Peraso announced a new wireless platform utilizing the company’s proven mmWave product line for secure tactical communications. This new solution creates an opportunity for Peraso to expand into new markets while also highlighting the practical application benefits of 60 GHz mmWave within the defense sector. Peraso’s PRM2136 is a member of the Pro series of modules that are compliant with IEEE 802.11ad specifications. It offers support for high bandwidth, low latency applications using unlicensed mmWave spectrum and it enables high bandwidth throughput connection rates of more than 3 Gbps between the users. The PRM2136 operating frequency range is in the unlicensed band from 57 to 63 GHz and because it operates in the 60 GHz band, interference from traditional Wi-Fi devices operating in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands is minimized. The use of directional beamforming technology, the propagation characteristics of 60 GHz signals and advanced software features from Peraso help mitigate interference from other IEEE 802.11ad devices.
Peraso’s 60 GHz modules enable multi-gigabit data transfer rates, which can be especially important in military operations where sharing real-time data is essential. One key advantage of the company’s technology is the ability to create small, lightweight and power-efficient solutions that are ideally suited for tactical, standalone military applications. Additionally, the PRM2136 delivers adaptive beamforming and narrow “pencil” beams that enable highly directional communications, which are inherently stealthy with a low probability of interception, low probability of detection and less susceptible to conventional jamming techniques. The block diagram for the PRM2136 module is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 PRM2136 block diagram.
As shown in the block diagram, the module relies on Peraso’s PRS1145 and PRS4601 ICs that, collectively, comprise the X720 chipset. The PRS1145 is a 60 GHz radio IC that contains 16 RF chains to support 16 Tx/Rx antenna ports. The RF chains have a transmit power of up to 24 dBm with a receive noise figure of 7 dB. The IC contains an integrated crystal oscillator and the PLL tunes to channels 1 to 6 in half-channel steps. The PRS1165 supports BPSK, QPSK and 16-QAM single carrier modulation. It also contains the baseband I/Q interface to the PRS4601 IC.
The PRS4601 is an 802.11ad baseband IC chip. It has an 802.11ad-compliant PHY that can provide maximum data throughput of up to 4.62 Gbps and it supports single carrier MCS0 to MCS12 (16-QAM). It offers a variable rate LDPC FEC and has full support for beamforming and beam tracking. The PRS4601 also has a USB 2.0/3.0 device controller with an integrated PHY supporting up to 5 Gbps communications. It also has an 802.11ad-compliant MAC with two integrated RISC CPUs. In addition, the chip has on-chip memory for all packet buffering, control and management functions. The PRS4601 has 128-bit AES security with support for 32 clients and two connected radios. It has 24 configurable, multi-function GPIOS and it offers Windows, Linux and Android support. All this functionality comes in a 7 mm × 7 mm BGA package.
The PRM2136 module leverages the X720 chipset and the other peripherals shown in Figure 1 to implement a low-cost, low-power, high performance SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to IEEE 802.11ad 60 GHz mmWave systems. The PRM2136 also provides multi-gigabit throughput with the ability to power applications such as secure tactical networking, wireless AR/VR, wireless displays, wireless docking and wireless access to the cloud. These applications can now be much more effective and efficient using 60 GHz technology. The performance specifications of the PRM2136 module are shown in Table 1.
Figure 2a shows the component side of the PRM2136 module. From the layout, it is easy to see the smaller PRS1145 60 GHz radio IC at the top of the module and the larger PRS4601 802.11ad baseband IC in the lower half of the module. Figure 2b shows the top side of the PRM2136 module.
Figure 2 (a) PRM2136 module circuitry. (b) Top view of PRM2136 module.
Peraso is a pioneer in high performance 60 GHz license-free and 5G mmWave wireless technology, offering chipsets, modules, software and IP. Peraso supports a variety of applications, including fixed wireless access, immersive video and factory automation. In addition, Peraso’s solutions for data and telecom networks focus on accelerating data intelligence and multi-access edge computing, providing end-to-end solutions from the edge to the centralized core and into the cloud.
Peraso, Inc.
San Jose, Calif.
www.perasoinc.com