NXP Semiconductors promotes near field communication in IoT applications

Among NXP Semiconductors’ value proposition for IoT is “interoperable connectivity,” and the company’s integrated radio frequency (RF) transceiver supports Bluetooth, IEEE 802.15.4, Thread and ZigBee, NXP said in a technology seminar held in Taipei.

NXP’s products offer different connectivity options to fit the application. To better realize the IoT potential, the company’s chips also feature ultra-low static power consumption, and ensure that communication, software and physical system are protected from threats.

A recent adoption of its technologies are seen in sports earphones using Bluetooth and near field magnetic induction (NFMI). The company has developed an ultra low-power communications IC optimized for body area networks, providing a tightly contained communication envelop around each user.

“During sports and fitness activities, an audio solution should be hassle-free and safe,” NXP said in a technology presentation held in Taipei. This is why the company is offering a truly wireless solution by tapping into NFMI.

Existing earphones on the market still have a wired connection between the two earbuds. Sending a stereo audio stream to two distinct earbuds is not possible using standard Bluetooth A2DP profile. Forwarding a quality audio stream from ear to ear is notoriously difficult using existing 2.4 GHz RF solutions. Most of the signal is absorbed by human body tissue.

To tackle this challenge, NXP has adopted NFMI which goes through human body tissue with very low absorption. It also consumes minimum power to stream audio over short distances (<1m).

NFMI is the best technology for wireless audio and data transmission between earbuds, NXP said. In the company’s solution, audio travels on Bluetooth from the mobile device to the left earbud, before it is passed to the right earbud on NFMI.

Sports earphones utilizing this technology allows users to listen to favorite music even under the water. NFMI can also be applied in hearing aid instruments, body sensors, and even military missions.