The latest solutions target the application’s complex and multisensory requirements.

Sensor hubs have become a mainstay in smartphones and tablet PCs, and are now heading toward connected wearable devices. In response, sensor hub specialists such as Atmel Corp. and QuickLogic Corp. are adapting their chips through integration of new features and software algorithms.

A sensor hub offloads sensing-related tasks from the product's main CPU, saving power and boosting overall performance. In portable electronics, it is a companion to the application processor.

“From a sensor hub perspective in mobile devices, ultralow power consumption is combined with superior system performance, blend of peripherals and very small form factor,” said Vince Murdica, senior director of sensor centric solutions at Atmel. “The wearable market, however, poses a different set of requirements and complexities.”

Wearable products need separate solutions for sensor processing, connectivity, touch, security and software algorithms. Murdica said Atmel’s SAM G series of sensor hubs boasts features for such applications.

QuickLogic’s latest offering for the segment aims to lessen PCB space, lower OEM BOM costs and simplify system design. It includes reference designs and evaluation kits that enable straightforward product evaluation, development and testing. The ArticLink 3 S2 sensor hub solution targets smartphones and wearable devices with under 150µW active power and programmable flexibility.

“Smartphones are doing a lot of intelligent things using sensors, and now wearable devices are the next frontier for always-on and always-aware sensors,” said Andy Pease, president and CEO of QuickLogic. “Wearable is the first entry point into the Internet of Things or IoT market.” He is confident the mobile maelstrom combined with the power of ubiquitous sensors is going to be the next disruptive technology.

Sensor-heavy products such as health and wellness wearable devices, however, are a drain on battery life. To address this, QuickLogic offers its customer-specific standard product, which consumes less power than MCU-based sensor hubs and are inherently more flexible than counterparts based on application-specific standard products.

Atmel’s MCU and MPU portfolio of sensor hub products suits applications ranging from battery-operated devices for the IoT market, remote controls, garage door openers, medical devices, window security systems to complex, high-powered uses such as data processing and computing.

Wearable meets Bluetooth Smart

QuickLogic’s TAG-N Wearable Sensor Hub evaluation kit released in collaboration with Bluetooth Smart chip provider Nordic Semiconductor helps OEMs accelerate product development. It establishes a direct connection with the latter company’s nRF51822 SoC, enabling OEMs to include the ArticLink 3 S2 sensor hub chip in their wearable designs.

The QuickLogic and Nordic components work in an Android app. The ArcticLink 3 S2 chip samples sensor data from onboard sensors to determine user activity by gesture, context or location. It then transmits the information to the Nordic nRF51822 chip, which sends the information via Bluetooth Smart to a QuickLogic-provided Android app.

The sensor hub contains a library of wearable-specific sensor algorithms, which allow designers to start testing apps. Wearable devices, however, will employ a variety of sensors from different vendors to cater to motion, environmental, light, and health and wellness apps. It can be an accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope or heart rate monitor.

To ensure quick design-in and system-level compatibility, QuickLogic has the Qualified Vendor List program, which includes initially Analog Devices, STMicroelectronics, Bosch, Kionix, Murata and InvenSense. It prequalifies sensors while verifying communication and compatibility with relevant blocks and functions of the ArticLink 3 S2 chip.