ALPS Develops “UGXZD–G Series” Bluetooth™ HCI Module with Antenna for Automobiles

Ideal for the Growing Number of Bluetooth™ Car Multimedia Applications

Duesseldorf, Germany, May 30, 2012 – ALPS ELECTRIC EUROPE GmbH has developed the UGXZD–G Series Bluetooth™ HCI*1 module with antenna for automobiles. Mass production is already underway. Today Bluetooth™ technology features in most of the mobile devices that enrich our lives, including smartphones, tablet PCs, and portable music players. Automotive equipment, too, increasingly employs Bluetooth™ to allow connection of devices like smartphones and portable music, enabling activities such as hands-free phone calls and playback of your favorite music inside the car, thereby creating a more comfortable cabin space for users. With more and more people making hands-free phone calls or playing music via portable players in their cars, an increasing number of car audio systems employ Bluetooth™, as car navigation systems have, and there is a growing need for compact modules with built-in antennas for easier installation. ALPS has responded to this need by developing the UGXZD–G Series Bluetooth™ HCI module with antenna for automobiles. Integrating the antenna makes it is no longer necessary to separately examine characteristics essential to installation of Bluetooth™ modules in automotive equipment, such as the realization of excellent high-frequency communication on the 2.4GHz band, and compatibility with radio legislation in relevant countries. This helps to reduce the design and development workload for equipment manufacturers. Antenna, RF circuit, and RF simulation technologies acquired by ALPS over the years were used to integrate the antenna into the module while achieving a compact size of 28.5 × 13.8 × 2.8mm. The module can also be installed in the front panels, for example, of various car navigation and audio systems with different conditions by tweaking the antenna and transceiver matching circuitry to optimize high-frequency characteristics. Having enjoyed success with its All-in-One*2 Bluetooth™ modules for automobiles, ALPS now adds the UGXZD–G Series to its Bluetooth™ module line-up and will continue to meet the diversifying needs of customers. *1 Host Controller Interface: A specification for a common interface between lower (RF and baseband) and upper (communication protocol) Bluetooth™ layers. A module of the lower layers is called an HCI module and contains both the RF transceiver and baseband processor circuits required for wireless communication. *2 All-in-one module: A module containing lower (RF and baseband) through to upper (communication protocol) Bluetooth™ layers to enable processing using Bluetooth™. Features Ideal for the growing number of Bluetooth™ car audio applications Meets demand in the automotive equipment domain for modules with built-in antennas. Compact dimensions (28.5 × 13.8 × 2.8mm) allow installation in front panels. Principal Applications Car navigation and audio systems, and other automotive equipment Specifications Product name UGXZD–G Series Dimensions (W × D × H) 28.5mm x 13.8mm x 2.8mm Specification Ver. 2.1 + EDR (3.0) Interface UART Frequency 2402 to 2480MHz Supply voltage 3.3V Transfer speed 1 to 3Mbps More information on the new product

ALPS Electric Co., Ltd. ALPS Electric (Tokyo: 6770) is a leading global manufacturer of high-quality electronic components for mobile devices, home electronics, vehicles and industrial equipment. With the philosophy of “Perfecting the Art of Electronics” ALPS Electric supplies over 40,000 different components to about 2,000 companies all over the world. For more information, visit www.alps.com. ALPS ELECTRIC EUROPE GmbH, a subsidiary of ALPS Electric Co., Ltd., was established in 1979. Since 1989 the European Head Office has been located in Düsseldorf, where a team of specialists works in Sales, Marketing, and Product Engineering. The activities of our branch offices in Munich, Paris, Milton Keynes, Gothenburg, and our sales office in Milan are coordinated from Düsseldorf.