Industry’s First NFC Sensor Transponder

The RF430RL25xH system-on-chip (SoC) device is equipped with a fully programmable low power microcontroller (MCU), non-volatile FRAM, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC)

Texas Instruments (TI) released today the industry’s first Near Field Communication (NFC) sensor transponder family. TheRF430RL25xH system-on-chip (SoC) device is equipped with a fully programmable low power microcontroller (MCU), non-volatile FRAM, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and supports an ISO 15693-compliant NFC interface as well as Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) and Inter Integrated Circuit (I2C). The high frequency13.56-MHz sensor transponder can operate on full passive (battery-less) or semi-active modes for optimal battery life in portable and wireless sensing applications.

For health and medical applications, the RF430RL25xH device can be used in disposable patches that sense temperature, hydration, and more. This allows patients to monitor and to share biometric information remotely and securely with health providers. The device accepts sensor measurements through its internal temperature sensor and on-board 14-bit sigma-delta ADC. Sensor data are stored on the local FRAM before transferring it to an NFC-enabled gadget or smartphone. The RF430RL25xH utilizes the power over an RF field or single-cell (1.5V) battery to achieve energy- efficient wireless NFC for data-logging capabilities and data transfer.

Features

• ISO/IEC 15693, ISO/IEC 18000-3 compliant RFID interface for wireless communication

• Fully programmable low voltage 16-bit MSP430TM CPU core supported by MSP430 LaunchPad and NFC BoosterPack.

• Universal and completely customizable non-volatile FRAM allows data storage with virtually unlimited write-erase cycles at low power consumption

• 14-bit sigma-delta ADC with programmable output parameters and on-chip temperature sensor

• Single-cell (1.5V) battery for active mode and three software selectable low-power modes of operation with interrupt program

• SPI or I2C interface allows up to three additional digital sensors or connect the device to a host system

• Integrated into TI’s Code Composer Studio IntegratedTM Development Environment (IDE)

With the RF430FRL152H Evaluation Module, developers can evaluate and design, user-defined products for asset-tracking in industrial, medical, wearables, and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

Pricing and Availability 

The RF430FRL152H NFC sensor transponders are available for purchase from the TI Store in small quantities or authorized distributors for $2.50 in 1 Ku volumes and the RF430FRL152HEVM kit for $19.90. Additional device derivatives include theRF430FRL153H (without SPI/I2C) and RF430FRL154H (without a sigma-delta ADC).

Source: Texas Instruments

Why It Matters:

The sensor transponders will be much more accurate than current medical instruments used to detect patients' temperature and hydration levels. The transponders will also allow data from the sensors to be collected and shared, making it easier for doctors to monitor patients and for researchers to gather large quantities of accurate data for future treatments.