TransferJet Product Focus I ICs & Semiconductors
Since TransferJet is designed for low power, low cost and simplicity of design, the Consortium decided it was not
Figure 2: TransferJet protocol layers
(OBject EXchange) and SCSI (Small Computer System Interface), two well- defined, mature protocols, commonly implemented in a variety of products and applications.
OBEX includes an Inbox Service that forms the basis of file exchange operations, while SCSI has been chosen for services requiring real-time content transfer. File access and print services can be achieved using either OBEX or SCSI. As a wireless connection, security is a key consideration. Many other wireless protocols include authentication and encryption technology built in to the link layer to ensure that unauthorised receivers cannot access private information. The difference with TransferJet is its extremely short range of operation. This means that someone seeking unauthorised access to a device could just as easily plug in a USB (or Ethernet) cable.
necessary to include security and encryption overhead in the link layer specification. However, TransferJet is perfectly compatible with application-level security measures – for instance file encryption during transfer. Since each device has a unique ID, it is also possible to identify any device that attempts to establish a connection.
Semiconductor solutions A number of semiconductor suppliers have committed to providing silicon that allows designers to equip their products with TransferJet capabilities. Toshiba, for example, starts shipments in January of its TC35420 LSI, the industry’s first single-chip TransferJet solution. Figure 3 shows a schematic of the TC35420 in a TransferJet application. The chip integrates all of the host interface, modem, baseband and RF functions. And by using an advanced 65nm RF-CMOS process, Toshiba has not only decreased the requirement for external RF circuits and peripheral components, but has also realised, at just 4mm x 4mm x 0.5mm (typical), the smallest package in the industry.
As well as reducing size and complexity – and hence cost – the TC35420 also
Figure 3: Toshiba TransferJet LSI
delivers receive sensitivity of -78dBm, an industry-best.
So what of the future? The TransferJet Consortium is already working on extending the standard by developing a separate Application Management Layer that co-ordinates and manages applications. There will also be guidelines on how devices should provide user feedback. The power and utility of TransferJet will
increase exponentially, as more and more devices become enabled. But the standard is unique in many ways, not least for its potential to be used in conjunction with
other technologies. For example, by combining TransferJet and NFC payment technology in a point-of-sale, kiosk or outdoor advertising environment, businesses could allow content to be selected, paid for securely and transferred to the user’s device, all with a single touch motion.
Toshiba Electronics Europe |
www.toshiba-components.com
Heiner Tendyck is Principal Engineer, ASIC & SoC, at Toshiba Electronics Europe (TEE)
www.cieonline.co.uk
Components in Electronics
March 2012 39
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