Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Lineup
IC Products
| Product | CPU Core | LE Data Length Extension | 2Mbps Mode | LE Coded PHY Mode | Low Power Operation | Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RX23W | RX | Supported | Supported | Supported | Low Power | Bluetooth Mesh, Touch, Security, USB |
| RA4W1 | Arm® | Supported | Supported | Supported | Low Power | Touch, Security, USB |
| RE01B | Arm® | Supported | Supported | Supported | Ultra-Low Power | Energy Harvest Control Circuit |
| RL78/G1D | RL78 | Not Supported | Not Supported | Not Supported | Low Power | Low Power in the System, Beacon |
Module Products
| Product | CPU Core | Module Size | Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| RX23W | RX | 6.1mm x 9.5 mm | Bluetooth Mesh, Touch, Security, USB |
| RL78/G1D | RL78 | 8.95mm x 13.35mm | Low Power in the System, Beacon |
RX 32-Bit LE MCU
The RX23W 32-bit LE MCU offers the full functions of Bluetooth 5.0 LE and the built-in security functions essential to IoT devices, as well as rich peripheral features such as touch keys, USB and CAN. As a result, system control for devices and wireless communication can be realized on a single chip. The RX23W also provide a dedicated library that complies with the Bluetooth Mesh Networking specification for multipoint-to-multipoint communication.
RA 32-Bit LE MCU
The RA4W1 32-bit MCU incorporate Bluetooth 5.0 LE, a secure crypto engine and low power functionality essential for any IoT application. The RA4W1 also features a rich set of peripheral features such as a capacitive touch sensing unit (CTSU) and a segment LCD controller (SLCDC), making it ideal for wireless applications that use a human machine interface (HMI).
RE 32-Bit LE MCU
The RE01B 32-bit LE MCU offers the full functions of Bluetooth 5.0 LE, large memory footprint (1.5MB Flash memory/256KB SRAM), an energy harvesting control circuit, ultra-low power consumption 14-bit ADC, and built-in security functions. RE01B is suitable for many different battery-driven IoT applications due to its ultra-low power and high speed operation. It uses SOTB™ technology, which enables the device to operate at low voltages.
RL78 16-Bit LE MCU
The RL78/G1D low-power 16-bit MCU support Bluetooth LE and enable reliable connections with current consumption levels among the lowest in the industry. We also have a "beacon stack" that pursues low current consumption. We also provide a module that can use the abundant function pins of the RL78/G1D as it is, with a built-in antenna and RF circuit.
The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Renesas Electronics is under license.
Bluetooth LE wireless technology
Bluetooth LE wireless technology is designed for very low power operation and is optimized to short burst data transmission. In order to achieve reliable communication in the 2.4GHz frequency band, it employs a robust frequency hopping spread spectrum method that transmits data over 40 channels.
The Bluetooth LE wireless technology provides great flexibility to developers with data rates from 125Kb/s to 2Mb/s, multiple PHY options that support power levels from 1mW to 100mW, and multiple high-level security options required by government agencies.
LE supports multiple network topologies such as "Point-to-Point" used for data transfer, "Broadcast" used for location services, and "Mesh" used for building large-scale device networks.
|
Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) |
|
|---|---|
| Frequency Band | 2.4GHz ISM band (2.402GHz – 2.480GHz utilized) |
| Channels | 40 channels with 2MHz spacing (3 advertising channels/37 data channels) |
| Channel Usage | Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) |
| Modulation | GFSK |
| Power Consumption | ~0.01x to 0.5x of reference (depending on use case) |
| Data Rate | LE 2M PHY: 2Mb/s LE 1M PHY: 1Mb/s LE Coded PHY (S=2): 500Kb/s LE Coded PHY (S=8): 125Kb/s |
| Max Tx Power | Class 1: 100mW (+20dBm) Class 1.5: 10mW (+10dbm) Class 2: 2.5mW (+4dBm) Class 3: 1mW (0dBm) |
| Network Topologies | Point-to-Point (including piconet) Broadcast Mesh |
The benefit of LE is that it can communicate with applications for smartphones or tablets. LE is already used in many applications such as for healthcare and fitness, home electric appliances, home automation, gadgets, accessories, and location systems.
The Bluetooth wireless technology includes the LE standard and the BR/EDR standard that supports the Basic Rate and Enhanced Data Rate that are the classic standards.
Devices are classified into types that support LE only, BR/EDR only, and both LE and BR/EDR.
Renesas devices (RX23W, RA4W1, RE01B, RL78/G1D) are the types that support only LE.
Applications using Bluetooth LE wireless technology have spread from healthcare devices and continue to expand into a wide variety of fields such as sports and fitness, smart homes, industrial equipment, and beacon applications.
Bluetooth Qualification
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) oversees the development of Bluetooth standards and the licensing of the Bluetooth wireless technologies and trademarks to manufacturers.
Refer to the "BLE microcomputer/module Bluetooth qualification acquisition (PDF | English, 日本語)" application note for how to register a product using the Qualified Design Identification number (QDID) of our qualified design when selling a device equipped with a Renesas Bluetooth LE microcomputer or module as a Bluetooth product.
iOS/Android Application － GATTBrowser
The GATTBrowser smartphone application can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
The GATTBrowser app is used to check Bluetooth LE behavior. It can scan LE devices which are advertising in the vicinity and can perform GATT-based communication with the connected LE device. You can easily check the sample application behavior. GATTBrowser assists in the development of products that implement the Renesas Bluetooth LE microcomputer and module.
GATTBrowser for iOS
GATTBrowser for iOS Smartphone Application Instruction manual (PDF | English, 日本語)
GATTBrowser for Android
GATTBrowser for Android Smartphone Application Instruction manual (PDF | English, 日本語)