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Called SR250, it is for “a world that anticipates and automates, enabling a variety of new user experiences based on location, presence or motion detection across consumer or industrial IoT applications”, claimed the company.
It is said to support 3D angle-of-arrival and time-difference-of-arrival, and to take time-of-flight readings accurate to ±5cm.
Motion detection can extend to breathing or gestures, and one or more people can be tracked if an external processor is added to run suitable algorithms, said NXP. Presence detection can run on the IC while the host processor sleeps.
Security can be added using the company’s SE051W secure element and, for the purposes of certification and interoperability, it has been developed based on FiRa Consortium 3.0 specifications.
For development, there will be firmware with support for updates, APIs for the UWB command interface, updateable middleware, including C programming language APIs for radar operation, and example radar applications and algorithms.
If all this seems a little vague, the company is playing its cards very close to its chest – Electronics Weekly’s request for a block diagram and data sheet has, so far, been turned down
As for potential applications, NXP said that mapping, human detection, object detection and secure positioning are possible for “convenience and privacy features in a smart home, such as turning lights or TVs on or off based on presence, enabling secure home access, or monitoring the safety of an elderly person living alone without intrusive cameras”.
Industrial uses are also foreseen, tracking worker, goods or asset location as well as access control, collision avoidance and danger zone protection.
Image: UWB radar application, provided by NXP
