With integrated H-Bridge and energy harvesting modules, a smart actuator can be implemented in a single-chip solution with minimum components required. Infineon Technologies AG has developed a new programmable 32-bit ARM Cortex-M0 microcontroller (MCU) with embedded
near-field communication (NFC) frontend to enable cost effective development of smart actuators, such as passive locks.
Using the NFC interface, the NAC1080 MCU enables devices to be controlled directly by smartphones. To activate the lock, the mobile 
phone must be held directly on it. Near-field communication (NFC) is used to check whether the device is also actually authorized to open the lock. This is where encryption technology comes in. At the same time, energy is transferred contactlessly to a capacitor that opens or closes the lock.
Advanced local and cloud functions can be extended within the mobile app offered by regional marketing partners. This reduces the bill of material and supports miniaturized product design. NAC1080 supports various operation modes and can be powered either in passive mode by the NFC field with the energy harvested from the mobile phone, or through a battery supply in active mode. NAC1080 also provides an integrated AES128 accelerator and a true random generator to enable data encryption/de-encryption in an ultra-low power environment.
Besides the passive NFC lock application, NAC1080 can also be used as an emergency backup power supply application. Active lock systems, for example, depend on battery power. If they are discharged, the NFC interface IC for electronic devices can power the door lock. Since the electric power is transmitted via NFC, this use case may take longer to charge the capacitor than in passive mode. In both cases, charging will only take seconds.
In the Greater China region, Infineon is working together with IH Tech and FIoT-Open Lab to offer complete smart NFC lock solutions based on NAC1080 combining IC products, application development, IoT device testing, certification and standardization. This collaboration enables the three companies to support local customers to accelerate the system development cycle and foster the ecosystem development together.
Infineon, 2 E 3rd Ave., San Mateo, CA 94401, www.infineon.com/NAC1080.
