Philips Semiconductors announces TrueBlue - the complete plug-and-play Bluetooth radio module
Philips Semiconductors, a division of Royal Philips Electronics and the world's third largest manufacturer of telecommunications ICs, is to announce the latest addition to its portfolio of Bluetooth™ products at the Bluetooth Congress, Monaco, today. The TrueBlue (BGB100) 0dBm radio module is a cost-effective, plug-and-play, fully integrated radio module for use in cellular and multimedia Bluetooth applications. The module adds to an existing Bluetooth product portfolio, that includes the world's first commercially available Bluetooth chipset, plus a range of baseband controllers and 20 dBm RF power amplifiers, making Philips Semiconductors a single source for total Bluetooth solutions.
The TrueBlue 0dBm radio module is a short-range radio transceiver for wireless links in the globally available ISM band between 2402 and 2480 MHz. It comprises a fully integrated, near-zero IF transceiver chip, antenna filter, Tx/Rx switch, Tx and Rx baluns, VCO resonator and supply decoupling and is fully compliant with the Bluetooth radio specification v1.0. The module does not require any external RF components, merely connection to a suitable baseband controller and antenna. Control of the module's operating mode is carried out using a simple serial 3-wire bus. A high dynamic range RSSI output allows near-instantaneous assessment of radio link quality.
This new radio module has a typical sensitivity of -85dBm, in line with official Bluetooth specifications. In addition, the module offers a number of unique design features. Power consumption is reduced using open loop demodulation, which, not only reduces current consumption, but also reduces the effects of reference frequency breakthrough on reception quality. Cost and size are minimized using Philips Semiconductors' unique near-zero IF architecture in the RF transceiver which eliminates the need for expensive SAW filters. The entire radio module is contained in a single plug-and-play module measuring only 120mm², allowing all the complex RF circuitry in a Bluetooth design to be simply dropped into place in one position on the circuit board.
"The TrueBlue radio module benefits manufacturers through easier design-in, reduced cost of ownership and faster time to market. These benefits are obviously passed on to the consumer along with the high level of reliability and low power consumption of the device," said Robbert van der Waal, international product marketing manager for Bluetooth RF products, Philips Semiconductors. "The release of the TrueBlue radio module places Philips Semiconductors firmly at the forefront of silicon solutions for the rapidly expanding Bluetooth market. This is particularly important at the present time when Bluetooth products are about to be made commercially available making demand for Bluetooth solutions set for further explosive growth."
Philips Semiconductors, which has annual revenues of approximately $5 billion, designs and manufactures semiconductors and silicon systems platforms. Philips Semiconductors is spearheading the emerging field of systems on silicon solutions with the innovative Nexperia™ platform and VLSI Velocity™ tool set. The company's Sea-of-IP™ design methodology allows plug and play intellectual property blocks for easily customizable products. The company is a leader in communications, consumer, PC peripherals and automotive semiconductors, which are key applications for convergence in end-user products. Philips Semiconductors is headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, and has operations throughout the world. For more information: www.semiconductors.com.
Bluetooth is a trademark owned by Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson, Sweden and is licensed to Philips Semiconductors.