Embedded Star » Research

White Paper: IEEE P1687 IJTAG Taps into Embedded Instrumentation

Ken Cheung — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:12:54 +0000

ASSET InterTech recently published a white paper, IEEE P1687 Internal JTAG (IJTAG) taps into embedded instrumentation. The technical paper explains how the new IEEE P1687 IJTAG standard will enable instruments that were originally embedded into chips for chip characterization and test can be re-used later in circuit board design validation, volume manufacturing test and field service troubleshooting.

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White Paper: Fanless Design for Embedded Applications

Ken Cheung — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:15:14 +0000

Intel sent us a technical paper about fanless design for embedded applications. Here is the abstract:

Embedded systems opportunities for Intel architecture components exist in point-of-sale, digital signage, and digital security surveillance, to name a few. When selecting Intel architecture, several key metrics are performance/watt, thermal design power (TDP), and fanless thermal solutions. The objective of this article is to provide readers with key reference fanless system design considerations to utilize in embedded applications. This article emphasizes analytical hand calculation for first-order approximations and provides computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation techniques to determine Intel architecture feasibility in fanless systems. Examples depicted illustrate fanless cooling design considerations for a point-of-sale system.

CoolBio Ultra-low Power Biomedical Signal Processor

Ken Cheung — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:17:06 +0000

Imec, Holst Centre and NXP partnered on the CoolBio ultra-low power biomedical signal processor. The CoolBio biomedical processor is optimized between performance and power consumption. Medical device companies, semiconductor manufacturers and fabless design houses can evaluate the CoolBio or develop their own bioprocessor by joining imec’s research program on ultra-low power processing for body area networks, which is part of the HUMAN++ program.

Embedded Real-Time Operating Systems Webinar

Ken Cheung — Thu, 27 May 2010 11:37:24 +0000

VDC Research is offering a webinar titled, A Market Update on Embedded / Real-Time Operating Systems. The webcast will take place at 1pm (EST) on June 16, 2010. The online seminar will present data from VDC Research’s 2010 study on embedded real-time operating systems. the speaker of the webinar is Steve Balacco, VDC Research Director of Embedded Software and Tools.

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Reconfigurable Multi-Standard Wireless Transceiver in 40nm CMOS

Ken Cheung — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:33:09 +0000

imec, Renesas Technology, and M4S announced a complete transceiver with RF, baseband, and data converter circuits in 40nm low-power CMOS. The fully reconfigurable transceiver is compatible with various wireless standards and applications, including the upcoming mobile broadband 3GPP-LTE standard. In a next phase of imec’s ‘green radio’ research program, the focus will be on further reducing the bill of materials and energy consumption by continuing the research on digitally-inspired SAW-less transceivers and power efficient transmitters.

Imec and Holst Centre Debut ADC with 30fJ Energy per Conversion Step

Ken Cheung — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:38:50 +0000

imec and Holst Centre announced an ultra-low power 8 bit analog to digital convertor (ADC) that consumes only 30fJ energy per conversion step. The ADC is ideal for upcoming low energy radios in the ISM (industrial, scientific and medical) radio bands such as low-energy Bluetooth or IEEE 802.15.6 for body-area networks.

Analog Signal Processor for Ambulatory Heart Signal Monitoring Systems

Ken Cheung — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:54:51 +0000

imec and Holst Centre announced an analog-signal processor (ASP) ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) that reduces the overall power consumption of an ambulatory heart activity signal monitoring systems by more than 5 times. This breakthrough is a major step towards constant ambulatory monitoring of people using energy harvesting, which increases the comfort level of patients and is a cost- and time-efficient alternative for current monitoring systems.

Intel Architecture White Papers

Ken Cheung — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:49:25 +0000

Why Intel Architecture is Right for your Embedded Application
“Make” versus “buy” is a complex business decision faced by all embedded system Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Expediency, time-to-market challenges, upfront hardware development costs, and the broad availability and breadth of commercial solutions frequently tilt the scale in favor of using proven, off-the-shelf products. The top-to-bottom scalability of the embedded IA product line enables hundreds of board-level solutions ranging from small form factor modules to full ATCA systems. Available from a wide range of board and solution providers within the Intel ECA, these solutions deliver scalable, power-efficient processing for a wide range of applications, an established programming environment, and a clear product roadmap for a reliable path to the future.

Implementing Firmware on Embedded Intel Architecture: Design Guidelines
Embedded Intel architecture designs include a firmware stack which initializes CPU cores, memory, IO, peripherals, graphics and provides runtime support for operating systems. This paper gives a high-level overview of a number of firmware technologies to be considered on Embedded Intel architecture designs. Many links to external references are included. Because of its inherent complexity and number of technologies to be considered, the general recommendation is made that OEM Embedded Intel architecture firmware design teams consider starting with an available solution from an IBV, ISV or the Intel ecosystem and build on it to meet their particular product requirements.

An Introduction to Intel Architecture: The Basics
Intel architecture is a powerful computing architecture that utilizes some fundamental ingredients for specific functions. The basic workings of these ingredients may not be intuitive to those who have never designed with Intel architecture in the past. The goal of this paper is to describe the basic operation and function to the platform for the ingredients used in three classes of Intel architecture platforms. The paper will focus on the platforms featuring the Intel Atom processor, the Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and the Intel Core i7 processor.

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ADRES Processor Architecture for Dynamically Reconfigurable Embedded Systems

Ken Cheung — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:13:17 +0000

IMEC announced the second generation of their ADRES processor architecture (architecture for dynamically reconfigurable embedded systems). ADRES now supports multithreading, and has doubled its performance and energy efficiency compared to the first ADRES generation. This positions ADRES as a building block for future 4G devices. ADRES can be licensed from IMEC and is targeted at chip manufacturers. Companies interested in further developing this technology are welcome to join in IMEC’s collaborative research.

VDC Embedded Real-Time and Mobile Application OS Research

Ken Cheung — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:50:20 +0000

According to VDC Research Group’s research report on Embedded/Real-Time & Mobile Application OSs, the challenging economic climate has led to a more cautious embedded systems development approach. Previously, engineering staffs would have made more of the software purchasing decisions. Now the process has become more controlled and process-oriented. As a result of reduced engineering resources, tighter budgets, and sustained time-to-market pressures, OEMs are vigorously reevaluating their “build-versus-buy” cost analysis.