New NFC Solution from ams for Smart Watches and Other Wearables Enables Faster, More Reliable Contactless Payments
October 21 2015 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
AS3921 with boostedNFC technology has ultra-small footprint
and very low power consumption required in latest generation of
wearable and portable devices
ams AG (SIX: AMS), a leading provider of high performance
sensors and analog ICs, today announced a new NFC (Near Field
Communications) solution for manufacturers of smart watches,
wristbands and other space-constrained devices, enabling them to
reliably support contactless payments and ticketing.
The new AS3921 is an NFC analog front end (AFE) with the unique
boostedNFC technology from ams, which increases the useable
operating volume of an NFC reader by up to 900% when compared to
conventional NFC implementations. This greatly improves the
reliability and perceived speed of NFC transactions, particularly
in devices such as smart watches and wristbands that only have room
for an extremely small antenna. It also ensures reliable NFC
transmission in other device types which have a smaller antenna
than a contactless card’s, or which present difficult operating
conditions for NFC transmissions.
Optimised for space-constrained assemblies, the AS3921 enables
OEMs to implement a simpler design than the conventional NFC
controller-based architecture allows, resulting in a simpler and
cheaper solution, occupying a board footprint around one third
smaller, using fewer components and consuming less power.
Drawing just 12µA in normal operation, and providing a
power-saving Secure Element wake-up function, the AS3921 drains far
less power from the battery than NFC controller circuits, which
typically draw 60µA or more.
Packaged in an ultra-compact wafer-level chip-scale package
(WL-CSP) measuring just 2.115mm x 1.735mm, and connecting directly
to the Secure Element with few external components required, the
AS3921 with boostedNFC technology implements active load
modulation: it generates an RFID card response which is synchronous
to the reader’s field. This allows for card-to-reader communication
at coupling factors as much as one order of magnitude lower than is
possible with the passive load modulation (PLM) used by contactless
cards.
A device which uses the AS3921 and which has an antenna of just
100mm2 can achieve the same or a bigger operating volume as a
contactless card with a conventional PLM circuit, transmitting via
an antenna typically at least 2,150mm2 in area. In some cases, the
device might need no dedicated NFC antenna at all, provided its
metal casing can be used in place of a normal antenna.
This means that manufacturers of devices that include the AS3921
can give the consumer a far better experience when using the device
for contactless payments or ticketing:
- more reliable connection to payment
terminals, metro ticket barriers and other devices containing an
NFC reader
- faster perceived transactions, because
with a larger operating volume, coupling begins when the device is
further away from the reader
- more convenience, since the device does
not have to be positioned next to the reader in any specific
orientation
The AS3921 complies with the ISO/IEC 14443 (types A and B) and
FeliCa™ RFID protocols. Its superior NFC performance also makes it
easier for manufacturers of wearables and other space-constrained
devices to conform to the EMVCo standard for use with contactless
payment terminals. The superior coupling capability of devices
equipped with the AS3921 also provides for better performance when
used with readers that are not fully compliant with NFC standards,
enabling device manufacturers to quickly achieve interoperability
with such readers. ams’ boostedNFC technology is the only proven
solution for portable and wearable devices that has been deployed
and qualified for use by transit operators in various cities in
China including Beijing, Guangdong, and Shenzhen, and that does not
require a different antenna configuration for each city.
For easy integration into existing products, the NFC analog
front end AS3921 can connect directly to the contactless interface
of the Secure Element through an ACLB or NFC-WI interface. An
on-chip EEPROM allows the operating settings to be selected and
programmed by the customer. The AS3921 can also be connected to an
NFC tag or NFC interface chip.
The chip provides Q factor adjustment and implements automatic
power control in order to avoid saturation of the reader and to
provide reliable operation even in environments which hamper NFC
transmissions. This makes it easier for equipment manufacturers to
achieve interoperability with all kinds of standard-compliant and
non-compliant readers.
The low-power operation of the AS3921 makes it ideal for use in
wearables and mobile devices, since the frequency of battery
recharging is one of the main concerns of users of the new
generation of devices such as smart watches. The AS3921 can be used
to wake up the Secure Element when it detects the presence of a
reader’s field, allowing the Secure Element to spend the rest of
the time in shut-down mode.
‘In a new compact package, the AS3921 marks a breakthrough in
contactless payment capability for the smallest and most popular
new device types such as smart watches and wristbands. Users of
these devices will be able to use them to pay for goods in stores
quickly, conveniently and reliably when their secure NFC
communication is enabled by an AS3921 IC’, said Mark Dickson,
marketing director for the Wireless Connectivity division at
ams.
The NFC analog front end AS3921 is available for sampling now.
Unit pricing is available on request.
A demonstration board for the AS3921/22 is available from the
ams ICdirect online shop. For sample requests and for more
technical information, please go to
www.ams.com/NFC-Front-End/AS3921.
Download press picture and block diagram at
http://www.ams.com/eng/Press/Press-Releases/
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151021005064/en/
ams AGPress:Patricia Moosburger, Media Relationsphone: +43 (0)
3136 500 31235press@ams.comwww.ams.com
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