Yelp tells you about the quality of a restaurant, Density tells you how long the wait will be.
When you’re in a hurry or you’re starving, a long line is the last thing you want to see when you arrive at a business or restaurant. Let’s face it, a device that would tell you how crowded a place is would save a lot of time and trouble. One Bay Area startup has developed a “people counter” that does just that in a surprising way.
Densitysensors are installed at a customer’s network of locations, such as a college campus, a gym or a coffee shop. The device then detects anonymous activity and foot traffic when someone passes in front of its sensors, allowing data from visitors going through entryways to be collected, combined and made available to developers through the Density API. This enables generated real-time and historical information to be integrated anywhere.
Density is comprised of two components — a base and a sensor — and uses infrared light to measure movement. With its specific design, it can’t capture personally identifiable information (like surveillance cameras do) about people that it tracks. Not to mention, it’s much cheaper and more compact.
Once a business, museum or university has signed on to Density, it can create an app using the location data that best suits their customers’ needs to help drive business in their direction, at no cost to the consumer. In fact, it has already been deployed at Sacramento-based startup Requested to allow users to ask for discounts at food stops, Workfrom to keep tabs on seating capacity information at remote working spaces, and fitness centers on the campus of UC Berkeley to monitor equipment usage.
The possibilities are truly endless: a restaurant could detect and broadcast open tables, bars can distribute coupons when foot traffic is low or supermarkets can be better prepared for congested checkout counters.
Those wishing to purchase location data from Density can do so for $25 per month, per location while the hardware and installation are free. Interested? Check out Density’s official page here for more.
Node.IT is a super small and extendable Internet of Things system for Makers.
It’s safe to say that one size does not fit all when it comes to DIY electronics. This has led countless Makers to embrace interchangeable, easy-to-use components like littleBits when beginning to tinker around with an idea. With aspirations of becoming the LEGO for the Internet of Things, Pontus Oldberg has developed a family of modules with different functions that can be stacked to create wide range of smart projects.
The concept for Node.IT was first conceived following the launch of the highly-popular ESP8266, an inexpensive, self-contained Wi-Fi SoC. Oldberg and his team had explored various ways of interfacing the device to other processors, but not before long discovered that the chip was already powerful enough to perform most tasks. And so, the ESP8266 was chosen to be at the heart of Node.IT’s base controller, which packs 4Mb of Flash, an efficient voltage regulator and can be programmed via microUSB.
“We quickly realized that if we created a base controller with a minimum set of features such as the ESP8266, a USB to Serial transceiver and a simple voltage regulator you end up with a completely autonomous board that can be hooked up to a USB port and programmed directly, without any other circuitry,” Oldberg writes.
This steered its creators toward the ESP210, a 27mm x 17mm module complete with everything needed to configure the device and hook it up to a wireless network. While the MCU itself was very expandable and provided easy access to all the GPIOs of the processor, it was rather cumbersome to build some of the necessary add-ons. Subsequently, Oldberg designed what he calls the +One and WorkStation boards to establish an entire infrastructure around the ESP210.
Similar to the Microduino mCookie and several others, the +One boards can be stacked on top of one another with LEGO-like ease. There’s currently a handful of +Ones available, including a Li-ion charger, an enviornmental sensor, a GPIO expander, a four-channel 12/16-bit A/D converter, a battery-backed real-time clock, as well as a two-channel DC driver that is in the works.
The final member of the family, the WorkStation, acts as the carrier board for the entire Node.IT stack. Equipped with an Atmel | SMART SAM D10, these microcontrollers expand the ESP210 with up to eight analog (12- or 16-bit) ADC channels, eight normal GPIO lines, and six timer/counter/PWM pins.
“The +One boards works very much like Lego bricks in that they plug on to the headers of the ESP210. The WorkStation boards can be considered the reverse of the +One boards in that the ESP210 plugs in to the WorkStation board. This way we can build add-on boards that can build in every direction.”
Makers can code their devices using a custom Ecosphere program, which was built around the Arduino IDE. Oldberg shares, “Any software libraries that are required for +One or WorkStation boards or features required for the ESP210 to do its job will be developed for the Arduino SDK. By using the Arduino IDE and its vast library of functionality you as a developer have endless possibilities when it comes to develop functionality for your systems.”
Knocki is a smart device that gives you control of your favorite functions through the surfaces around you.
As the world around us becomes increasingly more connected, shouldn’t the way in which we interact with our devices become easier and more intuitive as well? That’s the idea behind Knocki, a simple solution that can turn any solid surface into a remote control. This enables you to send a text, order takeout, change the channel, start a timer, activate a security system, snooze an alarm and lock the house — all with a quick tap of the table, wall, door or countertop.
Developed by Houston, Texas startup Swan Solutions, the disc-shaped gadget affixes to metal, granite, marble, drywall, wood or stone, and will operate as long as it remains within range of your home or office’s Wi-Fi network. The Knocki can recognize up to 10 unique patterns of knock and taps, each of which can be configured to trigger specific actions through its accompanying iOS and Android app. For example, two knocks on the nightstand starts your morning pot of coffee while three taps of the wall can adjust the lighting.
Knocki is able to control any connected device or software with an open platform, as well as sync to a variety of automation platforms including IFTTT, WeMo and Nest. The puck-like unit is comprised of an accelerometer-based system that senses vibrational patterns on any surface and runs for a year on ordinary AA batteries. Since Knocki doesn’t rely on microphones or audio sensors, it is able to decode vibrations using motion algorithms. In other words, it won’t be affected by music, clapping or any other environmental sounds.
Managed remotely through its companion app, multiple Knockis can be programmed to carry out various functions depending on the surfaces to which they are attached. Once stuck to a solid facade, the range that a Knocki detects tap patterns depends on the material and its thickness. Company co-founder Jake Boshernitzan tells Gizmag that wooden tables and cabinetry, along with drywall, allow for a distance of approximately six feet, while only three to four feet for stone countertops.
Get ready to say goodbye to having to search around the sofa for a TV clicker, groggily reach for your phone to hit the snooze button, get out of bed to hit the light switch, or enter a code to activate an alarm when leaving the house. Instead, just knock and voilà! Pre-order your Knocki today.
AwareCar will let you know where you parked and save you from getting a ticket.
Finding a parking space in a city can be tough enough, but when each quarter only gives you a fraction of a minute, running errands in the allotted amount of time gets even tougher. Making matters worse, if a meter goes unfed with change, the consequential parking ticket can cost upwards of $70. Luckily, that may be all be thing of the past as one Bay Area startup has created a system that can make your vehicle smarter while saving you from costly (and annoying) violations.
AwareCar is essentially a Bluetooth beacon that fits inside your glovebox and communicates with your smartphone via an accompanying app. Using data provided by cities and GPS, you will be able to receive updates on the whereabouts of your ride, when a meter will expire and how long it will take to walk back to throw in some more coins.
While AwareStack’s latest platform isn’t much different from others available today, what sets it apart is the inexpensiveness of the hardware, a greater focus on user interaction and its unique ability to leverage context awareness to make an automobile smart. Aside from that, the $9 AwareCar is being billed as the “first app to remember parking levels.” So if you’re among the countless others who’ve experienced a Seinfeld-like conundrum, where you were unsure as to which floor you left your car, the system uses your smartphone’s built-in sensors to track elevation. The app will then let you how close you are, even if that means on a different level of the garage.
“AwareCar is the first system that combines the insight from your car’s context with measurements from your phone’s sensors to solve some of challenging and interesting problems related to driving cars,” the team writes. “Instead of packing these sensors again in a new smart car device, we leverage the car’s context and the phone’s sensor data by using a simple device.”
Looking ahead, its creators hope to add new features to the app using feedback provided by its initial backers. Among the upgrades include IFTTT integration, multi-car tracking support, gas mileage efficiency, fuel warnings based on trip length, as well as a do not disturb mode that reduces interruptions and eliminates the urge to text.
Brinco will alert you if an earthquake or tsunami is headed your way, giving your family time to get to safety.
In an earthquake or tsunami, 30 seconds extra notice can be the difference between life or death. Take for instance, the 7.8-magnitude disaster that struck Nepal back in April, where none of the country’s residents had advanced warning. Had an early detection system been in place, many lives could have been saved. And with scientists predicting the “Big One” to hit the west coast any day now, we could all stand to benefit from having a networked seismic gadget in our homes.
The brainchild of Branden Christensen and Angel Rodriguez, Brinco — which isSpanish for “jump” —is a smart device that will send personalized warnings through an accompanying app up to 30 seconds before an event occurs. While that may not seem like enough time, it can be plenty when it comes to advising you and your loved ones to take cover.
“The Internet is faster than the seismic waves of an earthquake, and much faster than a tsunami, so you can have an alert before the seismic waves reach your location,” its creators explain.
The gadget connects to the international seismograph network and is able to provide users with voice, flashing light and alarm notifications when an earthquake or tsunami is detected in their general vicinity. When the network senses an initial seismic wave, the information is relayed to the Brinco and an alert is delivered. These audio warnings will then provide further guidance, such as “destructive shaking is expected in 45 seconds that will last one minute” or “mild earthquake expected in 22 seconds.” Each Brinco will receive its own tailored, location-specific warning from Brinco’s Data Center.
In the event of a tsunami, the device will issue status reports each time the NOAA Tsunami Center distributes updates. For example, Tsunami of two meters expected in five hours” or “strong shaking expected in 60 seconds, there is no danger of a tsunami.” These will continue until eventually the Brinco sends a cancellation message.
Like other seimographs, Brinco also measures each tremble of the ground and sends that data over Wi-Fi to national and regional seismic networks, where it can be analyzed along with streams of other data. The more that are deployed, the more accurate and powerful its network will become.
As for its appearance, Brinco boasts a puck-like shape that measures approximately five inches in diameter and one-and-a-quarter inches tall. A Wi-Fi module, an audio amplifier, an audio board, an accelerometer and a real-time signal processing unit are all housed inside its metallic shell.
While both Christensen and Rodriguez have been making seismographs for years with their parent company OSOP, they wanted to make a personal warning system that could ultimately save lives. Do you live in a earthquake-prone area? Then you may want to check out Brinco’s Indiegoogo campaign here. Delivery is expected to begin in July 2016.
Over 80% of companies increased revenue by investing in Internet of Things, a new study has found.
While there already may be more than two connected devices accessing the web for every person on Earth, this is merely the ground floor of the Internet of Things’ gargantuan promise.
In fact, new data from Juniper Researcher has revealed that the number of smart devices is expected to surpass 38.5 billion in 2020, up from 13.4 billion in 2015, constituting an increase of 285%. And though it may appear that connected home-centric applications have been the focus of attention as of late, it will actually be the industrial and public services sector – such as retail, agriculture, buildings and smart grid applications – that will form the majority of the user base.
The report goes on to list Michelin and John Deere as examples of companies who have successfully transitioned their businesses towards being service-based companies through the use of IoT, as opposed to their previous incarnations as product vendors. Most notably, the tire maker has begun deploying sensors in trucks to monitor driver performance and better mange fuel consumption, while the tractor giant has been using smart machinery to provide real-time analysis to farmers.
Juniper notes that interoperability will play a pivotal role in the IoT’s progression. While conflicting standards continues to slow down its pace, there are signs that standards bodies and alliances are beginning to come together to overcome these hurdles.
“The IoT represents the combination of devices and software systems, connected via the Internet, that produce, receive and analyze data. These systems must have the aim of transcending traditional siloed ecosystems of electronic information in order to improve quality of life, efficiency, create value and reduce cost,” Juniper added.
Aside from that, Tata Consulting Services has published a study that suggests 26 companies (including 14 in the United States) plan on spending $1 billion or more on IoT initiatives this year. These organizations will stem from seven industries: six from banking and financial services, five from automotive, four from travel, hospitality and transportation, four from high tech, three from insurance, two telecommunications firms, one from retail and another from healthcare.
Manufacturing along with the travel, hospitality and transportation sectors are planning to spend 0.6% of revenue this year, while media and entertainment companies will dish out 0.57% — this is significantly more than the 0.4% average spending in banking and financial services. The report also shows that companies predict their IoT budgets to continue increasing year-on-year, with spending expected to grow by 20% by 2018 to $103 million.
“Across the board, those companies investing in IoT are reporting significant revenue increases as a result of IoT initiatives with an average increase of 15.6% in 2014. Almost one in ten (9%) saw a rise of at least 30% in revenue,” TCS writes. “Company executives still see the IoT as a growing area for businesses, with 12% identifying a planned spend of $100 million in 2015 and 3% looking to invest a minimum of $1 billion among the 795 companies surveyed.”
Companies at the very forefront of this drive for innovation through IoT have seen the biggest benefits from their investments. The top 8% of respondents, based on ROI from IoT, demonstrated a staggering 64% average revenue gain in 2014 as a direct result of these investments. TCS points out that the biggest business impact, at the moment, is that companies can offer their customers more bespoke products and services. Yet, by 2020, this will convert from marketing functions to increased sales, through adding considerable value to the customer.
This is reflected in the finding that the most frequent use of IoT technologies by companies is tracking customers through mobile apps, used by almost half of all businesses (47%). Over 50% of IoT leaders admit to investing in IoT to track their products and how these were performing, whereas this is only the case with 16.1% of the respondents with the lowest ROI from IoT. What’s more, nearly eight in 10 enterprises (79%) surveyed claim to have IoT initiatives in place at the moment to better understand customers, products, the locations in which they do business with customers or their supply chains.
According to the study, revenue increases are being experienced worldwide with all regions reporting double-digit growth in 2014. However, it’s the U.S. firms that have enjoyed the largest gains of 18.8%. Europe as a whole is seeing a 12.9% jump, while APAC has shown a 14.1% rise and Latin America an impressive 18.3%.
Meanwhile, North American companies will spend 0.45% of revenue this year on IoT initiatives, while European companies will spend 0.40%. APAC companies will invest 0.34% of revenue in the IoT, and Latin American firms will spend 0.23% of revenue. This has led to North American and European companies more frequently selling smart, connected products than are APAC and Latin American companies.
Despite the encouraging data on investment and its impact on revenue growth, the report found that major challenges remain in realizing the promise of the Internet of Things for businesses across all sectors, namely corporate culture (ability to get employees to change the way they think), leadership (having top executives who believe in the IoT) and technology (questions around big data, integration with enterprise systems and security).
The healthcare sector has been hailed as having the greatest potential to benefit from the IoT, but remains one of the most underdeveloped industries due to regulatory restrictions and data security concerns that currently hinder innovation. The sector plans to spend just 0.3% of revenue in 2015, but will be increasing this investment by at least 30% come 2018. In comparison, executives in the industrial manufacturing sector are reporting the largest increase in revenue from IoT, with an average 28.5%, followed by financial services (17.7%), and media and entertainment (17.4%). The automotive industry has the lowest revenue gain with just a 9.9% increase.
OwnStar is a device that can locate, unlock and remote start any vehicle with OnStar RemoteLink after intercepting communication between the RemoteLink mobile app and OnStar servers.
When director Sam Esmail was casting for his latest cyberpunk–thriller TV series Mr. Robot, we’re surprised serial hacker Samy Kamkar wasn’t in the running for the star role. That’s because, in just the last year alone, the 29-year-old has devised a plug-in box capable of tracking everything you type, a 3D-printed robot that can crack combination locks, and his own radio device for online anonymity. Added to that growing list is a tablet-sized unit can easily tap into and wirelessly take control of a GM car’s futuristic features.
Undoubtedly, car hacking will be a hot topic at this year’s Black Hat and DEFCON events. Cognizant of this, the Los Angeles-based entrepreneur has created what he’s calling OwnStar, a device that can locate, unlock and remotely start any vehicle with OnStar RemoteLink after intercepting communication between the RemoteLink mobile app and OnStar servers.
As you can see in the video below, the system is driven by a Raspberry Pi and uses an ATmega328 to interface with an Adafruit FONA for cellular connection. After opening the OnStar RemoteLink app on a smartphone within Wi-Fi range of the hacking gadget, OwnStar works by intercepting the communication. Essentially, it impersonates the wireless network to fool the smartphone into silently connecting. It then sends specially crafted packets to the mobile device to acquire additional credentials and notifies the attacker over 2G about the new vehicle it indefinitely has access to, namely its location, make and model.
First reported by WIRED, Kamkar has revealed that if a hacker can plant a cheap, homemade Wi-Fi hotspot somewhere on an automobile’s body — whether that’s under a bumper or its chassis — to capture commands sent from the user’s smartphone, the results for vulnerable car owners could range from pranks and privacy breaches to actual theft.
With the user’s login credentials, an attacker could do just about anything he or she wants, including tracking a car, unlocking its doors and stealing stuff inside (when carjacking meets car hacking), or starting the ignition from afar. Making matters worse, Kamkar tells WIRED that remote control like this can enable a malicious criminal to drain the car’s gas, fill a garage with carbon monoxide or use its horn to drum up some mayhem on the street. The hacker can also access the user’s name, email, home address, and last four digits of a credit card and expiration date, all of which are accessible through an OnStar account.
It’s evident that Kamkar’s objective here isn’t to help thieves and endanger the lives of drivers; instead, he is hoping to utilize OwnStar to raise awareness around the vulnerabilities of connected cars. Fortunately though, the actual issue lies on the mobile software and not the GM vehicles themselves. The carmaker has already been receptive of this discovery and plans to fix the matter at hand. Until then, the hacker advises owners to refrain from opening the app until an update has been provided by OnStar.
Intrigued? Kamkar says that he will provide more details around this and other hacks at DEFCON, which he will share on his website as well. Until then, you can watch the demonstration that was conducted on a friend’s 2013 Chevy Volt.
NOTE: Kamkar has confirmed that OnStar has indeed resolved the vulnerability and a RemoteLink app update has been released.
This new technology could reduce the power needed to send information from wearables.
Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab and UCLA are currently working on a Wi-Fi reflector chip that they say would drastically improve battery life in wearable devices by reducing the power needed to transmit or receive information to computers and cellular and Wi-Fi networks.
The chip uses existing wireless signals to reflect information back to a router or cell tower instead of the wearable generating the signal itself. According to Adrian Tang of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, not only does this drastically reduce power consumption, the solution also transmits Wi-Fi signal three times faster than traditional Wi-Fi.
Information transmitted to and from a wearable device is encoded as 1s and 0s, just like data on a computer. When incoming energy is absorbed by the circuit, that’s a “0,” and if the chip reflects that energy, that’s a “1.” This simple switch mechanism uses very little power and allows for the fast transfer of information between a wearable device and a computer, smartphone, tablet or other technology capable of receiving the data.
Tang, who is collaborating on the project with UCLA’s M.C. Frank Chang, says one of the challenges is that the wearable device isn’t the only object in a room that reflects signals. Keep in mind, there can be walls, floors, ceilings and furniture, among several other things. The chip in the wearable needs to differentiate between the real Wi-Fi signal and the reflection from the background. To overcome this, Tang and Chang developed a wireless silicon chip that constantly senses and suppresses background reflections, enabling the Wi-Fi signal to be transmitted without interference from surrounding objects.
The technologists have tested the system at distances of up to 20 feet. At about 8 feet, they achieved a data transfer rate of 330 megabits per second, which is about three times the current Wi-Fi rate, using about a thousand times less power than a regular Wi-Fi link.
“You can send a video in a couple of seconds, but you don’t consume the energy of the wearable device. The transmitter externally is expending energy – not the watch or other wearable,” Chang explains.
A base station and Wi-Fi service ares still required in order for the system to work. Since power is taken from the base station, computer, Wi-Fi or other network supporting the chip, the source will need to be plugged in or have long battery life. Researchers are working to minimize those energy limitations, but Tang is optimistic that the solution will be commercialized. For example, astronauts and robotic spacecraft could potentially use this technology to transmit images at a lower cost to their precious power supplies. This might also allow more images to be sent at a time.
The patent application for this technology is jointly owned by the California Institute of Technology, which manages JPL for NASA and UCLA. You can read more about it here.
Mist tracks data in real-time and optimizes irrigation for each part of your yard while using up to 50% less water.
As seemingly everything inside of our homes are becoming automated, shouldn’t our yards be as well? While having a perfectly manicured, lush green lawn is a dream to just about everyone, only some are willing to put in the effort required. Not to mention, full-time jobs and other obligations tend to get in the way. Fortunately, one Redwood City-based startup has devised what they’re billing as the “world’s smartest sprinkler system,” which will do all of the handwork for you.
Mist is comprised of a 16-zone sprinkler controller with up to 50 easy-to-use sensors that can be spread throughout your property. These sensors are capable of tracking an assortment of real-time data, including soil moisture, sun intensity and temperature, and automatically optimizing irrigation for each part of your yard with up to 50% less water. Meaning, not only will it make your grass greener, it’ll keep more green in your wallets as well.
The information collected by each sensor is streamed wirelessly to the controller, which then combines the data with weather forecasts and user preferences to determine the optimal time and location to replenish the lawn. On top of that, keeping tabs on soil moisture allows Mist to hydrate the grass just enough, eliminating any possibility of ever overwatering.
For those of us in drought-riden areas like California, Mist applies the minimum amount of H2) necessary in order to keep selected non-tolerant plants alive during such difficult times. Oppositely, should it rain, the irrigation system will know to keep the sprinklers off for days.
Mist works by connecting to any standard 24VAC in-ground sprinkler systems and an accompanying mobile app, which lets you easily monitor and manage from after. The app provides you with full control over all the functions of your sprinklers, including manually turning on/off zones, setting restricted days and hours to avoid watering, and configuring advanced customizations. And designed with smart home compatibility in mind, Mist will integrate with many of today’s most popular platforms like Nest, HomeKit and SmartThings, to name a few.
The controller links to home Wi-Fi network to enable remote control from the Mist app as well as integration with third-party services, such as weather. Each of the sensors are waterproof and thermal-insulated, and are made of high UV and impact-resistant plastic to withstand the elements for years. What’s more, they are solar-powered and feature a rechargeable LiFePO4 battery, as well as employ long-range, low-power wireless technology that can span over one mile in a direct line-of-sight.
Need some help with your lawn? Head over to Mist’s Indiegogo page, where the team is currently seeking $45,000. Units are expected to begin shipping in February 2016.
Taking a closer look at the configurable memory aspects of Cortex-M7 microcontrollers.
Tightly coupled memory (TCM) is a salient feature in the Cortex-M7 lineup as it boosts the MCU’s performance by offering single cycle access for the CPU and by securing the high-priority latency-critical requests from the peripherals.
The early MCU implementations based on the ARM’s M7 embedded processor core — like Atmel’s SAM E70 and S70 chips — have arrived in the market. So it’d be worthwhile to have a closer look at the configurable memory aspects of M7 microcontrollers and see how the TCMs enable the execution of deterministic code and fast transfer of real-time data at the full processor speed.
Here are some of the key findings regarding the advanced memory architecture of Cortex-M7 microcontrollers:
1. TCM is Configurable
First and foremost, the size of TCM is configurable. TCM, which is part of the physical memory map of the MCU, supports up to 16MB of tightly coupled memory. The configurability of the ARM Cortex-M7 core allows SoC architects to integrate a range of cache sizes. So that industrial and Internet of Things product developers can determine the amount of critical code and real-time data in TCM to meet the needs of the target application.
The Atmel | SMART Cortex-M7 architecture doesn’t specify what type of memory or how much memory should be provided; instead, it leaves these decisions to designers implementing M7 in a microcontroller as a venue for differentiation. Consequently, a flexible memory system can be optimized for performance, determinism and low latency, and thus can be tuned to specific application requirements.
2. Instruction TCM
Instruction TCM or ITCM implements critical code with deterministic execution for real-time processing applications such as audio encoding/decoding, audio processing and motor control. The use of standard memory will lead to delays due to cache misses and interrupts, and therefore will hamper the deterministic timing required for real-time response and seamless audio and video performance.
The deterministic critical software routines should be loaded in a 64-bit instruction memory port (ITCM) that supports dual-issue processor architecture and provide single-cycle access for the CPU to boost MCU performance. However, developers need to carefully calibrate the amount of code that need zero-wait execution performance to determine the amount of ITCM required in an MCU device.
The anatomy of TCM inside the M7 architecture.
3. Data TCM
Data TCM or DTCM is used in fast data processing tasks like 2D bar decoding and fingerprint and voice recognition. There are two data ports (DTCMs) that provide simultaneous and parallel 32-bit data accesses to real-time data. Both instruction TCM and data TCM — used for efficient access to on-chip Flash and external resources — must have the same size.
4. System RAM and TCM
System RAM, also known as general RAM, is employed for communications stacks related to networking, field buss, high-bandwidth bridging, USB, etc. It implements peripheral data buffers generally through direct memory access (DMA) engines and can be accessed by masters without CPU intervention.
Here, product developers must remember the memory access conflicts that arise from the concurrent data transfer to both CPU and DMA. So developers must set clear priorities for latency-critical requests from the peripherals and carefully plan latency-critical data transfers like the transfer of a USB descriptor or a slow data rate peripheral with a small local buffer. Access from the DMA and the caches are generally burst to consecutive addresses to optimize system performance.
It’s worth noting that while system memory is logically separate from the TCM, microcontroller suppliers like Atmel are incorporating TCM and system RAM in a single SRAM block. That lets IoT developers share general-purpose tasks while splitting TCM and system RAM functions for specific use cases.
A single SRAM block for TCM and system memory allows higher flexibility and utilization.
5. TCM Loading
The Cortex-M7 uses a scattered RAM architecture to allow the MCU to maximize performance by having a dedicated RAM part for critical tasks and data transfer. The TCM might be loaded from a number of sources, and these sources aren’t specified in the M7 architecture. It’s left to the MCU designers whether there is a single DMA or several data loading points from various streams like USB and video.
It’s imperative that, during the software build, IoT product developers identify which code segments and data blocks are allocated to the TCM. This is done by embedding programs into the software and by applying linker settings so that software build appropriately places the code in memory allocation.
6. Why SRAM?
Flash memory can be attached to a TCM interface, but the Flash cannot run at the processor clock speed and will require caching. As a result, this will cause delays when cache misses occur, threatening the deterministic value proposition of the TCM technology.
DRAM technology is a theoretical choice but it’s cost prohibitive. That leaves SRAM as a viable candidate for fast, direct and uncached TCM access. SRAM can be easily embedded on a chip and permits random accesses at the speed of the processor. However, cost-per-bit of SRAM is higher than Flash and DRAM, which means it’s critical to keep the size of the TCM limited.
Atmel | SMART Cortex-M7 MCUs
Take the case of Atmel’s SMART SAM E70, S70 and V70/71 microcontrollers that organize SRAM into four memory banks for TCM and System SRAM parts. The company has recently started shipping volume units of its SAM E70 and S70families for the IoT and industrial markets, and claims that these MCUs provide 50 percent better performance than the closest competitor.
Atmel’s M7-based microcontrollers offer up to 384KB of embedded SRAM that is configurable as TCM or system memory for providing IoT designs with higher flexibility and utilization. For instance, E70 and S70 microcontrollers organize 384KB of embedded SRAM into four ports to limit memory access conflicts. These MCUs allocate 256KB of SRAM for TCM functions — 128 KB for ITCM and DTCM each — to deliver zero wait access at 300MHz processor speed, while the remaining 128KB of SRAM can be configured as system memory running at 150MHz.
However, the availability of an SRAM block organized in the form of a memory bank of 384KB means that both system SRAM and TCM can be used at the same time.The large on-chip SRAM of 384KB is also critical for many IoT devices, since it enables them to run multiple communication stacks and applications on the same MCU without adding external memory. That’s a significant value proposition in the IoT realm because avoiding external memories lowers the BOM cost, reduces the PCB footprint and eliminates the complexity in the high-speed PCB design.
