With Toshiba’s TransferJet technology, large multimedia files can be transmitted between devices automatically just by putting one device within a few centimeters of the other. Transfers can occur through smart phones, tablets, laptops, TV sets, and other devices. Speeds to 375 Mbits/s allow files to be transmitted in seconds.
Transferring multimedia data from one device to another is a nuisance. It usually involves USB or HDMI cables or some wireless link plus some cumbersome procedures. Toshiba’s TransferJet technology, though, eliminates the hurdles to transfer photos, movies, music, and other massive date files from one device to another in seconds. The devices simply need to be near each other.
Like near field communications (NFC), TransferJet is a very short-range (less than 5 cm) wireless technology that can transfer data at speeds of hundreds of megabits/second (see the figure). For example, it can move digital photo files from a camera to a laptop in a few seconds. Also, it can move a 170-Mbyte MPEG4 one-hour TV show from one device to another in moments.
Originally developed by Sony, the technology uses Toshiba’s TC35420 TransferJet transceiver. The RF 65-nm CMOS device contains full transmit and receive paths including power management. It operates at 4.48 GHz using binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) modulation and has a physical-layer (PHY) data rate to 560 Mbits/s.
Transmit power averages –70 dBm/Hz, but the receiver sensitivity is –78 dBm, making transfers reliable up to several centimeters. The net throughput with error correction and protocol overhead is a maximum of 375 Mbits/s. The protocol handles all the interfacing of the two communicating devices.
Look for TransferJet in smart phones, tablets, digital cameras, TV sets, laptops, printers, scanners, and storage devices. The transfer is automatically initiated with just a tap of the two devices. The TC35420 comes in an LGA81 package that measures 4 by 4 by 0.5 mm. It uses a single power supply and is now available in sample quantities for $5 per device.
For more information on the standard, see the TransferJet Consortium’s Web site at www.transferjet.org. With 50 consortium members so far, the group supports and promotes the standard.
Toshiba America Electronic Components Inc.
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