ST Microelectronics, which provides a wide range of electronic applications, has unveiled the BlueNRG, a Bluetooth® 4.0 low energy single mode chip boasting industry-leading power efficiency. This product extends the operating time of various wireless "app accessories" such as fitness wristbands, smart glasses, and smart wearables, while reducing battery size and weight.

ST's BlueNRG network processor provides the necessary functionality to connect Bluetooth® Smart devices with Bluetooth® Smart Ready hosts such as smartphones or tablets. BlueNRG consumes the industry's lowest quiescent current, enabling ultra-low power devices to operate for several months to several years on a small coin cell battery alone. Additionally, BlueNRG complies with the latest Bluetooth 4.0 standard and provides its own wireless, processor, and Bluetooth firmware, which simplifies wireless design and helps focus on developing new applications.

Bluetooth 4.0 low energy wireless technology consumes minimal power compared to classic Bluetooth and is becoming a key technology in the emerging Bluetooth Smart device market. Currently, all major mobile and PC operating systems support Bluetooth Smart Ready operation and are building an ecosystem for Bluetooth Smart devices.

The Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) has pointed out that products related to Bluetooth Smart and Smart Ready, such as healthcare monitors, exercise devices, wearable devices, and proximity (sensor) tags, have increased significantly. ABI Research expects the Bluetooth app accessory industry to grow substantially, starting from 220 million units this year and increasing by 100 million units annually through 2016.

ST plans to significantly expand its market share based on the fact that the BlueNRG IC delivers exceptional battery life and wireless connectivity performance, providing industry-leading energy efficiency. BlueNRG achieves the industry's lowest power consumption, implementing peak currents of 8.2mA and 7.3mA in 0dBm transmission mode and receiver mode respectively, with efficient power management and fast switching between operating modes to minimize non-productive power consumption.

BlueNRG provides flexibility in freely selecting the host microcontroller required for application operation and completes the Bluetooth low energy profile in an external application processor. It also provides on-chip non-volatile memory that allows firmware to be easily upgraded to meet future Bluetooth specifications.

Key features of BlueNRG:
• Embedded Bluetooth 4.0 low energy protocol stack: GAP, GATT, SM, L2CAP, LL, RF-PHY
• Maximum peak current of 7.3mA (receiver mode), 8.2mA (0dBm transmission mode) programmable output power -18dBm~+8dBm
• Maximum 96dB radio frequency link budget