Ultra-wideband (UWB) is a wireless personalarea network communication technology with low power consumption and high-speedtransmission, which is very suitable for positioning and ranging applicationsbetween Internet of Things devices. This article will introduce the developmentof UWB technology and related applications and UWB module solutions introducedby Murata.
UWB technology can provide high-quality services for wireless communication applications.
In fact, UWB is not a new technology. In the 1960s, it was first applied to military communications, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved commercial use in 2002. UWB technology is a wireless carrier communication technology with a frequency bandwidth above 1GHz. It does not use a sinusoidal carrier, but uses non-sinusoidal narrow pulse waves from nanosecond (ns) to picosecond (ps) to transmit data. Time modulation technology greatly improves the transmission speed of UWB, and its power consumption is relatively low, and it has a more accurate positioning ability.
UWB technology spans a wide range of spectrum. FCC clearly defines that UWB technology occupies a bandwidth of more than 500MHz in the 3.1~10.6GHz band. It can be applied to wireless personal area networks (WPAN), home network connections, short-range radars, and other fields.
Using discontinuous narrow pulse waves, UWB has the characteristics and advantages of low power consumption, low device transmission power, high-speed transmission and high security. At the same time, because of its short pulse wave, it is difficult to detect. It has the characteristics and advantages of low interference, low cost, few components used, sharing spectrum with other existing wireless communication systems, etc. It is especially suitable for high-speed wireless access in indoor and other dense multi-path places.
UWB can be used in real-time positioning systems, and its advantages of accuracy and low power consumption make it very suitable for RF-sensitive environments, such as hospitals. Because UWB can be used for peer-to-peer fine ranging and can provide positioning accuracy of several centimeters, which allows many applications based on the relative distance between entities. It can also be widely used in indoor positioning functions of Internet of Things devices in factories, warehouses, offices and other places. Related products include various consumer goods (game controllers, sweeping robots, lawn mowers), engineering asset management, underground parking lot navigation and other applications.
Figure 1-1, UWB module of NXP S150 solution, Type-2BP
Accurate positioning of Internet of Things devices can be realized
For UWB positioning applications, Murata has introduced a number of modules suitable for safe and accurate distance measurement based on radio wave time of flight (ToF) and can realize accurate positioning for Internet of Things devices using UWB technology. Murata has introduced a number of UWB modules for different requirements, all of which are prepared to carry out FCC/IC/MIC (Japan) certification and ETSI report, and meet ISO9001 specifications.
Murata Type 2BP is an ultra-small UWB module, including NXP's SR150 UWB chipset, clock, filter and peripheral components. It is very suitable for general Internet of Things devices powered by batteries. The module with a combination of resin molded and conformal shielding structure. It adopts NXP Trimension SR150 chipset, supports UWB channels 5 and 9, and SPI interface, also supports 3 antennas (3D AoA or 2D AoA support), power calibration and Xtal calibration.
The Murata Type 2BP supports consumer product applications and features an ARM Cortex-M33 CPU core with 128kB code RAM and 128kB data RAM, operating over the temperature range between -30℃ ~ 85℃, supporting SMT mounting and using LGA package, with the size of 6.6 × 5.8 × 1.2 mm, using 1.8V supply voltage (Vdc).
In addition, Murata has introduced LBUA0VG2BP-EVB, an evaluation board for the UWB module Type 2BP, including Type 2BP and NXP QN9090 (BLE chip), and USB-UART conversion IC, which can be powered by UWB cable and connected from the COM port of PC. Type-2BP can be controlled by QN9090. This development kit is approved by Apple®and can be used to evaluate UWB-enabled accessories that interact with Apple products containing U1 chips using Apple's Nearby Interaction framework.
Figure 1-2, UWB module of NXP S150 solution, Type-2DK (with UWB and Bluetooth antenna)
Combination module that combines UWB and BLE
Murata Type 2DK is a combo module that combines UWB and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) with onboard antenna, which integrates NXP Trimension™ SR040 UWB chipset, NXP QN9090 BLE and MCU chipset, onboard antenna and peripheral components, supports frequency bands 5 and 9, and is very suitable for low power UWB tags/trackers powered by coin-cell batteries and general Internet of Things devices.
The Murata Type 2DK supports consumer products and features an ARM Cortex-M4 (QN9090) CPU with 640KB flash memory and 152KB SRAM (QN9090), operating over the temperature range from -30℃ to 85℃, supporting SMT mounting and LGA package, with the size of 19.6 × 18.2 × 2.3 mm, using 3V supply voltage (Vdc).The evaluation kit for Murata Type 2DK is LBUA2ZZ2DK-EVK, including Type 2DK, UART-USB IC, SWD port and coin-cell battery holder.
Figure 1-3, UWB module of Qorvo solution, Type-2AB
UWB module for small and battery-powered Internet of Things devices
Murata also has a Type 2AB module designed as an ultra-small, high-quality and low-power UWB module, which is very suitable for small battery-powered Internet of Things devices and applications. Type 2AB module supports frequency bands 5 and 9, adopts Qorvo DW3110/3120 UWB chipset, and has hostless module integrated with Nordic nRF52840 chip, with BLE feature for waking up UWB and updating firmware, has integrated 3-axis sensor to save battery, embedded reference clock of UWB and MCU, is the smallest and highly integrated UWB module currently on the market, with 75% less square area than CoB (Chip On Board) solution, and can calibrate frequency, transmit power and delay antenna for each device, supporting multi-antenna design and evaluation.
The Murata Type 2AB module supports consumer applications. It features an ARM Cortex-M4 CPU core with 1MB flash memory and 256KB RAM, operating over the temperature range from -40℃ to 85℃, using 3.0V for VDD1, VDD2 and VDDMCU and 5.0V for VUSB1.8V, supporting SMT mounting and using LGA package, with the size of 10.5 × 8.3 × 1.44 mm.
The LBUA5QJ2AB-EVB evaluation board is introduced for Murata Type 2AB. The Type-C USB terminal on the board is connected to the PC through a USB interface, supplying power and having an available serial port. Users can input AT command through the serial terminal to evaluate RF performance. They can also newly program the demo firmware into the module to evaluate TWR (Two Way Ranging) and PDoA (Phase Difference of Arrival) functions.
Conclusion
UWB is a wireless carrier communication technology with high precision and low power consumption, which is quite suitable for the precise positioning of Internet of Things devices. Murata's UWB module has many models, which can meet the requirements of UWB applications in different fields, and provides a complete evaluation kit, which can speed up the development of UWB-related products, and deserves your further understanding.