IDTECK Selects Nordic Transceivers For Parking And Personal Tracking System

Oslo, Norway -- Nordic Semiconductor announced that South Korean company IDTECK has selected the nRF24L01 2.4 GHz RF transceiver and nRF2402G (lead-free) 2.4 GHz RF transmitter for its RF245 Long Range Reader. The nRF24L01 is used in the reader while the nRF2402G is used in an ID tag designed to be located in an authorised vehicle.

The devices are used for an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) security system, raising a parking barrier once the devices have established communication and identified the driver as an authorised person. Unlike passive RFID systems where the tag has to be held within a few centimeters of the reader to pick up power to operate - forcing the driver to stop at the barrier - IDTECK employs an active system. The active system's tags are battery-powered and have a transmission range of 10 meters, enabling the driver to be identified and the barrier raised without the vehicle stopping.

The RFID sector has traditionally developed products operating in the 125 KHz, 13.56 and 900 MHz bands depending in which country the product was used. Now, because Nordic's transceivers operate in the globally accepted 2.4 GHz band, a single system can be exported worldwide. The RF245 Long Range Proximity Reader is aimed at the Korean and overseas markets and has been in production since the end of 2006.

Because the active tag is battery-powered, ultra-low power consumption is important to ensure long battery life. Nordic's ultra-low power nRF2402 features a current consumption of around 10mA in transmit mode (at -5dBm) and 200 nA in power down mode. The transmitter is able to wake up in less than a second. In typical usage the coin cell battery in the tag lasts up to five years.

IDTECK selected the nRF24L01 and nRF2402G because the company required a device with a range of up to 10 meters that exhibited extremely low power consumption allied with a low cost. The company was also impressed with Nordic's technical support, particularly its formal policy of responding to technical queries within 24 hours.

"By using Nordic's easy-to-use transceivers, we were able to complete the design in less than three months," comments Mike Yoo, Vice President at IDTECK. "This is mainly because Nordic's products are so easy to use and require very few external components. We hope that by launching the RF245 Long Range Proximity Reader, we can really widen the scope of the 2.4 GHz RFID market within market sectors such as security."

SOURCE: Nordic Semiconductor ASA