Ceva, Inc., a licensor of silicon and software IP that enables Smart Edge devices to connect, sense and infer data more reliably and efficiently, has announced the general release of its RivieraWaves ultra-wideband (UWB) IP for FiRa 2.0, the latest technical specification released by the FiRa industry consortium promoting standardization and compliance efforts for the widespread adoption of UWB-driven applications. Leveraging its unique low-power MAC-to-PHY solution, Ceva's latest generation UWB IP includes a cutting-edge interference cancelation scheme to offer outstanding performance for micro-location in high-density wireless environments such as the smart home and smart factory where other wireless standards such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and ZigBee are pervasive.
UWB is continuing its rapid march to stand alongside Bluetooth and Wi-Fi as ubiquitous wireless technology in modern life. ABI Research forecasts that the global market of UWB-enabled device shipments will achieve a compound annual growth rate of 14% over the next five years – growing from 435 million units in 2023 to nearly 1.3 billion units by 2028. This impressive forecast stems from increased penetration in the consumer and industrial markets. From the initial adoption in the automotive industry as a secure, robust technology for digital keys – as embodied in the Connected Car Consortium (CCC) Digital Key specifications – UWB is expanding to new, exciting consumer and industrial applications, offering innovative ways based on spatial awareness and micro-location for users to interact and sense with their devices, which further enables AI-based applications like gesture recognition.
The FiRa 2.0 specification expands UWB into the consumer and industrial markets with particular attention to three use cases.
- Private Indoor Navigation – enables users of UWB-enabled smartphones or tablets to find their way in indoor positioning systems (such as shopping malls, and airports), with centimeter-level accuracy while maintaining location privacy.
- Find-It – helps users of UWB-enabled devices to find missing items such as keys, asset tracking and compliance monitoring in smart factories or to easily find acquaintances in crowded areas.
- Smart Remote Control – lets users seamlessly control UWB-enabled connected devices in the home and factory, like televisions, lights, or thermostats, through simple point-and-trigger interactions from a smartphone or smartwatch.
"Ceva's latest generation UWB IP addresses the increasing adoption of UWB in consumer and industrial multi-mode wireless IoT devices," said Tal Shalev, Vice President and General Manager, Wireless IoT Business Unit at Ceva. "With time-to-market in mind, our customers value our comprehensive Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and UWB IP portfolio, and the system experience behind that. With a complete MAC and PHY FiRa 2.0 grade UWB IP, tested against the Rohde & Schwarz CMP200 Validated Test Tool, our customers can confidently develop next-generation UWB-enabled devices to meet the most demanding use cases in a wide range of applications from the smart home and factory to automotive, retail and healthcare."
"Our FiRa 2.0 Validated R&S®CMP200 radio communication tester is invaluable for ensuring compliance and inter-operability" said Christoph Pointner, Senior Vice President of Mobile Radio Testers at Rohde & Schwarz. "We are delighted to support and work closely with a leading UWB IP provider like Ceva on the FiRa 2.0 PCTT testing of their RivieraWaves UWB IP."
About Ceva RivieraWaves FiRa 2.0 UWB
Ceva RivieraWaves UWB for FiRa 2.0 is a complete, low-power ultra-wideband (UWB) MAC and PHY digital platform IP based on 802.15.4z HRP and the FiRa Consortium specifications. A companion MAC solution is also available for CCC Digital Key 3.0 applications and for Radar/CPD applications, forming a comprehensive portfolio for integrating UWB into next-generation ICs for mobile, automotive, consumer and industrial.
Ceva RivieraWaves UWB delivers secure, centimeter-level accuracy and robust location information through Time-of-Flight (ToF) ranging and Angle-of-Arrival (AoA) processing, architected from the ground up for best-in-class low power consumption. A flexible radio interface enables Ceva RivieraWaves UWB to be deployed with customers' own RF technology or with Ceva partners' RF IP. Leveraging Ceva's unmatched RivieraWaves wireless connectivity IP portfolio, it is designed for seamless integration with Ceva's Bluetooth connectivity IP, and supports advanced interference suppression from Wi-Fi signals.
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