New digital analog hybrid integrated software defined radio automotive tuner

     Silicon Labs has introduced a new digital-analog hybrid, all-in-one Software-Defined Radio (SDR) tuner for a leading automotive radio solution provider, expanding its portfolio to support all global digital radio standards on a single common platform to meet the growing needs of automotive radio manufacturers. The new Si479x7 device is Silicon Labs' first automotive Radio tuner to support the Digital Radio Mondiale(DRM) standard. The Si479x7 tuner is an extension of Silicon Labs' popular family of Global Eagle and Dual Eagle AM/FM receivers and digital radio tuners. Delivers the same outstanding road test performance, single - and dual-debugger compatible pin definition and packaging, and bill of Materials (BOM) cost benefits.

     In addition to introducing new DRM-enabled tuners, Silicon Labs has also upgraded its Si4790x/5x/6x automotive tuners with a unique "SDR-friendly" technology, effectively converting these devices into digital-analog hybrid integrated SDR tuners. Silicon Labs' digital-analog hybrid SDR technology includes advanced DSP-based automotive features such as maximum ratio Merge (MRC), digital automatic gain control (AGC), digital radio rapid detection, and dynamic zero intermediate Frequency (ZIF) I/Q. These capabilities enable automotive radio manufacturers to support global digital radio standards with a single common radio hardware and software design. This additional flexibility helps Oems and Tier 1 reduce design, certification, procurement, and inventory costs while avoiding the complexity and inefficiencies of supporting multiple automotive radio platforms.

     Juan Revilla, General manager of Broadcast Products at Silicon Labs, said: "The Silicon Labs automotive tuner with the digital/analog hybrid SDR feature offers the highest integration, reception performance, and lowest BOM cost of SDR tuners in production vehicles today. Our tuners feature advanced digital radio capabilities that enable radio manufacturers to develop a single platform to demodulate and decode global digital radio standards, greatly simplifying automotive radio design and reducing system costs. A single digital radio platform can be implemented through an SDR-based design approach or using a tuner paired with a coprocessor design."

     Silicon Labs' automotive tuner portfolio includes highly integrated single and dual tuner options, as well as best-in-class AM/FM receiver performance. The portfolio supports all broadcast Radio bands, including AM, FM, long wave, short wave, weather Band, HD Radio, DAB(Band III) and DRM. These tuners are built on Silicon Labs' industry-leading RF CMOS technology to deliver superior automotive receiver performance. The proven tuner mixed-signal, low-IF RF CMOS design provides excellent sensitivity in weak signal environments and excellent selectivity and intermodulation immunity in strong signal environments.

     Digital radio standards are the primary source of in-vehicle infotainment systems, offering better reception performance, greater coverage and CD-comparable audio quality. The DRM standard provides a high-quality digital alternative to current analog radio standards operating in the AM and FM/VHF bands. DRM supports two frequency bands: DRM30, operating at up to 30 MHz; DRM+, operating at up to 300 MHz. DRM30 is popular in India, where more than a million cars have DRM receivers, while DRM+ trials are underway in Russia and South Africa. HD Radio and DAB are major standards in the United States and Europe, respectively.

     The new Si479x7 DRM digital-analog hybrid SDR tuner is now available in volume and samples are available. The single-DRM digital-analog hybrid SDR tuner is available in a 48-pin, 7 mm x 7 mm QFN package with a board footprint of less than 55 mm2. The dual DRM tuner CD comes in a 56-pin, 8 mm x 8 mm QFN package with a board footprint of less than 79 mm2. To accelerate product development, Silicon Labs offers a complete Si479x7 evaluation kit based on Global Eagle and Dual Eagle tuner designs.