Mini Card Combining Bluetooth and Certified Wireless USB Technologies

The SC3224R design is proof that Bluetooth and Certified Wireless USB can simultaneously
function in close proximity on a single Mini Card design, simplifying integration in notebook PCs by sharing the same antenna and Mini Card interface.

By combining both Wireless PAN technologies onto a single Mini Card, OEMs are only required to use a single Mini Card slot on a notebook PC, leaving the other slots available for other radios for WLAN and WWAN. The initial version of the SC3224R reference design kit will support current-generation
Bluetooth and Certified Wireless USB for dual-mode Wireless PAN applications. Future generations of the reference design, when allowed by the Bluetooth 3.0 specification, will support tri-mode functionality by adding Bluetooth 3.0 capabilities. Staccato's multi-protocol MAC architecture and Protocol Independent Kernel (PIK) uniquely enable the simultaneous support of multiple protocols on a single chip.

Until this reference design, Certified Wireless USB was only available on a dedicated Mini Card, requiring OEMs to devote a Mini Card slot for this feature or add it as an external dongle, said Ray Lin senior product marketing manager, Cameo Communications, Inc. With Staccato's design,
notebook PCs can now add Certified Wireless USB without the need for an additional slot or antenna placement.

The SC3224R design enables the use of a single antenna shared simultaneously by both radios through a diplexer without any significant degradation in performance to either radio. Antenna placement is an
increasing problem in notebook PCs because of the increasing number of radios that are included. Sharing a single antenna and a single Mini Card slot this reference design eliminates the need for additional antennas or Mini Card slots to the system.