Bluetooth & NFC ICs target wearable healthcare

The IC's NFC Tag function enables easy operation of Bluetooth pairing, while low energy stand-by status increases battery lifetimes for devices powered by small coin-cell batteries. The low power consumption device offers peak power consumption of 5.9mA for Bluetooth communication at 3.3V with -4dBm transmitter output power or receiver operation and 600µA or less for NFC Tag communication at 3.3V. It also achieves power consumption of just 0.1µA or lower in deep sleep at 3.3V.

Enable simple pairing of Bluetooth devices, the NFC Tag function provides a convenient on/off switch function which reduces stand-by power drain and contributes to a longer battery life. Both the Bluetooth LE and NFC Tag functions can be put in stand-by mode and the connection from the first function accessed can be prioritised. A 1.5 KB E²PROM for storing data can be accessed using both the BLE and NFC Tag to connect to each I²C interface. This allows data to be easily handled in each system.

With a receiver sensitivity of -92.5dBm and transmitter output power of 0 to -20dBm (in 4dB steps), the Bluetooth component supports GATT (Generic Attribute Profile) including both client and server functions. Supporting host-based and stand-alone systems, it integrates a DC/DC converter, an LDO regulator, a general purpose ADC, a user programme function, a wake up signal for host device and a PWM function.

While specifiers previously had to integrate ICs for both Bluetooth and NFC, Toshiba now offers a design that will help to minimise part counts, reduce assembly area by about 30% and shorten system development timelines. The company also offers various BLE standard profiles to be used in combination with application programming.

Operating over a temperature range of -30 to 85°C, the TC35670FTG is available in a QFN40 package measuring 6x6mm with a 0.5mm pitch. Starter kits and software deployment packages will be available this month.