CSR Unveils Enhanced Data Rate Bluetooth Chips

CSR PLC today launched a fourth generation of its Bluetooth silicon, designed for Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) Bluetooth. The new chips will deliver data rates three-times faster than current v1.2 Bluetooth devices, with lower power consumption and backwards compatibility.

Bluetooth EDR offers maximum data transfer rates of 2.1 Megabits per second (Mbps) compared to the current 721 Kilobits per second (kbps) for the v1.2 standard rate. This increase in transfer rate also means that, for a given amount of data, the EDR radio will be active up to 3 times less than a v1.2 radio, hence reducing power consumption, which greatly benefits battery-dependent mobile devices.

CSR BlueCore4 is fully backwards compatible with existing Bluetooth v1.1 and v1.2 devices. Bluetooth EDR achieves its higher data rates by using a Phase Shift Keying (PSK) modulation scheme in place of the Gaussian Frequency Shift Keying (GFSK) of standard rate. This allows more bits to be transmitted in each symbol of the packet-payload when it is sent over the radio link. However, the symbol rate is still 1 Megasymbol per second; the packet timing and structure are the same; the spectral characteristics of transmissions are virtually unchanged; and support for both modulation schemes is mandatory for all EDR capable products. Together, these characteristics provide excellent backward compatibility with Bluetooth v1.1 and v1.2.

As mobile phones integrate higher resolution digital cameras, transferring the image files becomes time consuming – EDR Bluetooth means that a 1 MB image download, which currently takes about 12 seconds, will now only take 4 seconds. PCs will increasingly be asked to support multiple Bluetooth links as users type on a Bluetooth keyboard and move a Bluetooth mouse while listening to music on a set of Bluetooth stereo headphones and synchronising contact details with their phone or using the phone as a modem to connect to an email or internet service.

The Bluetooth SIG is incorporating Bluetooth EDR as an addendum to the current v1.2 specification. CSR is sampling BlueCore4-External now, with full production in September. BlueCore4-ROM will sample in Q3 2004 with mass production planned to start in Q4 2004.