Which CEVA DSP to use to Support Multimode Connectivity Requirements of IoT and M2M?

The definition of IoT systems is moving fast: the simple definition of a connected (to Internet) device in the early days is becoming more complex and also more precise. IoT or M2M devices are expected to support the full range of emerging cellular protocols such as LTE MTC Cat-1, Cat-0 or Cat-M, as well as the suite of Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) standards such as Lora, SigFox and Ingenu. IoT and M2M will also interface with other IoT-related communication standards, including Wi-Fi 802.11n, PLC, 802.15.4g, ZigBee/Thread, GNSS or any emerging protocols such as NB-IoT and Wi-Fi 802.11ah.

The IoT or M2M designer has the choice between integrating CEVA-XC8, the fifth generation of the widely licensed CEVA-XC architecture, optimized for IoT communication applications as well as UE terminals, or CEVA-XC5. This sixth generation, the CEVA-XC5 is optimized for IoT communication applications, 802.11n, PLC, 802.15.4g, GNSS as well as other connectivity applications. The CEVA-XC5 delivers highly powerful vector capabilities alongside a general computation engine to supply the performance and flexibility demanded by various IoT communication applications, while meeting the strict demands for power efficiency and low cost.

Developing an IoT or M2M device implies selecting cost optimized architecture, exhibiting the highest possible performance to power ratio, leading to select CEVA-XC5 DSP core.

Designing IoT or M2M platform will lead to select the CEVA-XC8 delivering highly powerful vector capabilities alongside a general computation engine to supply the performance and flexibility demanded by various IoT communication applications.

According with Linley Gwennap, principal analyst at The Linley Group, ”designers of multi-standard, low data rate LTE-capable devices have two priorities: minimizing cost and power, and with the CEVA-XC5 and CEVA-XC8, CEVA has leveraged its industry-leading position in communications DSPs to deliver the small die size and high power efficiency that these designers need for IoT and other applications.”

Once the IoT SoC architecture has been defined, using CEVA-XC5 for a device or CEVA-XC8 for a platform (or base station), the project manager has to care about software development and make sure to use concurrent engineering to develop software and hardware in parallel to optimize the project development schedule. We know that the software development is expected to consume 2/3[SUP]rd[/SUP] of the project resources in average. The project manager has to make sure that the DSP IP core supplier will also propose a software development platform.

This is the CEVA Dragonfly reference platform, pictured below, including DSP drivers, RTOS, DSP library, C run-time library and also LTE MTC Modem and Voice & VoLTE libraries. On top of these libraries, the designer could take benefit of existing software IP, available to support a project development the same way than hardware IP.

Taking the example of satellite localization for M2M or IoT, let’s get the feedback of Eli Ariel, CEO at Galileo Satellite Navigation. “The CEVA Dragonfly reference platform delivers exceptional performance for implementing our software-based GNSS receivers in devices within a stringent power budget,” said Eli Ariel, CEO at Galileo Satellite Navigation. Our Software Receiver solution perfectly complements CEVA’s software-based approach to design flexibility and long service life MTC systems design, allowing customers to carry out performance improvements and new features in the field, including upgrading to future satellite systems.”

This comment from Nestwave CEO helps understanding how powerful can be the Dragonfly reference platform to speed up project development schedule: “Accurate positioning, both indoor and outdoor, will be a fundamental component of many M2M applications and our CellNav™ technology delivers this accuracy utilizing the existing LTE network infrastructure,” said Rabih Chrabieh, CEO of Nestwave. “Using the CEVA Dragonfly platform, customers can integrate CellNav into their MTC product designs, enabling reliable location tracking in devices that can last years in the field on a single battery.”

I suggest you to attend remotely to this webinar, describing a real design case using CEVA-XC5 and Dragonfly reference platform:

Webinar: Design a LTE-based M2M Asset Tracker SoC with CEVA, using GNSS and OTDOA

Eric Esteve from IPNEST