Melexis MLX90130 Boosts Performance, Cost-Effectiveness & Integration Levels of HF RFID Readers

March 1, 2012 - Tessenderlo, Belgium. Building on the success of its industry-leading High Frequency (HF) RFID reader platform, the new MLX90130 from Melexis incorporates many solution-oriented features that will allow customers to implement more advanced RFID systems. This high-performance 13.56 MHz RFID reader IC is a member of a series of advanced near field communication (NFC) and RFID products resulting from an ambitious and successful cooperation program with STMicroelectronics.

The MLX90130 comprises an integrated analog front end (AFE) and a built-in data framing engine for ISO15693, ISO14443A/B and ISO18000-3 mode 1 conforming operation. It offers OEMs and system integrators the ability to deliver high reliability, best-in-class performance RFID-enabled devices.

The IC has been designed to handle sub-carrier frequencies from 106 KHz to 848 KHz, with baud rates reaching 848 kbit/s. Its digital element handles the lower protocol layers from the application programming interface (API) to the physical layer (PHY) using advanced bit and frame decoding functions. A digital demodulator based on sub-carrier detection and a programmable bit/symbol encoder/decoder is also included. In addition, the MLX90130 encodes and decodes the start/stop bits, parity bits, extra guard time (EGT), start/end of frame (SOF/EOF) and cyclic redundancy check (CRC). A built-in 256 byte buffer allows the buffering of an entire RFID frame. The SPI/UART communication ports ensure easy interface with the majority of microcontroller units (MCUs), especially ones found in the low cost bracket.

The MLX90130 has both tag and field detection capabilities. Its tag detection is based on picking up HF field variation near the device. If an object approaches or moves away from the antenna, it can influence the amplitude of the HF field. The device can detect any HF field variation over a very short period of field presence. It wakes up the MCU and initiates communication with the tag when the right field level is reached. MLX90130 applications include access control, post-surgery monitoring, glucose metering, drug identification and industrial automation.

“The needs of the industry have grown from the ability to simply read tags to more sophisticated, mission-critical solutions that can streamline the supply chain, improve business control and intelligence, plus enhance security. Adding the MLX90130 to our portfolio of RFID reader ICs enables us to deliver strong price-performance metrics and support a new category of customers in developing their own game-changing products,” states Diana Moncoqut, Product Line Manger, Automotive Entry & Go Products, Melexis.

The MLX90130 is supplied in a compact 5 mm x 5 mm QFN package and has a -40 °C to +105 °C operational temperature range. It is available in sample quantities immediately.