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Press Release - Bridgetek Introduces New Evaluation Hardware for Advanced EVE Graphic Controllers

brt_marketing — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 22:35:06 GMT

Current Revision posted to Documents by brt_marketing on 10/6/2021 10:35:06 PM

18th March 2021 – To assist with the initial development and prototyping of human machine interfaces (HMIs) based on its object-oriented graphic controller ICs, Bridgetek has announced availability of the ME817EV evaluation board. Featuring the company’s BT817 embedded video engine (EVE) device, it allows engineers to experiment with the latest generation of EVE technology and get a comprehensive understanding of the breadth of its capabilities.

Thanks to the higher resolutions and large format displays that the BT817 supports, more compelling and functionality-rich HMIs can be created, with greater visual clarity and enhanced video playback capabilities. Measuring 165mm x 100mm, the ME817EV unit has all the necessary attributes for undertaking development work relating to the graphics, audio and touch elements of the HMI. As well as audio amplification and multi-stage audio filtering features, there is an LED driver which can be used to adjust the display backlighting. Also included is a touch controller that supports 5 simultaneous touch points, plus 16Mbytes of on-board flash memory resource for storing unicode fonts, image libraries, etc.

The ME817EV can interface with large scale, high-resolution display modules. For 1280x800 pixel displays it can connect through a 40-pin LVDS interface, while for 1024x600 pixel displays a 50-pin RGB interface can be used. Capacitive touchscreens may be connected using a 10-pin or 6-pin FPC connector. The board can be powered via a 5V supply using the SPI host connector, or via the USB Type-C port.

As Bridgetek founder and CEO Fred Dart explains; “We have already seen a great deal of commercial traction for our fourth generation EVE chips, across a broad spectrum of industry sectors. It is clear that there is a real need for a more streamlined approach to larger format HMI construction. By providing this evaluation platform, we are making the whole project development process a lot quicker and easier for engineers to complete, with much better end results being derived too.”

About Bridgetek

Founded in 2016, Bridgetek supplies highly advanced ICs and board level products to meet the exacting demands of a constantly evolving global technology landscape. The company’s Embedded Video Engine (EVE) graphic controller ICs each integrate display, audio and touch functionality onto a single chip, thereby dramatically reducing the time period and bill-of-materials costs associated with developing next-generation Human Machine Interface (HMI) systems. These are complemented by its highly-differentiated, speed-optimized microcontroller units (MCUs) with augmented connectivity features.

For more information go to www.brtchip.com

Tags: bridgetekeve, evechip

Press Release - Latest Higher Resolution EVE ICs from Bridgetek Now Designed into High-End Riverdi Displays

Former Member — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 22:34:37 GMT

Current Revision posted to Documents by Former Member on 10/6/2021 10:34:37 PM

1^st February 2021 - Bridgetek has gained a high-profile endorsement for its latest generation of embedded video engine (EVE) graphic controllers. Relying on the recently announced BT817 EVE4 devices, leading optoelectronics manufacturer Riverdi has introduced a new family of displays. These industrial-grade units are targeted at challenging higher-end applications, but are positioned at attractive price points that are in line with commercial level products.

Thanks to the heightened degrees of precision associated with the BT817 ICs, the new Riverdi displays are able to benefit from 1280x800 pixel resolution. Treating the rendered content as a series of objects reduces the data overheads involved dramatically. This translates into a more streamlined solution, with a substantially lower component count plus accelerated responsiveness.

“By engaging with Bridgetek, we have been able to develop a display family that sets new benchmarks. The ultra-integrated EVE4 solution means that quicker reaction times and superior resolution levels are possible, while still saving valuable board space and keeping power budgets down,” states Kamil Kozłowski, CTO at Riverdi. “Consequently, we have decided to take a platform approach and apply it across the whole family, from the smaller units all the way up to the largest formats,”

“It is clear that the user experiences which people are familiar with from interacting with consumer goods have set elevated expectations for HMIs in other areas too,” adds Bridgetek’s founder and CEO Fred Dart. “Higher resolution displays with faster responsiveness are now mandated in a wide array of different sectors. This is why the value of our BT817 and BT818 is becoming so apparent to OEMs, giving them the opportunity to meet their customers’ requirements without needing complex expensive subsystems that take up board real estate or draw excessive power.”

The EVE-based Riverdi displays are available in a wide range of different size formats, spanning from 3.5-inch all the way through 4.3-inch, 5.0-inch and 7.0-inch to 10.1-inch. Use of in-plane switching (IPS) technology results in a brighter output (delivering up to 1000cd/m2). It also means that these units have enhanced colour rendering and much wider viewing angle capabilities. Optical bonding is incorporated into the display assemblies as standard, even for single pieces - thereby preventing condensation, mitigating internal reflections and boosting optical performance, as well as delivering far greater durability. The projected capacitive touchscreens featured in these displays allow touch interaction through protective glass that is as much as 15mm thick, and also enables gloved operation to be supported.

Assisted by innovative Bridgetek engineering, the new Riverdi displays are optimised for addressing the most demanding tasks. They will be implemented into medical diagnostic instrumentation, home healthcare monitoring equipment, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, industrial automation systems, vending machines, etc. Exceptionally strong electro-magnetic interference (EMI) and electro-static discharge (ESD) immunity characteristics are exhibited, along with a working temperature range covering -20°C to +70°C.

About Bridgetek

Founded in 2016, Bridgetek supplies highly advanced ICs and board level products to meet the exacting demands of a constantly evolving global technology landscape. The company's Embedded Video Engine (EVE) graphic controller ICs each integrate display, audio and touch functionality onto a single chip, thereby dramatically reducing the time period and bill-of-materials costs associated with developing next generation Human Machine Interface (HMI) systems. These are complemented by its highly differentiated, speed-optimized microcontroller units (MCUs) with augmented connectivity features.

For more information go to www.brtchip.com

Tags: bridgetekeve, bridgetek, press release, evechip

Documents

migration.user — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 18:16:19 GMT

Current Revision posted to Documents by migration.user on 10/1/2021 6:16:19 PM

Advanced Graphic Control Technology for High Resolution Bar Type Display Applications

brt_marketing — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 06:07:40 GMT

Current Revision posted to Documents by brt_marketing on 6/22/2021 6:07:40 AM

By David Wang, System Development Engineer, Bridgetek

Bar type displays are widely used to provide human machine interfaces (HMIs) in a variety of different industry sectors - being highly applicable to use case criteria where there is only limited space available, or where there are budgetary limitations to consider. They also consume markedly less power than squarer displays of the same width. This makes such displays appealing from an energy saving perspective, so battery operated portable equipment will often feature them. In addition, bar type display deployments suit the upgrading of existing equipment designs that are migrating from mechanical buttons and 7-segment displays to more sophisticated HMI arrangements, as no change to the layout is necessary.

Among the numerous places where they are regularly seen is in domestic appliances, smart home controls, sporting equipment, healthcare monitoring systems, digital signage, point of sales (PoS) units, etc. They are also commonly used in vehicles' digital dashboards. In some cases partitioning is employed, so that several squarer displays dealing with different functional aspects can be accommodated on a single bar.

Though bar type displays offer size, cost and integration advantages, the way that their graphics are rendered is not without its challenges. In the following article we will look at what can be done to address challenges of this kind.

Figure 1: Car dashboard display with 1440 x 540 pixel resolution

Let’s take a typical modern automotive dashboard. The example shown in Figure 1 relies on a 12.3-inch stretched LCD display with 1440 x 540 pixel resolution. Given that the driver needs to be kept informed of all the different parameters relating to the vehicle’s operation (such as speed, RPM, tire pressure, fuel level, oil pressure, navigation data), the display requires real time response plus superior image quality.

The graphic controller devices currently available have difficulty in providing the required pixel clock necessary for certain standard or non-standard LCD panel formats. In our example, the 1440 x 540 resolution panel will require the pixel clock to be set around 50MHz in order to achieve the required 60Hz display refresh rate. Fast response is not just paramount in an automotive context though, in medical equipment or industrial hardware it can be equally important.

A slow boot up period for the display system can be another inconvenience, so this needs to be given consideration. It will take time for the operating system to initiate on the graphics chip and then for the whole first frame to be rendered pixel by pixel on to by display, as all the necessary data will need to read from the flash memory and pass through the frame buffer. This can take several seconds to complete and is not particularly good from a user experience perspective.

It should also be mentioned that some bar type display panels will have non-square pixel dimensions - and this has the potential to be problematic. For example, a 1024 x 600 LCD may have the pixel width to length ratio of 1.05 (not 1.00). In many applications this does not represent a problem, but certain applications (such as ones where circles are being rendered) may require some aspect ratio adjustment to be applied.

The partitioning of the bar type display, so that several different sub-displays are shown, can bring sizeable complications when using a normal graphic controller IC. It will take a lot of software development work, as such graphic controllers rely on a frame based approach. Graphic controller devices are now available that offer an alternative however.

Bridgetek has developed graphic controller technology that can deal with the pixel clock, pixel size and boot up time issues just described, as well as accelerated HMI software development. The new ExtSync block, which has been incorporated into the company’s latest BT817/BT818 series of Embedded Video Engine (EVE) ICs, has a separate clock domain to that of the graphics processing element. As a result, the scan-out units of these EVE devices can output the required pixel clock for optimised operation of the LCD panel. It means that pixel clocks of up to 96MHz can be supported. This translates to up to 1.28Mpixels being refreshed at 60Hz (assuming 20% blanking time).

The EVE line buffer architecture is highly optimised for stretched or bar type LCD displays, with maximum pixels per line up to 2046 pixels. By eliminating the need for a frame buffer and a large flash memory resource, the overall bill of materials costs can be kept relatively low - so it remains in line with any budgetary constraints imposed on the design. With the EVE approach being object based, rather than frame based, it is significantly quicker and easier for HMIs to be constructed. The boot up time is likewise faster (being under 1s). In addition, the BT817/BT818 EVE devices support non-square pixel correction using their horizontal scan-out filter functionality.

Examples of the bar type LCD resolutions that can be supported by the BT817/BT818 include 1920 x 540/480/360, 1440 x 540 and 1280 x 480/400/320. A 1920 x 720 resolution is also possible if the refresh rate is slightly reduced (going down to around 50/55Hz) or the blanking time is lowered (by approximately 13%). The display orientation used can be either landscape or portrait, as applications requirements dictate.

Figure 2: AV control panel with 1200 x 280 pixel resolution

Though these EVE devices can streamline HMI design significantly, they may require a little more engineering effort. When the design features relatively complicated graphical constructions on a high resolution display, it will be advised to optimise the design to avoid potential pipeline underrun occurring. Here are some tips that will help with the fine tuning:

Set the PCLK to the lowest figure allowed by the display panel, so that the GPU has more processing time per line.
Increase the horizontal blanking time where possible, and keep the vertical blanking time at minimum allowed by the display panel
Use of the adaptive Hsync feature will be of great benefit. Through this it is possible to define the maximum horizontal blanking for adaptive Hsync at the maximum PCLK cycles outlined in the display’s specifications.
Always check visually for graphics distortion, or use the interrupt flag for graphics underrun. If underrun occurs, dump the line time to check which line/area has underrun and then optimise the display list accordingly - for example, use a solid line to replace a dotted line, or use an image instead of multiple widgets overlaid in the same area.
Use font-cache in RAM_G for Unicode fonts.
Load ASTC images to RAM_G and play animation from RAM_G

BT817 supports capacitive touch operation, with touch controllers from a wide range of vendors able to work directly with it (with the BT818 being applicable for resistive touch HMIs). For CTP using another touch controller IC, engineers can build customised touch firmware to be loaded to BT817 at runtime, using a C-like compiler provided by Bridgetek’s EVE Asset Builder software package. Alternatively, touch host mode can be used where the microcontroller unit (MCU) reads the touch data from CTP and writes back to BT817 for TAG operation.

Touch calibration, when required, will usually go through 3 point touch calibration procedure at predefined screen locations. Some bar type LCD screens are cut out from a standard LCD glass. For example, a 1200 x 280 LCD is cut out from a 1280 x 800 LCD glass. The default calibration routine won’t work on a stretched LCD. The BT817 is able to leverage a calibration function which allows engineers to define the location of 3 calibration points. This enables window based calibration, which is highly appropriate for bar type LCD implementations.

In conclusion, it is clear that having a graphic controller solution that is optimised for bar type displays will be highly advantageous. Bridgetek’s EVE devices offer this, with the result that HMI implementations on such displays will be quicker to boot up and more responsive, as well as delivering better graphical performance. The BT817/8 can work in conjunction with a wide variety of MCUs as long as an SPI interface is available. Bridgetek provides supporting tool chains, along with sample applications and detailed engineering notes, to help designers to get up and running quickly and to support them throughout the design of their application.

Tags: bridgetekeve, bridgetek, semiconductor, evechip

Long Distance Bus: The Industry Requirements Driving this Technology

brt_marketing — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 07:48:54 GMT

Current Revision posted to Documents by brt_marketing on 6/17/2021 7:48:54 AM

By Sreedharan Bhaskaran, Director of Software Engineering, Bridgetek

The global IoT market is projected to grow from $235 billion in 2017 to $520 billion in 2021 (according to research conducted by analyst firm MarketsAndMarkets), representing a 22% compound annual growth rate. Such high levels of growth are expected to continue throughout this decade, as Industry 4.0 and Logistics 4.0 implementations are rolled out - with increases in productivity, enhanced process efficiencies, shortened equipment downtime and reduced labour all being realised as a result. The falling costs of sensors and transducers, increased data storage capacity and greater network access are further factors that are helping to accelerate IoT deployment activity.

Any IoT system will be comprised of three parts. These are a network of sensors and actuators connected to a gateway, which is subsequently connected to the cloud. Data that is acquired by the sensors will be collated in the gateways and relayed to the cloud, where it can then be processed and analysed. Control messages flow from the cloud to the gateway, which effectively acts as a relay between the cloud and the sensor/actuator devices at the network edge. Some gateways incorporate processing capabilities. This helps to reduce the data transfer required, so that there is no risk of excessive congestion. It also means that real-time response can be benefitted from, thereby preventing the delays of data having to go all the way back to cloud-based systems and then for a response message to be returned. Such gateways are known as edge processors. Cloud-based processing and storage resources enable data to be scrutinised or displayed on dashboards. It also processes alerts - which can be sent as SMS, emails or push notifications to relevant devices, so actions can be taken.

Deploying an IoT system of sensors and actuators is not without its challenges. Some of the challenges that engineers face relate to the distance of sensors/actuators from their assigned gateway or the density of sensors/actuators in a given area. The speed, security and operational reliability of the communication infrastructure can pose other challenges. Finally, there is the powering of the network to consider. Range is mainly solved by deploying wireless sensors, however, in industrial settings, this is not possible always because of concrete and steel building structures that obstruct and reduce signal strength. Transmitting at higher power levels will mean that batteries are drained too quickly (thus increasing the associated maintenance costs, as batteries need to be replaced more frequently). Furthermore, EMI noise from other equipment can impact the effectiveness of wireless communication, and such transmissions are relatively easy for third parties to snoop on. It is often therefore more appropriate in industrial settings to employ a wireline solution.

To address the issues just outlined, Bridgetek has developed the Long Distance Sensor Bus (LDSBus). This is a powered and differential serial bus that can operate over distances of up to 200m. A head unit distributes power over the bus to all the peripheral sensor/actuator units attached to the bus. The bus is powered at 24V and a single head unit manages and supervises slave units, known as LDSBus Units (LDSUs). Sensors and actuators may be attached to the bus and controlled by the head unit. The bus operates at 230kbps data rates and provides sufficient bandwidth to control up to 127 LDSUs on the bus.

The LDSBus architecture allows an LDSU to incorporate as many as 10 sensors and/or actuators. Bridgetek has developed its LDSU sensors and actuators for customer implementation. These are:

4-in-1 sensors that incorporate temperature, humidity, ambient light and motion-sensing capabilities, with all of this functionality being housed in a compact form factor.
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) sensors that measure and monitor air quality levels inside buildings, workspaces and industrial sites.
Thermocouple based temperature sensors that are capable of extreme temperature monitoring (up to 1372°C).
CO₂ gas sensors for photosynthesis process monitoring (in a smart farming context) or for monitoring employee wellbeing (within the daily working environment).
Pressure sensing sensors to detect pressure changes.
Soil moisture, pH level and electrical conductivity measurement sensors for monitoring precise nutrient levels for optimum crop yield (again, being of relevance in smart farming).

Bridgetek has also developed other forms of hardware that can be used with LDSBus. These items include:

Trailing-edge LED dimmers for the controlling/dimming of lighting.
On/off relays for pump and motor control purposes.
IR controllers for controlling infrared devices.

LDSUs attachment points into the backbone of the bus are created by inserting high-voltage T-junctions into bus segments. Each of these junctions consists of an upstream and downstream RJ-45 connector, which is used to extend the 24V backbone. This backbone is built out of Cat5E cabling. An array of 4 RJ11/RJ12 connectors enables the attachment of up to 4 LDSUs. The high-voltage T-junction converts the 24V power supply to a 5V supply suitable for the LDSUs. The last LDSU on the bus (the one furthest away from the head unit) has to enable its bus termination to maintain stable communication.

The Bridgetek LDSBus’ powered backbone removes the need for batteries and associated labour that must be assigned to battery replacement. The differential nature of transmission ensures high common-mode noise rejection (which mitigates EMI problems), while the wired nature of the bus means that ‘man-in-the-middle’ wireless snooping is no longer a concern. Three buses (each with a 200m radial reach) can cover the area of 12 football fields. LDSBus can incorporate up to 381 LDSUs (or 3810 sensors and actuators) so that high node densities can be achieved.

To support the hardware involved, Bridgetek provides a software utility called the LDSU Programming Utility. This can program the LDSU address, name and termination. Sample Python scripts and the Bridgetek LDSBus Library demonstrate how to implement an LDSBus head unit (master) on Windows, Linux or Raspberry Pi.

Tags: sensors, ldsbus, internet of thing, iot system, bridgetek, lds