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Second-generation ultrawideband chip family from Staccato

RF bands up to 9 GHz covered by CMOS device

Ripcord2 is Staccato Communications’ second-generation ultra-wideband (UWB) IC that integrates RF front-end, digital baseband, MAC (media access controller) and I/O. The single-chip, all-CMOS device covers WiMedia Bands 1, 3 and 6, a frequency range of 3 to 9 GHz. Staccato achieved this while using standard 65-nm CMOS technology. The second generation moves performance forward in terms of power consumption, size and integration, the company says. Ripcord2 supports multiple protocols, including Wireless USB, High-Speed Bluetooth, Wireless IP and Wireless Audio/Video. Other new features include detection and avoidance (DAA), providing a worldwide-compatible solution in a single device (in some territories and some bands – differing by country and regulatory regime – UWB operation is only permitted if it is capable of detecting and not transmitting at the same frequency as other signals). The chip supports all Time Frequency Codes (TFC 1-10) and data rate modes (53.3-480Mbps) and has USB 2.0 host/device and SDIO 2.0 interfaces. Staccato summarises the chip’s capabilities as, “multiple band groups on top of multiple protocols – all software-defined.” The company believes that, as multiple standards compete for spectrum space and – potentially – interfere with one another, UWB’s ability to operate with “multiple overlapping clusters” of users will be significant. It sees deployment in handsets, to transmit signal types such as HD video, as a key direction for the technology. Other emerging application spaces the company mentions include automotive – where the motivation would be reduction in weight by elimination of wiring – and industrial, where the low latency for control of (for example) robotic systems might be key.
Ripcord2 is also suited for high volume consumer applications including handsets, still and video cameras (DSC/DVC), printers, personal media players (PMP), wireless audio/video and mass storage. An accompanying development kit provides an integrated development environment for native Wireless USB-device and high-speed Bluetooth designs, as well as generic WiMedia UWB applications. The Ripcord Control Library (RCL) included with the DVK provides a fully abstracted embedded software library with portable services to simplify the interface to the Ripcord2 IC supporting integration on a wide variety of platforms; a module solution can occupy as little as 8.5mm x 6mm. With due care for layout, “you can put it on FR4 [printed circuit board laminate] and it will work.” The chip itself measures 5 x 5 mm. Staccato is reluctant to disclose pricing but says that the models demonstrated by Bluetooth and WiFi have similarities. “[When they reached a total solution cost of] under $10, there was initial adoption; at under $5, they reached high volume; there is no barrier to this technology following the same path,” according to a company spokesman. Staccato Communications, www.staccatocommunications.com