Wireless SoC packs features for IoT product designs

Renesas Electronics Corp. has launched its SmartBond DA1470x family of Bluetooth low energy (LE) solutions. Claimed as the most advanced integrated wireless system-on-chip (SoC) family, the DA1470x is touted as the only solution in the Bluetooth LE space to integrate a power management unit (PMU), a hardware voice activity detector (VAD), a graphics processing unit (GPU) and Bluetooth LE connectivity in a single chip.

Click for a larger image. (Source: Renesas Electronics)

Providing advanced sensor and graphical capabilities and ultra-low-power, always-on audio processing, the wireless SoCs are suited for wearables like smartwatches and fitness trackers; glucose monitor readers and other consumer medical and health-care devices; home appliances with displays, industrial automation and security systems, and Bluetooth consoles such as e-bikes and gaming equipment.

Thanks to the integration of more functions, the devices also deliver a cost savings on the bill of materials, resulting in smaller form factor designs and/or freeing up space for additional components or larger batteries.

Block diagram of SmartBond DA1470x Bluetooth LE wireless SoC. (Source: Renesas Electronics)

The DA1470x wireless SoCs are built on a multi-core system, an Arm Cortex-M33 processor as the main application core and Cortex-M0+ as the sensor node controller. It includes an integrated 2D GPU & display controller supporting DPI, JDI parallel, DBI, and single/dual/quad SPI interfaces. Other features include a configurable MAC supporting Bluetooth LE 5.2 and proprietary 2.4-GHz protocols, an integrated 720-mA JEITA-compliant USB charger that supports rechargeable Li-ion/Li-Po batteries, an integrated low-quiescent-current SIMO DC/DC converter of the PMU, and ultra-low-power hardware VAD for always-on audio processing.

The family is comprised of four devices – the DA14701, DA14705, DA14706, and DA14708. Check out the product brief for a selector guide.

Renesas has developed two new Winning Combinations – a Wearable Activity Tracker and an Instrument Panel for Light EVs and eBikes – that combine the DA1470x with multiple components from its product portfolio. The company will demo the DA1470x family at Embedded World, June 21-23, in Hall 1, booth #1-234.