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Broadcom unveiled a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) for wearable devices such as fitness trackers and smart watches. Broadcom will be showcasing the chip and other new mobile products at the MWC from Feb. 24-27.
The Broadcom BCM4771 GNSS SoC with on-chip sensor hub enables consumers to more accurately track and manage their health by delivering location data. This enables location intelligence and the extended battery life needed by the growing wearable market.
“Today’s wearables like fitness trackers have surged in popularity, but often miscalculate speed and distance,” said Mohamed Awad, Broadcom Director, Marketing,Mobileand Wireless Group. “As the largest supplier of discrete GNSS solutions, Broadcom brings its location expertise to deliver more precise fitness and health measurements to the accelerating wearable market.”
Broadcom’s new chip monitors user activity levels and location history with a feature called location batching. This reduces power consumption and board area by combining its location capabilities with an integrated Sensor Hub, contextual awareness, and GNSS. The solution is complimented by Broadcom’s Wireless Internet Connectivity for Embedded Devices (WICED) Smart and WICED Direct software development kits (SDKs) to provide additional wireless connectivity to the platform.
Designed in 40 nanometer (nm) process technology, Broadcom SoC includes a sensor hub that integrates sensor inputs for its on-chip algorithms to detect the user’s context, accurately compute speed and distance traveled, and provide fitness applications with the GNSS track. Power savings and advanced accuracy are achieved by intelligently leveraging context detection through the tight coupling of sensor inputs and GNSS on a single SoC. This also realizes a lower overall bill of materials (BOM) cost through the integration of a multipurpose sensor hub.
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