With the current changes in the wearable device industry, the demand for smaller, more intuitive devices is rapidly increasing. Current device trends in this emerging industry include smart watches, smart glasses, and sports and fitness activity trackers. In addition to consumer electronics, it also generates interesting demand in the medical industry.
Obviously, the electronic products included in these devices need to be "slimmed down." The most important electronic component should be a microcontroller. Because these MCUs require not only small size, but also more functionality, integration is another big factor. We will explore the following topics in this article:
1. Different needs of wearable electronic systems;
2. How to segment the market according to these needs;
3. Different components in a typical wearable device;
4. Finally, we will explore how the MCU can help meet the relevant needs.
The end of the article illustrates a smart watch with Cypress's flagship device, the Programmable System-on-Chip (PSoC).
Wearable device requirements Let's first look at the typical needs of wearable devices.
Beautiful:
The most important requirement for wearable devices is aesthetics. The final product needs to be stylish and beautiful, and needs to be able to match current fashion accessories such as accessories, watches, glasses and more. The fact that semiconductor giants such as Intel and the fashion industry are working together to create stylish devices can demonstrate that this need is critical.
Capacitive touch sensing technology is a key technology to enhance aesthetics. In this regard, the key requirements of the capacitive user interface are support for a variety of shapes (including curved surfaces), the ability to prevent liquids (to avoid false positive touches), and support for thick overlay sensing. Cypress's CapSense and TrueTouch technologies make this type of demand practical.
size:
As mentioned earlier, the obvious need for these devices is small size for easy integration into wearable devices. But at the same time, it can not reduce or reduce the functions it exhibits. Therefore, components used in such devices should be able to integrate more functions in the same space while maintaining a small size. Technologies such as system-on-a-chip (SoC) and chip-scale packaging (CSP) help reduce size. For example, Cypress offers Programmable System-on-Chip (PSoC) devices with a variety of package options such as WLCSP.
waterproof:
Wearables are taken anywhere by the user. Therefore, the key is that these devices are designed to withstand environmental conditions such as water droplets, moisture, and sweat.
Power consumption:
Undoubtedly, wearable devices are battery powered, so the following factors pose special challenges in terms of reduced power consumption:
Since the wearable device is mostly a monitoring device, unlike other mobile devices, it needs to be always on and remain connected. For example, a smart watch needs to always display time and connect to the phone wirelessly via Bluetooth or the like in order to receive reminders; the pedometer needs to calculate the number of steps and report to the mobile phone application; likewise, the heart rate monitor needs to provide monitoring and reporting at all times.
The battery capacity is inherently limited due to the need to reduce the overall size.
These devices need to operate at ultra low power to extend battery life. This requirement places special demands on the MCU and firmware algorithms. The 32-bit ARM architecture is a common CPU technology for wearables because it provides the best performance and energy efficiency. In addition, wireless technology such as ANT+ and Bluetooth low energy (BLE) can be designed to achieve low power consumption.
Wireless communication:
With greater flexibility and freedom, wireless connectivity has become a natural feature of modern electronic devices. Wireless connectivity is more important for wearable devices because the latter needs to interact with one or more devices. Depending on the type and functionality provided, such devices need to support different wireless protocols such as Wi-Fi, ANT+, BLE, proprietary protocols based on IEEE 802.15.4, and so on. Some devices need to support multiple protocols. For example, a watch uses a proprietary wireless protocol to communicate with the heart rate monitoring chest strap, while using BLE to communicate with the running application in the phone.
Application Processor / Embedded Controller:
The choice of the main processor depends only on the type and function of the device. For example, the ARMcortex-M controller can drive a simple wristband, but smartwatches require an application processor to run complex operating systems such as Android.
As mentioned earlier, 32-bit ARM processors are often used to drive wearables because they provide the best performance and energy efficiency. Modern controllers such as Cypress's PSoC leverage the power of the ARM architecture to integrate advanced analog functions, programmable digital functions, and ARMcortex-M cores in a single chip.
Some advanced devices use separate coprocessors to transfer sensor data processing from the host processor. This is required because the device may have sensor data loads that require real-time analysis and CPU support. This feature is called sensor hub or sensor fusion.
operating system:
Depending on the type and functionality provided, the wearable device may or may not require a specific operating system. For example, a simple watch that monitors temperature, measures motion with a 3-axis accelerometer, and displays time with a monochrome segment LCD can run a lightweight RTOS, while smart watches for extended phone functions require advanced operations such as Android. system.
At the same time, sensor hubs require special firmware with context-aware algorithms.
Market Segmentation Now that we understand the needs of typical wearable devices, it is also important to segment the market accordingly. Proper market segmentation enables designers to develop the right products while helping users choose the best equipment. The table below is market segmented based on device capabilities. The complexity of market segments in the table increases from top to bottom.
Obviously, the electronic products included in these devices need to be "slimmed down." The most important electronic component should be a microcontroller. Because these MCUs require not only small size, but also more functionality, integration is another big factor. We will explore the following topics in this article:
1. Different needs of wearable electronic systems;
2. How to segment the market according to these needs;
3. Different components in a typical wearable device;
4. Finally, we will explore how the MCU can help meet the relevant needs.
The end of the article illustrates a smart watch with Cypress's flagship device, the Programmable System-on-Chip (PSoC).
Wearable device requirements Let's first look at the typical needs of wearable devices.
Beautiful:
The most important requirement for wearable devices is aesthetics. The final product needs to be stylish and beautiful, and needs to be able to match current fashion accessories such as accessories, watches, glasses and more. The fact that semiconductor giants such as Intel and the fashion industry are working together to create stylish devices can demonstrate that this need is critical.
Capacitive touch sensing technology is a key technology to enhance aesthetics. In this regard, the key requirements of the capacitive user interface are support for a variety of shapes (including curved surfaces), the ability to prevent liquids (to avoid false positive touches), and support for thick overlay sensing. Cypress's CapSense and TrueTouch technologies make this type of demand practical.
size:
As mentioned earlier, the obvious need for these devices is small size for easy integration into wearable devices. But at the same time, it can not reduce or reduce the functions it exhibits. Therefore, components used in such devices should be able to integrate more functions in the same space while maintaining a small size. Technologies such as system-on-a-chip (SoC) and chip-scale packaging (CSP) help reduce size. For example, Cypress offers Programmable System-on-Chip (PSoC) devices with a variety of package options such as WLCSP.
waterproof:
Wearables are taken anywhere by the user. Therefore, the key is that these devices are designed to withstand environmental conditions such as water droplets, moisture, and sweat.
Power consumption:
Undoubtedly, wearable devices are battery powered, so the following factors pose special challenges in terms of reduced power consumption:
Since the wearable device is mostly a monitoring device, unlike other mobile devices, it needs to be always on and remain connected. For example, a smart watch needs to always display time and connect to the phone wirelessly via Bluetooth or the like in order to receive reminders; the pedometer needs to calculate the number of steps and report to the mobile phone application; likewise, the heart rate monitor needs to provide monitoring and reporting at all times.
The battery capacity is inherently limited due to the need to reduce the overall size.
These devices need to operate at ultra low power to extend battery life. This requirement places special demands on the MCU and firmware algorithms. The 32-bit ARM architecture is a common CPU technology for wearables because it provides the best performance and energy efficiency. In addition, wireless technology such as ANT+ and Bluetooth low energy (BLE) can be designed to achieve low power consumption.
Wireless communication:
With greater flexibility and freedom, wireless connectivity has become a natural feature of modern electronic devices. Wireless connectivity is more important for wearable devices because the latter needs to interact with one or more devices. Depending on the type and functionality provided, such devices need to support different wireless protocols such as Wi-Fi, ANT+, BLE, proprietary protocols based on IEEE 802.15.4, and so on. Some devices need to support multiple protocols. For example, a watch uses a proprietary wireless protocol to communicate with the heart rate monitoring chest strap, while using BLE to communicate with the running application in the phone.
Application Processor / Embedded Controller:
The choice of the main processor depends only on the type and function of the device. For example, the ARMcortex-M controller can drive a simple wristband, but smartwatches require an application processor to run complex operating systems such as Android.
As mentioned earlier, 32-bit ARM processors are often used to drive wearables because they provide the best performance and energy efficiency. Modern controllers such as Cypress's PSoC leverage the power of the ARM architecture to integrate advanced analog functions, programmable digital functions, and ARMcortex-M cores in a single chip.
Some advanced devices use separate coprocessors to transfer sensor data processing from the host processor. This is required because the device may have sensor data loads that require real-time analysis and CPU support. This feature is called sensor hub or sensor fusion.
operating system:
Depending on the type and functionality provided, the wearable device may or may not require a specific operating system. For example, a simple watch that monitors temperature, measures motion with a 3-axis accelerometer, and displays time with a monochrome segment LCD can run a lightweight RTOS, while smart watches for extended phone functions require advanced operations such as Android. system.
At the same time, sensor hubs require special firmware with context-aware algorithms.
Market Segmentation Now that we understand the needs of typical wearable devices, it is also important to segment the market accordingly. Proper market segmentation enables designers to develop the right products while helping users choose the best equipment. The table below is market segmented based on device capabilities. The complexity of market segments in the table increases from top to bottom.
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