Aiming to address rising consumer demand for GPS, wireless Bluetooth and FM radio in mobile handsets, Texas Instruments Inc. is readying a monolithic solution that combines assisted GPS (A-GPS), ultralow power Bluetooth 2.1, as well as FM receive/transmit capabilities on a single chip. Built on TI's DRP single-chip technology at 65 nm CMOS, the highly-integrated and cost-effective solution NaviLink 6.0 will enable consumers to enjoy simultaneous activities such as navigating, having a conversation using a Bluetooth headset, while also transmitting an MP3 file to the car radio using the FM transmit capability

Market trend reports and forecasts predict strong and growing demand for GPS, Bluetooth and FM in handsets. "We see a strong correlation between the demand for including the combination of GPS and Bluetooth functionality, with GPS attach rates reaching 30% and Bluetooth penetration approaching 70% by 2011," said Patrick Connolly, senior GPS analyst at IMS Research. "Accordingly, we believe that combo devices that integrate both technologies will play a major part in the uptake of GPS in the cellular market over the next four years - reducing cost, size and power consumption, while also maintaining performance."

Building upon TI's proven expertise in delivering combo or multiple-radio processors, NaviLink 6.0 is the third generation of the company's highly integrated single-chip GPS devices. This new solution leverages TI's Bluetooth and FM cores, which are already embedded in the company's BlueLink 7.0 Bluetooth, and WiLink 6.0 mobile WiFi devices. NaviLink 6.0 reduces board space by up to 40%, enabling the smallest possible phones and reduces power consumption by up to 50% over previous TI solutions, according to TI.

The NaviLink 6.0 solution also addresses the complex coexistence challenge. TI's hardware implementation and software algorithms are optimized to ensure seamless coexistence between GPS, Bluetooth, FM, WLAN and the cellular functions, said TI. Another important customer concern is the time it takes the GPS system to identify the starting position - called "time to first fix" (TTFF) and the accuracy of that position. TI said that NaviLink 6.0 solution includes enhanced patent pending algorithms to dramatically reduce the TTFF by up to 80% over previous TI solutions. Integrated "position optimizer" software also includes support for navigation sensors, delivering superior accuracy in weak satellite signal areas, such as urban centers and heavily wooded areas, stated TI.

TI said that handsets with NaviLink 6.0 are expected to be on the market by the second half of 2009.

• Texas Instruments

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