Chip-level Radio Technology

Honeywell has developed custom, chip-level radio solutions that operate in a wide variety of frequency ranges. These "radio-on-a-chip" solutions are implemented using CMOS¹ integrated circuit technology to minimize fabrication cost and power. The radio solutions range from very low cost, direct-conversion devices for cost sensitive applications to high-performance, super heterodyne devices that are highly configurable for use in a wide variety of applications where compact design and performance are more critical than cost.

The designs support the transmission and reception of analog signals, (e.g. AM, FM), and digital data (BPSK, BFSK, various vector modulations). The chips are flexible in design, allowing configuration tradeoffs between sensitivity, dynamic range, power dissipation, and cost, as required to meet design goals. Implementations involving these devices are very simple due to the high level of integration in the radio chips, including fully integrated synthesizers and, on some chips, integral modems.

The direct-conversion chips are intended for use in high-volume, cost-sensitive applications in unlicensed frequency bands, such as those used for the popular commercially available 802.11 and Bluetooth wireless networking devices. Honeywell's chip-level radio solutions create customized 802.11-like applications. These applications may implement modifications suitable for the high-integrity applications that constitute much of Honeywell's avionics.

The super heterodyne chips, on the other hand, are intended for the demanding high-dynamic range applications common to most aeronautical communications, navigation, and surveillance radios. The radio-on-a-chip solution essentially integrates an entire circuit board worth of functions into a fingernail size integrated circuit. This integration permits greater circuit density and, therefore, greater functional integration in aeronautical radio applications. With proper choice of external components, these chips can operate over the frequency range of 30 MHz to 450 MHz, encompassing the major aeronautical communications and navigation bands below 1 GHz.

¹ Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor