Ameya360:Wireless SoCs Solve Connectivity Challenges

发布时间：2023-02-23 15:59
作者：Ameya360
来源：网络
阅读量：1834

　　Wireless systems-on-chip (SoCs) are favored by IoT system designers for their high functionality, low power consumption and space savings. These devices are comprised of a number of key components, including the processors, radios, power management, memory, interfaces and peripherals.

Ameya360:Wireless SoCs Solve Connectivity Challenges

　　One of the biggest drivers in wireless SoCs is the growing need for multi-protocol support to meet the requirements of different IoT devices. Chipmakers need to keep up with existing standards that continue to evolve as well as new wireless standards. These include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE, Bluetooth classic, 802.15.4, ZigBee, Thread, Z-Wave, Matter, cellular and other proprietary wireless protocols.

　　Through this integration and multi-protocol support, wireless SoCs are solving some of the biggest technical challenges around wireless design while simplifying development by providing all of the necessary functionality, along with the connectivity and security in one device. But designers aren’t on their own; SoC makers also provide complete ecosystems and reference designs that can lower design risk and shorten the design cycle.

　　“A wireless SoC typically comprises the radio itself—one or more, depending on the application—a MAC/PHY for the Wi-Fi and PHY for Bluetooth, along with a power management unit, memory, various I/O ports, a debug port, possibly an analog-to-digital converter and bus management IP,” said Brandon Bae, senior director of product marketing for wireless connectivity at Synaptics Incorporated. “Interfaces for external power amplifier and low-noise amplifier options, with associated switches, are also good to have.”

　　Brandon Bae, senior director, product marketing, wireless connectivity at Synaptics Incorporated.

　　Depending on the protocols supported and the end applications, the components in a wireless SoC could be different, said Dhiraj Sogani, senior director of wireless product marketing at Silicon Labs. “Power optimization, longer range, robust connectivity, higher processing power, more peripherals and higher memory will continue to be the driving trends in wireless SoCs, and we will see continuous improvement in these.”

　　Wireless SoCs are also packed with security features, making them suited for a range of embedded IoT systems, such as smart homes, smart metering, building automation and fitness devices.

　　“Security is increasingly a concern to protect personal data and to protect IP, and many SoCs are adding features to address security at multiple hardware and software levels,” said Nathalie Vallespin, wireless product line marketing manager at STMicroelectronics.

　　Highly integrated wireless SoCs

　　As demand grows for wireless SoCs, chipmakers continue to meet requirements for better security and greater interoperability and are adding advanced features for sensors, graphics, artificial intelligence and machine learning. There is also a drive toward multi-protocol connectivity support with options for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRa, Zigbee, Matter and other protocols.

　　“There is always a requirement for a higher level of integration in the wireless SoCs to meet the application use cases, simplify IoT device development and reduce cost,” Sogani said.

　　One of the key areas is a higher level of hardware and software integration, which includes the integrated applications processor, integrated networking stacks, cloud connectivity, digital and analog peripherals, additional GPIOs and higher memory, along with support for new protocols like Matter, Amazon Sidewalk and Wi-SUN, he added.

　　“Integration of multiple protocols is becoming critical,” Sogani said. These include the combinations of Wi-Fi and BLE and 802.15.4 and BLE, as well as Wi-Fi, BLE, 802.15.4 and even sub-gigahertz integration.

　　“Bluetooth classic integration is also needed to support legacy headsets,” he added. “These protocols need to operate concurrently, which needs significant hardware and software work.”

　　Dhiraj Sogani, senior director, wireless product marketing, at Silicon Labs.

　　In addition, “Matter over Thread and Matter over Wi-Fi is gaining significant momentum, as it enables interoperability of different ecosystems, such as Google, Amazon and Samsung,” Sogani said. “Wi-SUN is becoming more critical for smart-city deployments. Amazon Sidewalk shows significant promise to become a leading protocol for neighborhood connectivity.”

　　Vallespin noted that the evolution in standards is also enabling new use cases: “In Bluetooth Low Energy, audio is creating many new use cases to manage new user experiences and is replacing the Bluetooth classic technology. Matter technology, just announced late last year, is a new standard for connected-home applications, and ultra-wideband is increasingly being used for car access control.”

　　STMicroelectronics offers a wireless roadmap based on its popular STM32 family of microcontrollers and ecosystem. These include the STM32WB series for Bluetooth LE, Thread, Matter and Zigbee and the STM32WL for LoRa and other sub-gigahertz protocols. “STM32 wireless products add best-in-class IPs to smoothly migrate to wireless platforms,” Vallespin said.

　　Sogani noted two other key trends, including the integration of machine learning for IoT edge devices for simple audio, vision and data applications like keyword spotting, motion detection and glass-break detection, as well as security integration at the hardware and software level for improving IoT device security.

　　Synaptics’ Bae agreed that there is a higher degree of integration coming: “We’re looking at advancing to finer nodes to not only shrink the die size, but it also frees up space to integrate more memory for more features for a given package size. The drivers tend to be functionality, size, power and cost, so if we can provide greater functionality for a given footprint while also improving power consumption, our customers like that.

　　“It’s not always good to move to a smaller package, even when that’s possible, as that requires board redesigns,” Bae said. “More functionality is often preferred.”

　　Similarly, Vallespin said the process node is a key factor in delivering new degrees of integration. “Smaller geometries allow greater integration.”

　　Latest advances

　　Wireless SoC vendors agreed that new product development is driven by wireless standards and the need for higher functionality, more integration and lower power consumption.

　　For example, Silicon Labs’ wireless SoC roadmap focuses on “intelligent wireless connectivity for IoT devices.” The company offers a wide range of wireless solutions, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 802.15.4, ZigBee, Thread, Z-Wave and proprietary wireless.

　　Silicon Labs’ latest advances include its 2.4-GHz wireless MG24 SoC for Bluetooth and multiple-protocol operations. The MG24 supports Matter over Thread as a single-chip solution—with a range of up to 200 meters indoors for OpenThread—while also enabling Bluetooth commissioning of new devices on the same chip, Sogani said. “The MG24, combined with the ultra-low–power Silicon Labs RS9116 or Silicon Labs WF200 Wi-Fi products, enables development of Matter over Wi-Fi 4.”

　　Silicon Labs also offers the FG25, the company’s new flagship SoC for Wi-SUN, which is one of the world’s first open protocols for smart-city and smart-utility applications. “The EFF01 is the FG25’s corresponding amplifier that boosts signal range by 2× when used together,” Sogani said.

　　He said the FG25 “will be the world’s most secure smart-city solution, with long range, the largest memory capacity of any SoC in the Silicon Labs portfolio and the ability to operate for up to 10 years on a coin-cell battery.”

　　In addition, Silicon Labs’ first Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth LE SoC, the fully integrated SiWx917, is designed to be the lowest-power Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth LE SoC in the industry, Sogani said. “The SiWx917 is a single-chip solution that is Matter-ready, includes an integrated applications processor and offers industry-leading energy efficiency, making it ideal for battery-powered or energy-efficient IoT devices with always-on cloud connectivity.”

　　Synaptics is focusing on two major industry trends: connecting sensors that are gathering data to the AI systems or devices that are doing the analysis, and making wireless devices easier to use, Bae said.

　　“First, we’re simplifying the integration of AI and wireless through KatanaConnect, which combines our Katana low-power edge AI SoC with our SYN430132 1 × 1 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo chip on a tiny module measuring 32 × 32 mm,” he said. “Second, our mix of Bluetooth, ULE, Wi-Fi, 802.15.4 and GNSS solutions is unique in the industry. They are proven solutions that simplify the cost-effective and rapid development of IoT connectivity devices. This has clear single-source benefits of both product and design expertise, so we know how to connect IoT devices.”

　　However, Bae said there is more to it than having the silicon and track record. “We’re also either already Matter-compliant or are working on it across all our solution stacks so we can ensure users benefit from Matter’s promise of a seamless user experience across platforms and interfaces.”

　　A good example of Synaptics’ Matter support and high integration is the SYN4381 Triple Combo SoC, which the company claims as the first to combine Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax with extended 6-GHz operation), Bluetooth 5.2 (BT 5.2) with BLE audio and high-accuracy distance measurement, and IEEE 802.15.4 with built-in support for the Thread protocol and Matter application layer. The SoC and its SynFi software simplify product development by providing secure and scalable connectivity between devices across heterogeneous IoT networks, regardless of platform, OEM or brand, the company said. For end users, they get a simplified setup and seamless control across their smart-home devices.

　　Key differentiators for Synaptics include its robust connectivity and the ability to balance cost and performance, Bae said. “For example, while many offer Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo solutions, they haven’t fully controlled the signaling, and that shows up as glitches in both audio and video.”

　　To solve the problem, Synaptics has developed a proprietary mechanism, which it calls Smart Coexistence, in the 2.45-GHz band. It “carefully manages the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth transmission and reception to avoid lost packets and the inefficiencies of retransmissions,” Bae said.

　　Bae added it is baked into all of its combo chips, including the SYN4381 Triple Combo, as well as the SYN43756 Bluetooth/Wi-Fi combo chip, an IEEE 802.11ax 2 × 2 MAC/baseband/radio IC with integrated Bluetooth 5.2 (with LE Audio).


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Ameya360:How to Select Wireless SoCs for Your IoT Designs
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Ameya360:How to Select Wireless SoCs for Your IoT Designs

　　Selecting a wireless system-on-chip (SoC) for your design isn’t easy. It requires careful consideration around several factors, including power consumption, size and cost. The SoC also needs to support the right wireless protocols for the IoT application and network, which then entails factors like range, latency and throughput.　　Max Palumbo, product marketing manager for wireless connectivity, secure connected edge, at NXP Semiconductors.　　One way to ensure that your IoT design is optimized for the application is by carefully considering your choice of wireless SoCs. It also requires a careful evaluation of the key requirements of your design—including battery life, compute and memory resources, and footprint—because there will be performance tradeoffs, depending on the application.　　Designers have many factors to consider when selecting wireless SoCs for their products, said Max Palumbo, product marketing manager for wireless connectivity, secure connected edge, at NXP Semiconductors. “There is no right answer in terms of what device or architecture to choose, as this depends on the series of engineering tradeoffs that the product designer is willing to make to satisfy the needs of their end customer.”　　There is also industry agreement that a strong development ecosystem with comprehensive support tools and service is paramount. These product and prototyping tools and services can help designers reduce their time to market and cost.　　So let’s address some of the top-of-mind design issues that engineers should consider when selecting wireless SoCs for their IoT designs, as well as some of the biggest challenges and tradeoffs.　　Use cases dictate design　　Most wireless SoC manufacturers agree that the application requirements determine the selection of the wireless SoC and help narrow down the options for the IoT design. One of the most critical factors is power consumption, they said, followed by a host of other considerations, such as wireless protocols, performance, cost, size, tool support and ease of integration.　　While power consumption is tapped as one of the most critical factors in selecting wireless SoCs, choice of the wireless protocol is governed by the application.　　The end application determines the priorities, said Brandon Bae, senior director of product marketing for wireless connectivity at Synaptics Incorporated.　　He cited a few application examples in which design priorities define the selection of the wireless SoC.　　“For example, if it’s a battery-powered device, such as a wearable with a single Bluetooth connection, they may choose our SYN20703P [single-chip Bluetooth transceiver and baseband processor],” Bae explained. “If it’s a drone, they may need our SYN43400 Wi-Fi SoC, as power consumption and size—and weight—are very important and developers have to make the decision based on their go-to-market strategy.　　“A drone may also need both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth,” he added. “At that point, the number of wireless interfaces required for the application becomes important, and an integrated SoC with both is typically the best approach. Our SYN43756 [single-chip IEEE 802.11ax 2 × 2 MAC/baseband/radio with integrated Bluetooth 5.2] is a good solution for that.”　　Bae also noted that “application dependency can be extrapolated to include aggregation points or gateways for the IoT where multiple heterogeneous wireless networks come together.” This would benefit from a higher level of integration, with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Zigbee/Thread (IEEE 802.15.4 PHY), such as that provided by the Triple Combo SYN4381 wireless SoC, he said.　　Dhiraj Sogani, senior director of wireless product marketing at Silicon Labs, agreed: “Every wireless protocol is playing a different role, and the end-application use cases are the most important in deciding one or more of these protocols for an IoT device.”　　Sogani said there are several key factors in selecting a wireless SoC for an IoT device, which vary by the application. His top five considerations, which are important for all kinds of IoT devices, include wireless protocols; security; battery life; hardware and software support, including peripherals, GPIOs, IDE support, cloud support and networking/wireless stack integration; and compute and memory resources available for the application after the OS, networking stacks and the wireless stacks have been integrated into the wireless SoC.　　For wireless protocols, requirements include application throughput, latency, number of network nodes and range, he said. “IoT devices are becoming more complicated every day as more functionality is getting integrated into the devices. Adding wireless to the IoT devices increases the complexity manifold. There are many wireless protocols being used in IoT devices, including Wi-Fi, BT, BLE, Zigbee, Thread, Z-Wave and cellular. The choice of wireless communication protocols for a particular device depends upon the application, size, cost, power and several other factors.”　　Sogani cited several examples in which the application, together with the performance requirements, are key to the decision-making.　　“BLE is a good protocol to use for a home-temperature sensor, as it consumes low power, it is lower in cost than some other protocols and it provides the necessary range in a typical home environment,” he said. “NFC provides the lowest throughput and the shortest range, making it ideal for contactless-payment–like applications. Wi-Fi provides higher application throughput needed for several applications, such as security cameras.”　　Design challenges　　Most chipmakers agree that wireless SoCs can simplify designs by integrating the different wireless protocols and handling the coexistence challenges between multiple protocols. They also deliver space savings, a key concern in many IoT designs. However, there are use cases where discrete solutions could offer the best value in terms of both performance and cost.　　“The benefits of a wireless SoC are many and include the assurance of a proven design, shorter time to market, smaller overall footprint, lower bill of materials [BOM] and lower inventory management costs,” said Synaptics’ Bae. “These advantages apply to mostly all end applications, but there may be instances where a discrete solution may work better if the customer has specific requirements and has the RF design skills and resources to implement in that direction.”　　NXP’s Palumbo said that when determining how to architect an end product that includes wireless connectivity, “one of the first decisions a product designer must make is whether they will use a single, integrated wireless SoC or separate the wireless from the processor. An equally important decision that needs to be made is which operating system will be used. The decision of the operating system will quickly shift designers either to lower-cost, RTOS-based microcontrollers or toward larger, more scalable, Linux-based processors.”　　Integrated wireless SoCs are physically smaller and may be lower-cost due to the integration, enabling the end-product designer to deliver a smaller product or a more innovative form factor, said Palumbo.　　“However, the challenge with an integrated wireless SoC is that the designer lacks flexibility to optimize the compute performance or the wireless performance independently and the capabilities of the wireless SoC itself are invariant, so there is not as much ability to optimize individual components of the product,” he said.　　Whether using an integrated or discrete solution, power consumption is still a key factor that is influenced by the system architecture and use cases. “This means in some cases, multi-chip solutions involving separate radio and processor chips may be easier to optimize,” said Palumbo. “In other cases, wireless processors may provide all the necessary flexibility needed for specific applications and use cases.”　　Palumbo provided some key examples in which power consumption plays a critical role. “For example, simple end applications like a sensor or actuator that have a low communications duty cycle and do not perform any ancillary networking functionality, such as routing, designers will see the lowest power consumption when using an integrated wireless SoC.” This type of application can be addressed with devices like NXP’s K32W148 wireless microcontroller.　　“However, for more complex devices—a thermostat, for example—where packet routing is an important feature for the overall user experience of the end device and the target ecosystem, a discrete solution may be lower power,” he said. “If a network co-processor [NCP] is included alongside the primary compute SoC, then this allows the networking stacks to be offloaded so that only the co-processor itself is required to wake up to route packets.”　　In this example, an NXP i.MX microprocessor like the i.MX 8M Mini can be used as the compute SoC, the NXP RW612 wireless MCU can be used as an NCP and the IW612 tri-radio solution can be used as a radio co-processor. “This can help reduce the power consumption of the system significantly—especially when an NCP is used with a Linux-based microprocessor as the primary compute platform,” said Palumbo.　　The product designer has to analyze these tradeoffs and select the architecture that makes the most sense for the value they are trying to bring to their customers, he added.　　Design tradeoffs　　Wireless integration can be quite challenging especially as it relates to RF circuitry, according to manufacturers of wireless SoCs, and all tradeoffs are driven by the use cases.　　The challenge is often about the radio-integration part of the solution to deliver good-quality product performance and to meet regulatory and protocol certification requirements, said Nathalie Vallespin, wireless product line marketing manager at STMicroelectronics.　　Nathalie Vallespin, wireless product line marketing manager, STMicroelectronics.　　“A wireless SoC simplifies the integration phase, as most customers first moving to wireless solutions are not RF experts, so integration simplifies and accelerates their development and production,” she said. “Product sourcing for end customers is also simplified by an integrated solution [SoC] and can be even further simplified using a module, which includes the whole reference design.”　　In addition, Vallespin said that “an SoC also ensures more efficient power and performance levels of the radio protocol and application, while a multi-chip solution creates connection interface constraints and complexity for software management. A discrete/multi-chip approach can also potentially lead to overconsumption to keep both host and radio running to communicate properly.”　　Synaptics’ Bae said there are many challenges with RF, but “they can be addressed through careful consideration of board layout, grounding, relative positioning of other digital ICs in the design to avoid interference, and antenna placement and routing. Aside from layout, the designers or developers need to be cognizant of the impact on the SoC from power-source switching, other sources of electromagnetic interference and materials choice for enclosures.”　　Wireless SoC integration can become challenging, depending on the number of wireless protocols it supports and the use cases, said Silicon Labs’ Sogani.　　He cited several challenges, including hardware integration (antenna placement, RF design, etc.), software development (wireless stacks, networking stacks, cloud connectivity, application development), RF testing (including extreme conditions), interoperability testing (with other devices it is supposed to connect to), wireless coexistence (multiple protocols need to co-exist), production testing (minimizing the test time and yield), regulatory certifications (for countries to be supported), protocol compliance (for protocols integrated in the device), power optimization (based on the battery requirements), system security (to ensure device and data security) and solution cost (based on the target).　　Designers need to make a tradeoff at every step to optimize between various parameters, and all of these tradeoffs are eventually drive by the application use cases, said Sogani.　　“With IoT devices needing to support multiple protocols, wireless SoCs provide an integrated solution that simplifies designs by integrating these protocols and handling the coexistence challenges between multiple protocols on the same ISM band internally, as well as not having to worry about managing and worrying about RF design for multiple devices,” he added. “This helps in faster development cycles and more seamless functionality between the various protocols. 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Another challenge is understanding the chosen radio protocols and picking the right hardware (antenna, routing, BOM selection) and matching software, which can be specific to each technology, she said.　　The key tradeoffs are balancing price versus features as well as choosing the architecture—a host + co-processor approach or a single application processor, Vallespin added.　　Support and availability　　In addition to performance concerns, development and design support along with supply-chain issues like continued availability are priorities for many IoT designers.　　Key concerns include how effectively the product and its development ecosystem can reduce their time to market and cost, the availability of the product and prototyping tools and the long-term availability of the product, said Vallespin.　　There are also several questions that designers need to ask, such as if there are guarantees that the SoC will be available as long as their product is in the market, what the roadmap of the SoC is and if it aligns with their product development plan, and if there is sufficient support availability, including for documentation, ecosystem and contact to ensure success, she added.　　NXP’s Palumbo believes longevity requirements are part of the tradeoff equation.　　“Once a product has shipped, the hardware itself is unchanging; however, there is an expectation from the end customer that the product will continue to be supported and receive updates for some time after their purchase,” said Palumbo. “Selecting a device—and a product architecture—that enables product designers to provide updates for the lifetime of the product is a criterion that is gaining importance.”　　The software architecture is also another critical consideration when selecting a wireless SoC, said Palumbo. “Regardless of the product architecture—be it integrated wireless SoC or discrete—the software tools and environment for these SoCs are equally important components to the hardware. Whether a device is Linux-based, Android-based, or RTOS-based—even without considering the wrinkle of which RTOS to use from the myriad of solutions available—makes a massive impact on the end product.”
2023-02-24 15:30 阅读量：1667
Wireless Test Faces New Challenges
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Wireless Test Faces New Challenges

　　Your mobile phone is far more complex than it was even five years ago, and it’s about to become even more complex with new wireless technologies. That has set off a scramble among test equipment vendors to come up with solutions, methodologies and equipment that is affordable, effective and reliable enough to make sure all of this technology works as planned—and that it continues to work throughout its expected lifetime.　　Testing wireless components and systems is gearing up for the fifth generation of cellular technology, commonly known as 5G. 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And in those fixed-use cases, the business models and even some of the devices are pretty well-understood. But then when you talk about the mobility use case of actually putting that technology into a cell phone and dealing all of the issues that come with millimeter waves – they don’t pass through walls, they don’t even pass through your hand – and so, there are all these challenges when I start trying to put that in a phone.”　　One such challenge involves over-the-air testing, which will be required with 5G handsets because the standard cables and probes won’t suffice for the tasks.　　New silicon has emerged lately for 802.11ax and for sub-6 GHz 5G, according to White. “One of the things that’s interesting with both of those standards, because of tighter sub-tier spacings and the need for better performance of these chipsets, it’s actually driven a lot of requirements back on the test equipment.”　　Jeorge Hurtarte, a product manager at the LitePoint unit of Teradyne, points to four main challenges in wireless testing now:Higher frequencies;10X increase in bandwidth;Over-the-air testing for millimeter waves;The need for faster, nimbler test equipment.　　“Very few experts know about millimeter waves,” Hurtarte says, noting the complexity of the technology, which involves “much, much shorter” distances that they can travel. 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That requires multi-streaming of signals as well as beamforming technologies, and far more antennas and repeaters than exist today.　　But that could happen more quickly as autonomous driving enters into the picture due to a massive increase in the amount of data that needs to be moved around.　　“The rising adoption of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) means a continued increase in the number of vehicular radar systems,” said Steven Liu, vice president of marketing atUMC Foundry. “Technologies needed for these systems include the car’s anti-collision radars and global positioning systems, as well as sensors that will be needed to interact with stoplights and vehicle dispatchers. These will work in conjunction with existing systems such as passenger comfort and infotainment control and engine monitoring subsystems that regulate temperature, tire pressure, and gas. Trucks for long distance transportation will require systems for load leveling, load shifting, curve and wind shear, all working together to ensure that cargo is not damaged during transport and that the truck container is stable throughout its journey. All of these 5G communication applications will be essential for the system’s ability to perform its respective operations.”　　This has a big impact on test, and it points the way to a variety of approaches, including over-the-air testing because these systems will need to meet certain levels of reliability in the field as well as during manufacturing. “You can’t connect 50, 60, 100 cables to antennas,” said Tony Opferman, the wireless business development manager for Rohde & Schwarz. “Testing has become much more complex. People are asking for solutions that are more automated, and for more horsepower in test equipment. The power consumption on these boxes is crazy.”　　Customers are looking into 802.11, Bluetooth, LoRa, and Sigfox, in addition to cellular, according to Opferman.　　Keith Cobler, the senior marketing manager for the wireless unit at Rohde & Schwarz, sees customers seeking greater flexibility in wireless test. “Our customers are always asking for faster, wider, cheaper-type solutions across the whole design chain,” he says. “They’re testing a lot of different types of technologies. On the fly, they may have to switch from testing a LoRa device to now testing a Sigfox or a Narrowband-IoT device. Being able to have that flexibility and having that performance, being able to reach a figure, is really key. There’s a lot of buzz in the market about 5G. A lot of people imagine 5G as kind of a rip-and-replace technology, which is not the case. 5G is partly evolution—the 3GPP evolution, which really began in 2008, and has moved really forward with LTE in a steady progression.”　　Beamforming and carrier aggregation were part of past cellular technologies, and millimeter waves are a key aspect of the new wireless communications, according to Cobler. “5G will leverage a lot of that.”　　Millimeter-wave technology will help boost bandwidth capabilities by 10 to 20 times. Still, millimeter-wave cables are very expensive. Today the price runs into the thousands of dollars, although that will likely drop over time.　　“It’s very expensive to test this stuff,” says Opferman. “The cost of test is going to dramatically increase. And you need pretty deep RF experience. You have to have a deeper knowledge of RF.”　　The greater expense of 5G test equipment could mean that companies will outsource 5G testing to test labs, he notes.　　It’s not just the equipment, either. It’s also the amount of testing that needs to be done with that equipment.　　“Safety-critical applications will require additional testing as we better understand the defect mechanisms,” said Astronics’ Bhalla. “The industry is assuming this will work based on early trials.  More trials on a broader scale will support the gradual roll-out of this new technology.  The economics of autonomous driving is motivating the entire semiconductor ecosystem to evolve during this transition.”　　Conclusion　　Wireless testing is going through many technology changes, especially in response to 5G wireless communications, 802.11ax Wi-Fi, and other communications protocols. As a result, the cost of test equipment won’t be going down anytime soon.　　On top of that, customers for wireless test equipment want more flexibility to handle the higher frequencies, faster data transmission, and over-the-air testing that new technologies will require.　　As communications technology gets more complex, so does test. And if future roadmaps for protocols and communications within and outside of cars and other mobile devices are any indication, that complexity is going to skyrocket over the next decade.
2018-04-10 00:00 阅读量：1069
Lowest power consumption claimed for wireless MCU
Trade news

Lowest power consumption claimed for wireless MCU

　　Looking to meet demand for low power components for a range of battery powered IoT applications, Redpine Signals has launched the RS14100, which it says is the lowest-power multiprotocol wireless MCU currently available.　　The MCU, which features an ARM Cortex-M4F core running at up to 180MHz, offers a choice of dual-band 802.11abgn Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5 and 802.15.4, which can be used for Thread or ZigBee connectivity.　　Dhiraj Sogani, vp of marketing, said: “We’ve put a lot of effort into developing the system architecture; it’s not just about taking advantage of the power savings from the latest process node. These devices are fabbed on a 40nm line, but we’ve had to develop new techniques that reduced power consumption even further.”　　According to Sogani, the RS14100 – which the company also calls WiSeMCU, short for wireless secure MCU – has a Wi-Fi standby associated power of less than 50?A. “This is three to four times less than the competition,” he contended. Meanwhile, data throughput is said to be greater than 90Mbit/s.　　The RS14100 includes a Cortex-M4F core running at up to 180MHz acting as an applications processor. Sogani said this features a ‘gear shifting’ capability, allowing it to respond to processing needs. In its lowest power mode, the M4F draws 12?A/MHz. Also featured is a four threaded processor for networking and security tasks and a physically unclonable function.　　A choice of SoC and module packages is available, including an integrated module measuring 4.6mm x 7.8mm.　　Redpine has also launched the RS9116, available in hosted and embedded configurations. Similar to the RS14100, the device is supplied without the Cortex-M4F core.
2017-12-12 00:00 阅读量：982
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