Communication Solutions

NXP has announced it teamed with Phonak to develop a new single chip ultra low power radio, currently integrated into Phonak's portfolio of CORE-based hearing systems and wireless accessories.

 

Phonak offers a complete range of digital hearing instruments and complementary wireless communication systems.

 

The company's expertise in hearing technology, mastery in acoustics and strong cooperation with hearing care professionals allows it to significantly improve people’s hearing ability and speech understanding and therefore their quality of life.

 

Hans Leysieffer, Vice President of R&D of Phonak said that working with a leading semiconductor player such as NXP has enabled Phonak to rapidly develop this new chip for their hearing systems.

 

Combining cutting edge technology and expertise in ultra low power embedded software architecture enables Phonak to offer unparalleled hearing performance for hearing system wearers, Leysieffer said.

 

“Medical electronics is one of the fastest growing areas of semiconductor development and becoming increasingly important for NXP,” said Rene Penning de Vries, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of NXP Semiconductors (News - Alert). “At NXP we value customer engagement and working with the leading players in their field to use technology innovation to help develop new insightful and engaging technology. Our ultra low power solutions, based on magnetic induction radio technology and CoolFlux DSP, were the cornerstones for this breakthrough project.”

 

NXP develops semiconductors, system solutions and software that deliver better sensory experiences in TVs, set-top boxes, identification applications, mobile phones, cars and a wide range of other electronic devices.

 

The NXP chip used in ultra power system supports a high data rate of up to 298 kbps and bi-directional communication, enabling novel applications such as stereo audio streaming and binaural processing.

 

Antoine Delaruelle, senior director and manager of Ultra Low Power Solutions, NXP Semiconductors commented, “Within this particular project, miniaturization was a key requirement and we worked closely with Phonak’s engineers to develop a highly integrated solution, utilising embedded non-volatile memory and supporting direct operation from a single battery.”