Product category:
Communications ICs (Wireless)
News Release from: SiGe Semiconductor | Subject: SE4110L
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 07 June 2007
GPS front end finds home in navigation
design
GPS RF front end receiver IC is used in reference platform that provides manufacturers with a complete solution for multimedia navigation systems.
Centrality Communications has chosen SiGe Semiconductor as the preferred supplier of GPS RF front end receiver ICs for its navigation systems The first product to benefit from this relationship is a reference platform that provides manufacturers with a complete solution for multimedia navigation systems
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 13 Sep 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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The reference platform combines SiGe's SE4110L GPS RF front end IC with the integrated GPS baseband of Centrality's new Atlas III processor.
Customers can use the reference design to implement high-performance GPS navigation directly on the motherboard of consumer electronics products supporting advanced navigation and multimedia services.
The combination of these technologies enables high accuracy location information in a wide range of mobile and portable products such as personal navigation devices and video-enabled portable media players, to operate as complete navigation centres.
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End products based on the reference design will be available from Q3 2007.
"The convergence of multimedia and GPS technologies presents an exciting market opportunity to add navigation capability to a wide range of consumer appliances", says Alistair Manley, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, SiGe Semiconductor.
"We are pleased to collaborate with Centrality to deliver a solution that will allow manufacturers to take advantage of this opportunity".
"Our production-ready design will enable multimedia navigation applications to be supported without compromising size or battery life".
The new reference design enables complete navigation and multimedia capability to be built into a footprint measuring less than 10 x 10mm.
The small size and power efficiency is ideal for integration into portable consumer electronics.
The pairing of SE4110L and Atlas III eliminates the requirement for a higher cost, stand-alone GPS baseband co-processor solution by taking advantage of Centrality's dual core architecture, which integrates the navigation signal processing (GPS baseband) onto the main processor.
This creates opportunities for adding new functions such as wireless networking, mass storage, digital television and gaming to personal navigation devices and high-end media players as these devices evolve into multimedia entertainment platforms.
The reference design includes Centrality's Atlas III dual core processor, which offers high functional integration including multimedia capability, and leading GPS baseband performance.
The device incorporates a high-speed ARM926EJ, DSP, GPS baseband, high-speed peripherals (such as CF, ATA-4 hard disk, SDIO 2D graphics, SDR and DDR NAND-Flash), and a high speed serial interface (USB 2.0).
With complete multimedia and GPS capability, the Atlas III reduces bill-of-materials costs by up to 20% compared with alternative processor approaches.
The Atlas III succeeds the popular Atlas II processor and comes with a new generation of GPS baseband acceleration and firmware (Centrality's GPS V4).
Centrality's Atlas processors interface directly to SiGe Semiconductor's high-performance SE4110L GPS RF front end IC.
The GPS RF front end is based on an integrated architecture, supplying a complete receiver chain in a small 4 x 4mm package.
The high integration eliminates external components for low overall system cost, minimised board area, and reduced power consumption.
Also included on chip are power control features that help to support longer battery life.
"SiGe was an ideal partner in this development".
"Their GPS radio has excellent RF performance to complement our Atlas III and Atlas II processors, and also solves the key challenges associated with high GPS sensitivity, low power consumption and small sise", says David Wang, Global Head of Marketing, Centrality.
"SiGe also provides excellent RF layout and design support".
"This allowed us to quickly deliver a complete solution to our customers that will simplify their designs and allow them to focus on product differentiation".
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