Wearable

Bluetooth LE Audio codec is first for power-sensitive audio says Synopsys

Wed, Jan 08, 2020

Optimised for Synopsys’ ARC processor IP, a low complexity communication codec (LC3) has been developed by Synopsys with the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS).

The new codec is designed to comply with the forthcoming Bluetooth LC3 audio codec specification and is optimised to deliver high-quality audio and voice playback in battery-powered devices incorporating ARC EM and HS DSP processors, says Synopsys.

It has been added to Synopsys’ portfolio of DesignWare ARC audio codecs and post-processing software supporting popular audio standards. It also extends Synopsys’ DesignWare Bluetooth Low Energy IP offering.

The 32-bit DesignWare ARC EM and HS DSP processors are based on the scalable ARCv2DSP Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) and integrate RISC and DSP capabilities for a flexible processing architecture. The ARC EM DSP processors offer low power and what is claimed to be industry-leading performance efficiency while the multi-core-capable ARC HS DSP processors combine high-performance control and high-efficiency digital signal processing. All ARC processors are supported by the ARC MetaWare Development Toolkit, which includes a library of DSP functions to allow software engineers to rapidly implement algorithms from standard DSP building blocks. ARC processors and the LC3 codec can be combined with Synopsys’ Bluetooth 5.1-compliant DesignWare Bluetooth Low Energy IP to deliver power-efficient, high-quality wireless audio capability for smart IoT and other Bluetooth-enabled devices.

The LC3 codec is an important feature of the Bluetooth LE Audio specification to be released by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) that enables system on chip (SoC) designers to efficiently implement high-quality voice and audio streaming in a wide range of applications, including mobile, wearables, and home automation.

The LC3 codec for ARC processors is based on an implementation by Fraunhofer IIS that is designed to meet Bluetooth SIG requirements. The LC3 codec, running on ARC EM and HS DSP processors, allows designers to rapidly integrate a complete, pre-verified hardware and software solution for voice and speech processing into Bluetooth-enabled devices requiring minimal energy consumption, explains Synopsys.

“The rapid growth of wearable devices requiring high-quality Bluetooth audio streaming is driving the need for power-efficient processor IP with DSP capabilities that can meet intensive computation requirements of voice and audio applications. Those applications require an optimised codec providing state-of-the art voice and audio quality at minimum computational complexity,” said Manfred Lutzky, head of Audio for Communications at Fraunhofer IIS. “By porting the LC3 codec to the DSP-enhanced ARC processors, Synopsys is enabling customers to quickly implement LC3 codec functionality in their low-power SoCs. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Synopsys so that the LC3 codec for ARC processors continues to incorporate the latest updates,” he added.

“The fact that the LC3 codec can provide very high-quality audio even at low bit rates makes it a key feature of the upcoming LE Audio standard,” said Mark Powell, chief executive officer of the Bluetooth SIG. “

John Koeter, senior vice president of marketing for IP at Synopsys, said: “Designed to process high-quality audio streams and deliver superior sound, the LC3 codec for ARC processors provides designers with a certified codec that reduces the integration time and testing required to deliver superior quality audio for Bluetooth streaming applications.”

The Bluetooth LC3 codec is available now from Synopsys with DSP-enhanced ARC EMxD and HS4xD processors.

http://www.synopsys.com

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Nordic Semiconductor prepares for Bluetooth LE Audio

Wed, Jan 08, 2020

This year, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) will release the Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) Audio specification. To support this forthcoming specification, Nordic Semiconductor has partnered with Bluetooth LE stack developer, Packetcraft, to develop an LE Audio evaluation platform.

It demonstrates the benefits of LE Audio and is designed to support the new LE Audio specifications which promise lower power consumption than classic Bluetooth audio, significantly extending battery life, improved audio quality and enables the development of devices capable of both wireless data transfer and audio streaming. The technology also supports broadcast for audio sharing.

Nordic’s LE Audio comprises a hardware reference design based on its nRF52832 Bluetooth LE system on chip (SoC), Cirrus Logic’s CS47L35 smart codec with an integrated low power audio DSP, Packetcraft’s Bluetooth LE host stack and link layer supporting LE Audio and an LE Audio software development kit (SDK). The platform allows developers to start evaluating the technology for Bluetooth LE Audio wireless speakers, over-the-ear headphones and true wireless ear buds.

It is designed to operate in either source (for example, audio source, voice call headset source, and peer-to-peer call) or sink (audio playback, headset playback, and peer-to-peer call). A pair of devices (source and sink) is required to complete an LE Audio link. The LE Audio solution also features Cirrus Logic’s SoundClear for uplink noise reduction and echo cancellation, playback enhancement, voice control, and hearing augmentation.

An acoustic connector is incorporate that can accommodate up to six microphones or two speakers, a 3.5mm headset jack, a 3.5mm source jack, and a USB connector for charging, debug (using Nordic development tools), and acoustic tuning (using the Cirrus Logic WISCE platform). When wirelessly streaming audio from a source device to wireless (sink) earbuds, the LE Audio evaluation platform extends battery life by around 40 per cent compared to contemporary off-the-shelf classic Bluetooth solutions, claims Nordic Semiconductor.

http://www.nordicsemi.com

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Integrated IP and software develop contextually-aware IoT devices

Tue, Jan 07, 2020

At CES this week, Ceva will demonstrate its SenslinQ integrated hardware IP and software platform, designed to streamline the development of contextually-aware IoT devices.

The platform collects, processes and links data from multiple sensors to enable intelligent devices to understand their surroundings, explains the company by aggregating sensor fusion, sound and connectivity technologies.

Contextual awareness adds value and enhances the user experience of smartphones, laptops, augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) headsets, robots, hearables and wearables. The SenslinQ platform centralises the workloads that require an intimate understanding of the physical behaviours and anomalies of sensors. It collects data from multiple sensors within a device, including microphones, radars, inertial measurement units (IMUs), environmental sensors, and time of flight (ToF) sensors, and conducts front-end signal processing such as noise suppression and filtering on this data. It applies algorithms to create “context enablers” such as activity classification, voice and sound detection, and presence and proximity detection. These context enablers can be fused on a device or sent wirelessly via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or NB-IoT, to a local edge computer or the cloud to determine and adapt the device to its environment.

The customisable hardware reference design is composed of an Arm or RISC-V microcontroller, CEVA-BX DSPs and a wireless connectivity island, such as RivieraWaves Bluetooth, wi-fi or Dragonfly NB-IoT platforms, or other connectivity standards provided by the customer or third parties. Each components of these three components are connected using standard system interfaces.

The SenslinQ software is comprised of a portfolio of ready-to-use software libraries from CEVA and its ecosystem partners. Libraries include the Hillcrest Labs MotionEngine software packages for sensor fusion and activity classification in mobile, wearables and robots, the ClearVox front-end voice processing, WhisPro speech recognition and DSP and artificial intelligence (AI) libraries. There is also third party software components for active noise cancellation (ANC), sound sensing and 3D audio.

The accompanying SenslinQ framework is a Linux-based hardware abstraction layer (HAL) reference code and application programming interfaces (APIs) for data and control exchange between the multiple processors and sensors.

https://www.ceva-dsp.com

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Wireless VR/AR haptic glove allows gamers to “feel” digital objects

Fri, Jan 03, 2020

At CES next week, BeBop Sensors will announce the Forte Data Glove, claimed to be the first virtual reality (VR) haptic glove integrated and exclusively designed for Oculus Quest, Oculus Link, Oculus Rift S, Microsoft Windows Mixed Reality, HTC Vive Cosmos, HTC Vive Pro, HTC Focus Plus, and Varjo VR headset technology. It is also the first haptic glove for the HTC Cosmos and for the Microsoft Windows mixed reality headsets, including HP, Lenovo, Acer, Dell, and Samsung, through integration with the HP Reverb. In addition, it is believed to be the first haptic VR glove to fully support Oculus Quest Link, which allows Oculus Quest to leverage the graphics capabilities and processing power of a VR computer for higher end VR interaction, says BeBop Sensors.

Described as the first affordable, all-day wireless VR/AR (augmented reality) data glove, the VR headset/data glove fits in a small bag for portability and requires almost no set-up, bringing VR enterprise training, maintenance and gaming to new areas. The Forte Data Glove ushers in the next generation of VR, says BeBop Sensors, by allowing people to do real practical things in the virtual world with natural hand interactions to feel different textures and surfaces.

A nine degree inertial measurement unit (IMU) is integrated, to provide low drift and reliable pre-blended accelerometer and gyro sensor data. Six haptic actuators are located on four fingertips, the thumb and the palm.

Up to 16 haptic sound files can reside on the glove and new files can be rapidly uploaded over Bluetooth or USB.

The sensors are fast, operating at 160Hz, with instantaneous (sub six millisecond) response. By providing touch feedback, the user experiences a more realistic and safer training for business and enhanced VR gaming experiences, says the company.

Hand tracking ties natively into each system’s translation system, with top-of-the-line finger tracking supplied by Bebop Sensors’ fabric sensors. Haptic feelings include those for hitting buttons, turning knobs, opening doors for touch sensations in VR/AR.

The universal open palm design fits most people and the glove can be cleaned, is hygienic and breathable with waterproof sensors.

The glove targets enterprise, as well as location-based entertainment (LBE) gaming markets, including VR enterprise training, VR medical trials/rehabilitation, robotics and drone control, VR CAD design and review and gaming.

BeBop Sensors will be at CES in Las Vegas, (7 to 10 January, 2020) Booth 22032 LVCC South Hall.

http://www.bebopsensors.com

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