InnerWireless Inc. is using Texas Instruments Inc.'s MSP430 microcontroller (MCU)-based wireless chipsets for real-time location systems (RTLS). Based on 802.15.4 RF transmissions and Zigbee-protocols, the InnerWireless Vision Platform operates within building networks of hospitals, hotels, factories and other targeted industries to achieve a combination of RTLS affordability and ease of use.
This enables health care providers such as hospitals to immediately identify the room in which equipment can be found, reducing both search and response times for greater patient safety.
The InnerWireless 802.15.4 systems comprise three networked components: beacons, tags and master radios. Rooms equipped with battery-operated beacons the size of a smoke detector broadcast unique identification signals that are received by tags. The tags, sized to attach unobtrusively to objects and collect location information from the beacons, periodically retransmit this information to the master radio; real-time results are displayed through Web-based applications for personnel.
The TI chipset used in all of these products' components combines an MSP430F155 MCU with a CC2420 802.15.4 transceiver to handle all the processing and communication needed for wireless RTLS tracking. The MSP430 MCU features a stand-by power consumption of 0.8µA and wakes up in less than 1µs to an active mode of 250µA (1MHz). The combination of the MSP430 MCU's extremely low-power standby current with an instant-on active mode and fully synchronized, high-speed system clock enables the trend toward smaller, lower-cost applications. Additionally, the CC2420 transceiver from TI's low-power RF group provides the industry's first single-chip 802.15.4 solution, supporting quick design for this low-bandwidth standard. The combined MCU and transceiver saves costs and space while allowing InnerWireless beacons and tags to operate reliably for up to seven years without a battery change or recharge.
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