1998-03-03 , E/IC-1007/43

Low-cost data transfer system provides simple way to cummunicate between computers and other industrial devices using the cordless DECT system

Today in Amsterdam, Philips Semiconductors, the largest European semiconductor company, announced that it is selling a solution that will provide a new, low cost way for computers and other consumer and industrial devices to communicate without cables. The  Virtual Cable concept uses the well-established Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) standard to transfer data at rates of up to 28.8 Kbps. It has a range of 50 to 300 metres and can go through walls, partitions and floors. At a predicted end user price of less than $150 for a pair, Virtual Cable is significantly cheaper than other competing solutions and instantly removes the problem of communication cabling for a number of old and new applications.

A Virtual Cable is extremely simple to set up and use. Just plug the devices into the appropriate port. Switch on and it works instantly as if there were a real cable connecting the two. The Virtual Cable units create a direct, invisible connection using radio waves between the two pieces of equipment - a connection that appears to the equipment to be a real cable. Selecting a different piece of equipment to connect to is just a matter of choosing the required device from a menu on a screen - like selecting a printer from a list. Philips Semiconductors and its partners are currently enhancing the design so that one Virtual Cable unit can simultaneously or selectively connect with other Virtual Cable units within range.

"The Virtual Cable provides data connections at speeds easily sufficient for hundreds of business, residential and industrial applications," explained Walter Conrads, Managing Director of International Marketing and Sales at Philips Semiconductors, "making this the perfect solution for adding low cost, cable-free enhancements to existing products. Every person we speak to about this concept dreams up another application." Virtual Cables are already being tested in applications as diverse as interactive cable TV return paths, Point Of Sale (POS) terminal connections, vending machine polling and automatic stock control systems.

Philips Semiconductors has created the Virtual Cable concept by using its knowledge of the DECT telephone system, for which it is one of the world's leading suppliers of Integrated Circuits (ICs). Its partners in the Virtual Cable design are ALPS Electric, which has developed a finished module ready for integration by device makers, Silicon and Software Systems (S3), which provides the software. All the hardware and software components to build Virtual Cable units are available through Philips Semiconductors for manufacturers to create the final products for customers.

Philips Semiconductors' advanced integration techniques means that the Virtual Cable units can be made small enough to fit into a standard type II PCMCIA format, enabling it to be used it laptops and even palmtops such as Philips' Velo. For printers, and larger computers, it can be made into whatever is the most appropriate format such as a small unit plugged into the relevant port. It also ideal for creating plug and play cordless connections for computers and other devices over the Universal Serial Bus (USB).

Technical information
The Virtual Cable will be demonstrated for the first time in public at this year's CeBIT. The hardware part is a pair of DECT Data Modules from ALPS Electric, which are PCMCIA-sized cards that plug directly into serial I/O ports. They are based around Philips Semiconductors' highly successful DECT controller chips, a Philips Semiconductors'  80C51 microcontroller and a miniature RF module developed by ALPS. These "plug and play" modules operate independently of the host computer's CPU. All the user has to do is plug a module into the serial I/O port at each end of the link. The portable end of the link is subscribed to the basestation end by pressing a single button (in much the same way that you subscribe a DECT cordless phone to its basestation). Then the data link can be operated as normal. No modifications are required to the computer equipment's communications software.

The OM5878 DECT Data Services Software, which Philips Semiconductors has developed with Silicon & Software Systems (S3), implements all the data communications tasks involved, including the DECT data protocol, link access protocol, and V.24 UART interfacing to the host computer. Full hardware flow control (RTS/CTS) and CRC error protection are provided across the entire link, together with automatic link setup and release, and automatic link re-establishment after interruptions. DECT standard data encryption, together with automatic module authentication, ensure the security of transmitted data.

Philips Semiconductors, a division of Philips Electronics NV, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the ninth largest semiconductor supplier in the world and the fourth largest supplier of discretes in the world. Philips Semiconductors' innovations in digital audio, video, and mobile technology position the company as a leader in the consumer, multimedia and wireless communications markets. Sales offices are located in all major markets around the world and are supported by systems labs.