ams offers the AS3956, a dynamic NFC tag IC which meets industrial-grade quality standards and provides very high reliability in mission-critical applications and in products with a long operating lifetime.
Contactless bridge between sensors and any NFC reader
The AS3956 dynamic tag acts as a contactless bridge between sensors and any NFC reader, such as a smartphone, through a host microcontroller. It supports the NDEF messaging protocol in full compliance with NFC Forum recommendations, guaranteeing interoperability with any NFC phones, including Apple® iOS devices.
Close interaction with customers
In designing the robust AS3956, ams drew on close interaction with customers that manufacture products for industrial applications and the Internet of Things (IoT). Intensive testing in real-world applications has validated the performance and reliability of the chip in a wide range of demanding operating conditions.
Applications
Unlike the consumer-grade dynamic NFC tags on the market today, the AS3956 is ideally suited to:
- industrial and Internet of Things (IoT) applications exposed to harsh operating conditions, including extreme temperatures ranging from -40°C to 125°C;
- products requiring an extended operating lifetime, such as HVAC equipment, hearing aids, and wireless sensors for infrastructure such as roads, bridges and utilities. The AS3956’s internal EEPROM memory is rated for a minimum 100,000 program/erase cycles, and offers 10 years’ data retention at 125°C;
- mission-critical products that require a zero-failure rate.
Main features
The AS3956 includes various features that give the designer flexibility in implementing NFC-based applications. These include the provision of both an I2C and an SPI interface to a host microcontroller, and a wide supply voltage range of 1.65V-5.5V. In basic operation, the AS3956 acts as a stand-alone Type 2 tag conforming to the NFC Forum standards and supporting NFC communication with a reader. In addition, either of two data-transfer modes for host controller communication can be selected:
- Extended Mode, a self-timed data transfer mechanism using standard Type 2 tag commands, thus minimizing software overhead on the host controller
- Tunneling Mode to implement ISO14443A Level 4 PICC emulation in line with EMVCo requirements or custom protocols.
