Bluetooth wireless solution to accelerate use of embedded devices

By employing an evaluation kit and Bluetooth-SIG qualified protocol stack, the MCUs enable system designers to conduct evaluation of wireless characteristics and initial evaluation of communication behaviours. The MCUs are also provided with a PC GUI tool for easy manipulation of these components. These will enable customers to easily develop Bluetooth Smart applications and reduce the time required for development while making effective use of development environment and software resources.

BLE is a near field wireless communication technology that holds great potential for connecting smartphones and a variety of other devices. In addition to smartphones, it is also suitable for use in devices linked by serial communication technologies such as UARTs and for implementing communication between units within a single piece of equipment. Eliminating the need for wired connections between such units provides greater design freedom and simplifies maintenance. This technology therefore has the potential to bring about major changes in embedded devices.

The Bluetooth Smart compliant RL78/G1D MCUs have been developed by combining the ultra-low-power RL78 MCU, which has achieved widespread adoption in the consumer and industrial fields, with the highly regarded low-current-consumption BLE transceiver technology announced at the ISSCC in February 2015.

The current consumption of the RL78/G1D is among the lowest in the industry, delivering substantially reduced power consumption that is a key consideration for wireless devices. A newly added adaptable RF technology adjusts the power consumption during wireless operation to the optimal level to match the communication distance. This dramatically lowers the power consumption of near field wireless communication, and it is complemented by the on-chip integration of most elements required for the antenna connection, contributing to reduced external component costs.