SJIT SFM20R4 Quad Mode Module User Manual

September 24, 2024
SJIT

SJIT SFM20R4 Quad Mode Module

Product Information

Specifications

  • Module: SFM20R4
  • Modes: Sigfox, BLE, WiFi, GPS
  • Main Chipset Information:
    • SigFox: ON Semiconductor AX-SFUS-1-01
    • BLE: Nordic Semiconductor nRF52832
    • WiFi: ESPRESSIF ESP8285
    • GPS(GLONASS): UBLOX UBX-G8020

Product Usage Instructions

  1. Overview
    The SFM20R4 module is a versatile quad-mode module supporting Sigfox, BLE, WiFi, and GPS technologies. It can be used for various applications including low-power tracking with location determination using WiFi or GPS.

  2. Hardware Architecture
    Refer to the block diagram for the internal and external components of the SFM20R4 module.

  3. Operational Description

    • SIGFOX
      The module utilizes the Sigfox network for transmitting and receiving messages in RCZ4 (Australia, New Zealand).

    • BLE
      Bluetooth Low Energy functionality based on Nordic Semiconductor nRF52832.

    • WIFI
      Utilizes 2.4 GHz frequency for high-speed data transmission and reception.

    • GPS (GLONASS)
      GPS/GLONASS technology is used for location determination and transmitting location information via Sigfox.

  4. Features

    • SIGFOX:
    • Sigfox up-link and down-link functionality controlled by AT commands
    • Temperature sensor
    • Ultra-low power consumption
    • High-performance narrow-band Sigfox
    • BLE:
    • Based on Nordic Semiconductor nRF52832 Bluetooth Smart Soc
    • WIFI:
    • 2.4 GHz receiver and transmitter
    • High-speed clock generators and crystal oscillator
    • Real-Time Clock
    • Bias and regulators
    • Power management
    • GPS (GLONASS):
    • UBLOX 8 position engine featuring over 2 million effective correlators
    • Fast acquisition time

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Q: What is the frequency range for Sigfox transmission?
    A: The frequency range for Sigfox transmission in RCZ4 (Australia, New Zealand) is specified as Uplink(TX) and Downlink(RX).

  • Q: How is the RF frequency time base maintained for each technology?
    A: – SIGFOX: TCXO(48MHz) for RF frequency – BLE: External 32.768 kHz crystal for RTC – WIFI: Crystal frequency is 26 MHz – GPS(GLONASS): TCXO(26MHz) for RF frequency

Introduction

  • The SFM20R4 module is a quad-mode module supporting Sigfox, BLE, WiFi, and GPS.
  • This Module can transmit and receive messages using the SIGFOX network.
  • The typical applications can be used as a low-power tracking device.
  • The application uses WIFI or GPS to determine location. It will then transmit the location information via SIGFOX. It also will transmit other information like temperature, accelerometer, and so on.

Hardware Architecture

Main Chipset Information

Item

| Vendor|

Part Number

---|---|---
SigFox| ON Semiconductor| AX-SFUS-1-01
BLE| NORDIC semiconductor| nRF52832
WIFI| ESPRESSIF| ESP8285
GPS(GLONASS)| UBLOX| UBX-G8020

Circuit Block Diagram
The major internal and external block diagram of SFM20R4 is illustrated in Figure 1-1.

Operational Description

  • SIGFOX

    • SIGFOX is able to transmit and receive messages using the SIGFOX network.
    • This module addresses the RCZ4(Australia, New Zealand).
  • BLE

    • Bluetooth 4.2 optimized for low-power applications.
    • The RADIO contains a 2.4 GHz radio receiver and a 2.4 GHz radio transmitter that is compatible with
    • Nordic’s proprietary 1 Mbps and 2 Mbps radio modes in addition to 1 Mbps Bluetooth® low energy mode.
  • WIFI
    ESP8285 implements TCP/IP, the full 802.11 b/g/n/e/i WLAN MAC protocol and Wi- Fi Direct specification. It supports not only basic service set (BSS) operations under the distributed control function (DCF) but also P2P group operation compliant with the latest Wi-Fi P2P protocol. Low level protocol functions are handled automatically by ESP8285.

    • RTS/CTS
    • acknowledgment
    • fragmentation and defragmentation
    • aggregation
    • frame encapsulation (802.11h/RFC 1042)
    • automatic beacon monitoring/scanning, and
    • P2P Wi-Fi Direct
      Passive or active scanning, as well as the P2P discovery procedure, is performed autonomously once initiated by the appropriate command. Power management is handled with minimum interaction with the host to minimize the active duty period.
  • GPS (GLONASS)
    The application uses GPS(GLONASS) to determine location. It will then transmit the location information via SIGFOX. It also will transmit other information like temperature, accelerometer, and so on.

Features

  • SIGFOX

    • Sigfox up-link and down-link functionality controlled by AT commands
    • Temperature sensor
    • Ultra-low power consumption
    • High-performance narrow-band Sigfox
  • BLE

  • Based on Nordic Semiconductor nRF52832 Bluetooth Smart Soc (ARM Cortex –M4F, 512KB flash, and 64KB RAM embedded)

  • Ultra-low power multiprotocol support

  • BLE Wireless application

  • Bluetooth specification Version 4.2 (LE single mode) compliant

  • External interface: 32 GPIO pins for NFC(tag), SPI, TWI, UART, Crystal (32.768 KHz), and ADC

  • WIFI

    • 2.4 GHz receiver
    • 2.4 GHz transmitter
    • High-speed clock generators and crystal oscillator
    • Real-Time Clock
    • Bias and regulators
    • Power management
  • GPS (GLONASS)
    blox 8 position engine featuring: ver 2 million effective correlators

    • down to 1 s acquisition time
    • up to 18 Hz navigation update rate in single GNSS mode
    • Supports GPS and GLONASS as well as SBAS and QZSS
    • Supports u-blox’s AssistNow Online / AssistNow Offline A-GNSS services and is OMA SUPL 1.0 compliant
    • Supports u-blox’s AssistNow Autonomous (no connectivity required)
    • Supports crystal oscillator and TCXO
    • Supports a built-in DC/DC converter and an intelligent, user-configurable power management
    • Supports data logging, odometer, geo-fencing, spoofing detection, and message integrity protection.

The time base of the RF frequency

  • SIGFOX
    For Sigfox RF frequency, a TCXO(48MHz) is a clock reference.

  • BLE

    • Using external 32.768 kHz crystal for RTC.
    • The 64 MHz crystal oscillator (HFXO) is controlled by a 32 MHz external crystal.
  • WIFI

    • The high-frequency clock on ESP8285 is used to drive both transmit and receive mixers.
    • This clock is generated from an internal crystal oscillator and an external crystal. The crystal frequency is 26 MHz.
  • GPS(GLONASS)

    • The RTC is driven internally by a 32.768 Hz oscillator, which makes use of an external RTC crystal.
    • For GPS(GLONASS) RF frequency, a TCXO(26MHz) is a clock reference.

Transmission

  • SIGFOX
    The Tx path produces a DBPSK-modulated signal. modulate the RF signal generated by the synthesizer. The modulated RF signal is fed to the integrated RX/TX switch and antenna interface and then out of the AX-SFUS-1-01.

  • BLE

    • The RADIO contains a 2.4 GHz radio receiver and a 2.4 GHz radio transmitter that is compatible with
    • Nordic’s proprietary 1 Mbps and 2 Mbps radio modes in addition to 1 Mbps Bluetooth® low energy mode.
  • WIFI
    The 2.4 GHz transmitter up-converts the quadrature baseband signals to 2.4 GHz and drives the antenna with a high-power CMOS power amplifier. The function of digital calibration further improves the linearity of the power amplifier, enabling a state-of-the-art performance of delivering +19.5 dBm average power for 802.11b transmission and +16 dBm for 802.11n transmission.
    Additional calibrations are integrated to offset any imperfections of the radio, such as:

    • Carrier leakage
    • I/Q phase matching
    • Baseband nonlinearities
      These built-in calibration functions reduce the product test time and make the test equipment unnecessary.
  • Receiver

    • SIGFOX
      The Rx path can receive a 922.3MHz signal and the noise amplifier is built into the inside of the chip, it amplifies the received signal by the low noise amplifier according to the receiving intensity, and the amplified signal is converted into the digital signal through the ADC, Packets will be interpreted.
  • BLE
    The RADIO contains a 2.4 GHz radio receiver and a 2.4 GHz radio transmitter that is compatible with Nordic’s proprietary 1 Mbps and 2 Mbps radio modes in addition to 1 Mbps Bluetooth® low energy mode.

  • WIFI
    The 2.4-GHz receiver down-converts the RF signals to quadrature baseband signals and converts them to the digital domain with 2 high-resolution high- speed ADCs. To adapt to varying signal channel conditions, RF filters, automatic gain control (AGC), DC offset cancelation circuits, and baseband filters are integrated within ESP8285.

  • GPS(GLONASS)

  • u-blox 8 GNSS chips are single GNSS receivers that can receive and track either GPS or GLONASS signals. By default, the u-blox 8 receivers are configured for GPS, including SBAS and QZSS reception. If power consumption is a key factor, then QZSS and SBAS should be disabled.

Product Details

  • SIGFOX
  • Data Modulation
    • TX: DBPSK
    • RX: 2GFSK
  • Frequency:****
    Sigfox zone| Uplink(TX)| Downlink(RX)
    ---|---|---
    RCZ4

(Australia, New Zealand)

| 920.8MHz| 922.3MHz

  • BLE
    • Data Modulation: GFSK
    • Frequency: 2402-2480MHz
  • WIFI
    • Data Modulation :
    • DSSS:CCK,BPSK,QPSK for 802.11b
    • OFDM:BPSK,QPSK,16QAM,64QAM for 802.11g,n (HT20)
    • Frequency Range: 2412-2484MHz
    • GPS(GLONASS)
    • Data Modulation: BPSK
    • Frequency:
  • GPS: 1575.42MHz
  • GLONASS: Around 1602MHz

Output Power Tolerance

  • SIGFOX Output power : +/- 1.5dB
  • BLE Output power : +/- 4.0dB
  • WIFI Output power : +/- 2.5dB

SFM20R4 Category of signal

Simultaneous transmission

Warning Statements

Warning Statements

FCC Part 15.19 Statements:
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

FCC Part 15.21 statement
Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment

Modular Approval Statement
Regulatory notice to host manufacturer according to KDB 996369 D03 OEM Manual

This module has been granted modular approval as below listed FCC rule parts.
FCC Rule parts 15C (15.247)

Summarize the specific operational use conditions
The OEM integrator should use equivalent antennas which is the same type and equal or less gain than an antenna listed below this instruction manual.

Limited module Procedures
This module is certified as limited modular approval because of the lack of both conditions of a type connector antenna, so the host manufacturer needs to follow the installation guidance explained below.

1. Antenna Installation Guidance

  1. The antenna used must be used in the specified antenna type and maximum antenna gain as listed below:

    • Antenna type: External dipole
    • Max. peak Antenna gain: 2.01 dBi (Sigfox) / 4.44 dBi (BLE, Wi-Fi)
      If a different type or higher gain antenna is used, additional authorization is required.
  2. The OEM manufacturer, responsible for installing this module into the host device, must ensure that end-users do not have access to the antenna and connector, in compliance with FCC Section 15.203.

  3. the antenna connector must not be accessible to the end-user when installed into the host device and the host device must ensure the module and antenna are installed under the installation guidance.

Antennas list
The antenna certified with this module is listed following.

  • Antenna type: External dipole
  1. INNO-EWFSWS-151
  • Max. peak Antenna gain: 4.44 dBi (BLE, Wi-Fi)
  1. INNO-EL9SWS-149
  • Max. peak Antenna gain: 2.01 dBi (Sigfox)

A host manufacturer must not use the other types of antenna and an antenna with a gain that exceeds the values
listed in this document.

RF exposure considerations

  • The module has been certified for integration into products only by OEM integrators under the following conditions:
  • The antenna(s) must be installed such that a minimum separation distance of at least 20 cm is maintained between the radiator (antenna) and all persons at all times.
  • The transmitter module must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter except by FCC multi-transmitter product procedures.

Mobile use

  • As long as the three conditions above are met, further transmitter testing will not be required.
  • OEM integrators should provide the minimum separation distance to end users in their end-product manuals.

End Product Labeling
The module is labeled with its own FCC ID. If the FCC ID is not visible when the module is installed inside another device, then the outside of the device into which the module is installed must also display a label referring to the enclosed module. In that case, the end product must be labeled in a visible area with the following:

  • Contains FCC ID: 2BEK7SFM20R4
  • Contains IC: 32019-SFM20R4

Information on test modes and additional testing requirements
OEM integrator is still responsible for testing their end-product for any additional compliance requirements required with this module installed (for example, digital device emissions, PC peripheral requirements, additional transmitter in the host, etc.).

Additional testing, Part 15 Subpart B disclaimer
The final host product also requires Part 15 subpart B compliance testing with the modular transmitter installed to be properly authorized for operation as a Part 15 digital device.

Manual Information To the End User
The OEM integrator has to be aware not to provide information to the end user regarding how to install or remove this RF module or change RF-related parameters in the user manual of the end product.

  • Note EMI Considerations
  • Note that a host manufacturer is recommended to use the D04 Module Integration Guide recommending as “best practice” RF design engineering testing and evaluation in case non-linear interactions generate additional noncompliant limits due to module placement to host components or properties
  • For standalone mode, reference the guidance in the D04 Module Integration Guide, and for simultaneous mode; see
  • D02 Module Q&A Question 12, which permits the host manufacturer to confirm compliance.

How to make changes
Since only Grantees are permitted to make permissive changes, when the module will be used differently than granted, please contact the module manufacturer on below contact information.

This device complies with Industry Canada license-exempt RSS standard(s). Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

  • this device may not cause interference, and
  • this device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.

RSS-GEN, Sec. 6.8
This radio transmitter [32019-SFM20R4] has been approved by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada to operate with the antenna types listed below, with the maximum permissible gain indicated. Antenna types not included in this list that have a gain greater than the maximum gain indicated for any type listed are strictly prohibited for use with this device.

  • Antenna type: External dipole
  • INNO-EWFSWS-151
  • Max. peak Antenna gain: 4.44 dBi (BLE, Wi-Fi)
  • INNO-EL9SWS-149
    Max. peak Antenna gain: 2.01 dBi (Sigfox)

Antenna Trace Design for Host Devices

Trace layout and dimensions including specific designs for each type:

  1. Layout of trace design, parts, antenna, connectors, and isolation requirements;

    • All RF traces must be 50 ohm lines. Connectors are required to use SMA Type connectors. The antenna is required to use a dipole antenna manufactured by Inno-Link. Co., Ltd..
      However, you must not give access to the antenna connector to the user when you install this module into devices to be compliant with FCC section 15.203.
  2. Boundary limits of size, thickness, length, width, shape(s), dielectric constant, and impedance must be clearly described for each type of antenna;

    • The antenna should be used only SMA type antenna manufactured by Inno-Link Co., Ltd. Different antenna types are not acceptable.
  3. Different antenna lengths and shapes affect radiated emissions, and each design shall be considered a different type; e.g., antenna length in multiple(s) of frequency wavelength and antenna shape (traces in phase) can affect antenna gain and must be considered;

  4. Different antennae is unacceptable.

  • Appropriate parts by manufacturer and specifications.
    1. For Sigfox antenna, INNO-EL9SWS-149 or similar part manufactured by Inno-Link. Co., Ltd.
    2. For Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz antenna, INNO-EL9SWS-151 or similar part manufactured by Inno-Link. Co., Ltd.
    3. For BT LE antenna, INNO-EL9SWS-151 or similar part manufactured by Inno-Link. Co., Ltd.
  • Test procedures for design verification.
    The manufacturer should verify that the antenna trace design on the PCB board complies with this Antenna Trace Design document.

You connect the antenna connector of the device to the input of a measurement instrument. You set the measurement instrument to the proper options for each frequency band and conduct the test to get the output power from the antenna connector. The permissible output power range is in the below table to verify the antenna trace design is appropriate for this document.

Band Output power Tolerance
WIFi 19.5 dBm +/- 2.5 dB
Sigfox 22.1385 dBm +/- 1.5 dB
BT LE 3.48 dBm +/- 4.0 dB

Production test procedures for ensuring compliance.

  • The host product itself is required to comply with all other applicable FCC equipment authorization regulations and requirements.
  • So, the host device should be tested for unintentional radiators under Part 15 subpart B for non-transmitter functions on the transmitter module as appropriate.

The above data is to be provided by a Gerber file (or equivalent) for PCB layout.

  • Impedance line width: 1.2mm
  • Clearance: 0.2mm
  • FR4 PCB εr = 4.6

Sigfox Antenna Matching value

Documents / Resources

| SJIT SFM20R4 Quad Mode Module [pdf] User Manual
SFM20R4, SFM20R4 Quad Mode Module, Quad Mode Module, Mode Module, Module
---|---

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