FiRa 2.0 is the latest technical specification released by the FiRa industry consortium promoting standardisation and compliance efforts for the widespread adoption of UWB-driven applications.
By leveraging its low-power MAC-to-PHY solution, Ceva's latest generation UWB IP includes a cutting-edge interference cancelation scheme for micro-locations in high-density wireless environments such as the smart home and smart factory where other wireless standards such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and ZigBee are pervasive.
UWB is continuing its rapid march to stand alongside Bluetooth and Wi-Fi as a ubiquitous wireless technology and, according to ABI Research forecasts, the global market of UWB-enabled device shipments will achieve a compound annual growth rate of 14% over the next five years – growing from 435 million units in 2023 to nearly 1.3 billion units by 2028.
From the initial early adoption in the automotive industry as a secure, robust technology for digital keys – as embodied in the Connected Car Consortium (CCC) Digital Key specifications – UWB is expanding to other consumer and industrial applications, offering innovative ways based on spatial awareness and micro-location for users to interact and sense with their devices, which further enables AI-based applications like gesture recognition.
The FiRa 2.0 specification expands UWB into the consumer and industrial markets with particular attention on three use cases.
Private Indoor Navigation – enables users of UWB-enabled smartphones or tablets to find their way in indoor positioning systems (such as shopping malls, airports), with centimeter-level accuracy while maintaining location privacy.
Find-It – helps users of UWB-enabled devices to find missing items such as keys, asset tracking and compliance monitoring in smart factories or to easily find acquaintances in crowded areas.
Smart Remote Control – lets users seamlessly control UWB-enabled connected devices in the home and factory, like televisions, lights, or thermostats, through simple point-and-trigger interactions from a smartphone or smartwatch.
"Ceva's latest generation UWB IP addresses the increasing adoption of UWB in consumer and industrial multi-mode wireless IoT devices," said Tal Shalev, Vice President and General Manager, Wireless IoT Business Unit at Ceva. " With a complete MAC and PHY FiRa 2.0 grade UWB IP, tested against the Rohde & Schwarz CMP200 Validated Test Tool, our customers can confidently develop next-generation UWB-enabled devices to meet the most demanding use cases in a wide range of applications from the smart home and factory to automotive, retail and healthcare."
Ceva RivieraWaves UWB for FiRa 2.0 is a low power ultra-wideband (UWB) MAC and PHY digital platform IP based on 802.15.4z HRP and the FiRa Consortium specifications. A companion MAC solution is also available for CCC Digital Key 3.0 applications, and for Radar/CPD applications, forming a comprehensive portfolio for integrating UWB into next generation ICs for mobile, automotive, consumer and industrial.
RivieraWaves UWB provides secure, centimetre-level accuracy and robust location information through Time-of-Flight (ToF) ranging and Angle-of-Arrival (AoA) processing. A flexible radio interface enables it to be deployed with customers' own RF technology or with Ceva partners' RF IP.
