convergence of computers, communications, and the ‘Internet of Things’ — the term used to describe a network of everyday devices (such as toasters, key fobs, thermostats) that seamlessly link to the global information network and become active participants in business processes. Mobile phones are very people-centric: almost everyone has one and carries it most of the time. Smartphones are the ideal universal jumping off point from Personal Area Networking (PAN) to the Internet of Things and to the myriad applications, widgets, and tools that enable the anywhere,

anytime computing paradigm. Ultra low power (ULP) wireless

enables the coin cell-powered devices that make up a PAN to communicate. Smartphone manufacturers, keen to ensure their products cements their position as the hub linking PANs to the Internet are now incorporating the technology into their latest handsets.

ANT on the moveSince Dynastream Innovations and its ANT protocol are best known in the design community for a strong market position in fitness applications, sensor-data acquisition, and PANs that link watches and dedicated, single-use devices to PCs, it may come as something of a surprise to find out that the technology is also present in many of the

breakthrough came in June 2012 when ANT Wireless announced ANT+ Android USB support with version of the Android platform from 3.1 and above.

This suddenly provided a link from millions of existing and future Android phones and tablets. Previously, Android was excluded and only dongles for iPhones were available from third-party companies.

Most smartphone users would prefer not to use a dongle or USB stick, of course; and it turns out, with a little bit of cooperation from the handset vendors, that in the future they won’t have to. Smartphone manufacturers do not even have to add any additional hardware to activate ANT. “All multimode communication chips from the major vendors support ANT,”

ant makes inroads in smartphone marketultra low power and network flexibility will give ant an advantage when smartphones start talking to everything with an electronic pulse. by Jack Shandle

At a glance Every recent smartphone

can implement ANT

Two smartphone vendors now offer ANT without dongles or USB sticks

Network flexibility gives ANT a power advantage over its competition

smartphones on the shelves today - even those where it’s not listed in the feature set.

Through the use of a dongle or USB stick, many smartphones can take advantage of the ANT protocol for recording and monitoring fitness activity and any of the hundreds of other coin-cell battery powered applications. A significant

By Jack Shandle, freelance writer specializing in semiconductors

Sony Ericsson’s Xperia active is compact, light, water-resistant, and aimed at people who take fitness seriously and were likely to already be familiar with ANT

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inDustry perspeCtiVe

friends,” continues Leonard. “Developers can use the huge smartphone ecosystem to support these appcessories instead of writing bespoke software that users will have to download and/or configure.”

Network flexibilityANT boasts a key advantage that makes it a good choice for the appcessory sector. Designers can implement a peer-to-peer model in which devices communicate independently with each other over up to eight channels. This benefit is a legacy of ANT’s original use model for sports watches paired with fitness sensors: It was assumed that all devices on the network would operate on a coin-cell battery so either could operate as master or slave. So now, for example, ANT allows a sports watch to be the master and the mobile phone to be the slave when it is appropriate.

In some cases, this network flexibility is decisive in determining product viability. For example, when engineers at DexCom Inc. started designing the smartphone-enabled DexCom continuous glucose monitoring system that can report glucose values every five minutes, they had to meet stringent power requirements: Once attached to the patient, the monitor had to operate for a week; and, there had to be support for multiple displays – the watch, the phone and potentially one for the physician’s remote office location. In this use case, the cell phone had to be the slave making ANT the best choice for ULP wireless connectivity.

In the brave new world of ubiquitous connectivity, the smartphone is destined to play a central role in a system linking cellular networks and the conventional Internet to potentially billions of tiny coin cell-powered accessories forming a new Internet of Things. Realizing this vision requires a solution to the challenge of price, power consumption, and network flexibility. ULP wireless technology is the answer. Z

be disclosed are also supporting ANT, says Morris.

ANT’s installed baseThere are two compelling reasons for mobile phone designers to turn ANT on. The first is its ULP capabilities, which make it a good choice for any designer of a peripheral device with stringent power restrictions that needs to communicate with a handset. These products will create new ecosystems for smartphones. ANT’s installed base is just as important: There are already 60 million ULP systems such as heart-rate-monitor (HRM) watches in the market combining Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF24AP2 hardware and ANT software.

The introduction of Nordic’s third-generation nRF51422 ANT chip in June 2012 will go a long way to clinch the deal. The nRF51422 combines a lower-power radio than the previous ANT chip and now integrates a powerful 32-bit ARM Cortex-M0 processor. A major benefit

is achieved in this new chip by separating the ANT protocol stack and user application code. This provides developers a clean boundary allowing them to focus design efforts on the application safe in the knowledge that the ANT RF protocol is protected and will operate perfectly.

“Nordic’s nRF51422 ANT chip will be used by third-party product developers for coin cell-powered accessories that are designed to communicate with smartphones,” says John Leonard, Nordic Semiconductor’s Tactical Marketing Manager. “These accessories, wirelessly paired with a smartphone app, are creating a new sector known as ‘appcessories’.

“For example, an accessory such as a heart rate monitor will communicate with the smartphone, which, using the app, processes the data to track trends, motivate the user, and share the information with

“developers can use the huge smartphone

ecosystem to support these appcessories

instead of writing bespoke software

that users will have to download”

JoHN leoNARd - NoRdIc seMIcoNdUcToR

says Rod Morris, Vice President of ANT Wireless at Dynastream. “All the vendors need to do is to turn it on with a software update. We are actively encouraging them to do just that.”

Sony Mobile was the first major vendor to turn on the ANT protocol and promote its advantages. ST-Ericsson’s multimode communications chip, the CG2905 GNSS/Bluetooth/FM device was unveiled in the Sony Mobile’s Xperia active model (see ULP WQ Winter 2011, pg. 12).

Xperia active was chosen for good reason – the handset is compact, light, water-resistant, and the perfect companion for people who take fitness seriously and were likely to already be familiar with ANT.

With the Xperia experience under its belt, Sony Mobile now fields 16 ANT-enabled models and is committed to offering ANT across its entire smartphone product line. Another prominent smartphone maker, Taiwan’s HTC Corp., integrated ANT into the link layer of the multimode chip of its Rhyme Android phones so it can operate concurrently with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. ANT-enabled Rhyme phones are particularly popular with the bicycling community – a sector where ANT is considered a de facto standard.

Another multimode communications chip for smartphones that provides ANT support is Texas Instruments’ WiLink 8, which supports Wi-Fi sensor systems, Bluetooth low energy, ANT+, and NFC. WiLink 7 also integrated ANT. Other silicon vendors whose names cannot

Accessories such as heart rate monitors, wirelessly paired with a smartphone app, are creating a new sector known as ‘appcessories’

18 | SPRING 2013 | uLp wireLess quarter www.nordicsemi.com

in tHe press

It was with a fair amount of disappointment that I had to perform a teardown on

the Fitbit Zip. Not that I don’t like taking things apart and analyzing their design. Quite the contrary; it’s one of the most fun tasks I get to perform as part of my job. The disappointment came because I got pretty attached to the device (figuratively). I’m a semi-regular runner, and the Zip helped me get the most out of my workouts. And taking it apart ended that relationship. If you’re familiar with my teardown articles, I only use one tool - a hammer. So putting the device back together was a non-issue.

You put the Fitbit Zip somewhere on your body, such as in your pocket, your sock, etc., and you keep it there all day, whether you’re doing an actual workout, walking through the mall, or doing just about anything that requires you to move. The device tracks your steps, distance, and calories burned, and syncs those stats to your computer and/or smartphone. In doing so, it keeps a record of how much more you do each day. The Zip encourages you to set and exceed goals. Being the competitive person that I am, it really worked.

But duty called, and it was time to end my relationship with the Zip. Taking it apart revealed frankly, not much. I guess that’s the beauty of the design, its simplicity from a hardware perspective. It contains a display, a processor, a communications IC, a bunch of sensors, and the usual passives and logic. The complex functionality combined with the limited number of components results in a fairly impressive design.

I reached out to Fitbit’s CEO,

teardown: Fitbit Zip packs lots of functionality into small packageRich Nass of leading u.s. magazine design News takes apart the latest activity monitor from Fitbit to find out what makes it tick

down to 9 mA (for a 1-second connection interval), the nRF8001 enables a battery life ranging from months to years from a single coin cell. It also includes an analog-to-digital converter for battery-level monitoring, and a low-tolerance 32-kHz RC oscillator that eliminates the need for an external 32-kHz crystal. That’s another example of how the Fitbit engineers minimized the components/size of the end device. The IC fits in a 5mm by 5mm QFN package.

Because there was no way to tell how and where the user would ‘wear’ the Zip, lots of scenario testing had to be done. According to Park, “We ran tests with the device being worn in all the places that it was likely to be worn and took measurements in all those spots. Obviously the characteristics of the radio and its performance will differ when it’s close to your body as opposed to just lying on a table.” ZJames Park, who, as it turns out,

was quite hands-on with the design of this device. Since this is the third (or fourth, depending on how you count) generation, the company had a lot of experience developing wearable wireless devices.

Continual refinementThe original Fitbit device debuted in 2009. The Ultra came out in 2011, and was a revision of the first product. Then there’s the Fitbit One and the Zip. A key part of the revisions was a continual refinement of the power management circuitry. Another component that shows up in the One that makes it a real differentiator is an altimeter, a sensor that lets the device measure the number of floors the user has climbed.

This Zip design was about two years in the making. First, there were a few months of white boarding and industrial design, etc. The remaining time was pretty straightforward engineering from there.

There are various wireless media that could have been deployed in the Zip. They chose Bluetooth low energy, specifically the nRF8001 from Nordic Semiconductor. The part integrates a fully compliant Bluetooth v4.0 low energy radio, link layer, and host stack, and features a simple serial interface that supports a wide range of external microprocessors. In the Zip, it connects to an STMicroelectronics Cortex M3 processor.

With peak currents as low as 12.5mA and average currents

The FitBit Zip encourages the user to set and exceed exercise goals

Design NewsThis article is an extract of a feature published on Design News’ website in January 2013 and is republished with permission

To see the article in full go to: http://tinyurl.com/azzzcjk

“There are various wireless media that could have been deployed in the Zip. FitBit chose Bluetooth low energy, specifically the nRF8001 from Nordic semiconductor”

www.nordicsemi.com

Per Magnus Østhus

peopLe & pLaCes

“Nordic has a very flat organizational structure, where you can go and ask anyone about anything. My desk is 5 meters away from two of the founders of Nordic who are very inspiring to chat with.”

Flying high: Per Magnus Østhus was quick to put his M.Sc into practice

Hi, I’m Per Magnus Østhus and I’m an R&D Engineer in the System Integration Group at

Nordic's R&D and corporate headquarters in Trondheim.

I joined Nordic a year-and-half ago after gaining an M.Sc in Digital Design from the local Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU) where I wrote my Master’s thesis for Nordic about the concurrent operation of Bluetooth low energy and ANT+ wireless networking protocols.

The thesis took me six months to complete and the day after I joined Nordic to put the theory into practice developing simulations for the (then) top secret nRF51 Series.

These were quite specific to the nRF51 Series architecture and required myself and another colleague who joined Nordic with me to climb a (very) steep learning curve. After this experience I was deeply impressed by both the simplicity and yet sophistication of the nRF51 Series architecture.

One example is the nRF51 Series' automated clock and power control. You just hook

batch of production samples of a next generation chip arrive. As this is typically six months later, it's too long to wait if a realistic time-to-market for a new chip is to be achieved.

We strive to make the FPGA prototypes mimic the production ASICs as closely as possible, but there are some things we cannot do in the same way such as the analog parts of the radio. Instead we have to use one of our older chips as a radio modem and create an FPGA-specific interface between the digital parts of the radio and the older chip. This causes some timing differences, but still enabled us to build a Bluetooth low energy stack when developing the nRF51822.

One of the things I really like about my job is the fact that Nordic has a very flat organizational structure, where you can go and ask anyone about anything. My desk is 5 meters from two of the founders of the company which is very inspiring.

Outside work I like playing the bass guitar, skiing (both with and without a kite pulling me), reading crime novels, biking, and drinking different kinds of beer. ZPer Magnus Østhus

up the right control signals, and the system makes sure that you only get a clock cycle when you need it. That's a really important feature because power consumption in digital logic is much lower when the clock is not running and this ultimately helps support exceptionally ultra low power operation.

Now I work mostly on the creation of FPGA prototypes once every two weeks for our software department so they can begin development and validation before each successive

uLp wireLess quarter | SPRING 2013 | 19

Personal ProfileNAME:

Per Magnus ØsthusJOB TITLE:

R&D EngineerJOINED NORDIC:

June 2011BASED:

Trondheim, NorwayINTERESTS INCLUDE:

Bass guitar, skiing, biking, crime novels, beer

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Joined nordic the day after finishing a masters thesis on its rF technology

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Nordic Semiconductor leads the world in ultra low power (watch battery) wireless and was instrumental in the development of the Bluetooth® low energy technology (or Bluetooth Smart technology as it will now be marketed to consumers) part of the latest Bluetooth v4.0 specification.

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