Goertek Microelectronics UWB SiP module enables diversified scene applications

UWB stands for Ultra Wideband, which is an unlimited carrier communication technology that uses nanosecond non-sinusoidal narrow pulses to transmit data. Compared with traditional Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technologies, UWB technology has more advantages in positioning accuracy, security, and anti-interference.

However, like the recently highly discussed LiDAR (laser radar), the development of early UWB technology was limited by factors such as cost-effectiveness, and it rarely appeared in the civilian market, but was more common in the military and communications fields. Until the past two years, the Internet of Things industry has achieved vigorous development with the support of AI, and the demand for accurate positioning and transmission distance of many mobile terminals has greatly increased. Manufacturers represented by several first-tier mobile phone brands have gradually introduced UWB technology into the commercial field, bringing it into the public eye.

It is reported that the current application of UWB technology has been oriented to multiple fields including smart home, smart city, smart retail, smart building, smart industry, etc. Last April, the "Air Tag Smart Tracker" unveiled at Apple's 2021 Spring New Product Launch Conference pushed UWB technology to the forefront.

As one of the leading manufacturers in the domestic microsystem module industry, Goertek Microelectronics Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Goertek Microelectronics") has also recently launched two UWB modules - UWB GSUB-0001 and UWB GSUB-0002.

Hit the pain points directly and exert force precisely

The UWB GSUB-0001 module can be applied to smart factories, tags, smart wearables, smart retail, IoT and other fields. The product itself integrates major components such as UWB and Filter. It supports two-way ranging/TDoA/PDoA positioning, with a data transmission rate of up to 27Mbps and a 40MHz SPI interface. At the same time, it adopts an ultra-small LGA package to achieve ultra-low power consumption and a positioning accuracy of up to 10cm.

The application areas of the UWB GSUB-0002 module include smart wearables, smart homes, IoT, etc. The product integrates major components such as UWB, BLE, Filter, G-sensor, etc. It supports two-way ranging/TDoA/PDoA positioning, and the data transmission rate is up to 27Mbps. It has many advantages such as high integration, low power consumption, high reliability, moisture resistance, and excellent corrosion resistance; it can also achieve centimeter-level precise positioning.

Different from conventional UWB modules, the above two products are designed with SiP (System in Package) system-level packaging.

As we all know, SiP technology came into being due to the increasingly obvious trend of miniaturization and thinness of various mobile terminals, and the commitment to achieving more diversified functions and applications. The UWB+SiP design can make the product more in line with the miniaturization needs of the consumer electronics market.

Goertek Microelectronics told Jiwei.com: "The reason why SiP technology is used to develop UWB modules is mainly based on three considerations. First, there are many peripheral devices in UWB circuits. SiP technology can well realize the miniaturization design of products and reduce the size of modules. Second, because UWB products have a high frequency, working at 3.1GHz to 10.6GHz, RF design and debugging are more difficult. Modularization through SiP technology can improve product performance and reduce the terminal product development and debugging cycle; reduce the difficulty of product development and speed up product development and listing; third, because UWB RF signals require electromagnetic shielding, and conventional metal shielding covers are large in size and heavier in weight; CFS conformal shielding can meet the shielding effect without increasing the volume and weight."

It is reported that Goertek Microelectronics has combined SiP technology and UWB technology based on different customer needs and product applications, and launched a variety of products to cope with various application scenarios for customers to choose from. At present, the company's ultra-wideband SiP module has the capacity for mass production.

In addition, the author also learned that the above two UWB SiP module products both use ultra-small LGA packaging. Through this packaging method, the product is improved in four aspects: volume, heat dissipation performance, assembly cost and mass production yield.

Based on LGA packaging, the tin printed on the Pad inside the module is directly connected to the PCB, which greatly reduces the height of the finished product after assembly; thanks to the larger welding area and higher welding strength of the LGA pad, even if the terminal runs multiple functions at the same time, it can still show good heat dissipation performance; in addition, the LGA packaging method can also reduce the subsequent ball planting process, thereby reducing the assembly cost of the module; finally, in the EMI shielding stage, LGA packaging can reduce the risk of overflow plating at the Sputter station, thereby improving the overall product yield.

In addition to the aforementioned product and technical advantages, what also caught the author's attention was that the two ultra-wideband SiP modules adopted the "module & EVK & algorithm development kit" development model, which can effectively shorten the terminal product development cycle.

Taking a closer look at the combination of "module & EVK & algorithm development kit", first of all, EVK can support two communication methods: USB and serial port, and can display the measured distance and angle changes in real time through LCD; secondly, the algorithm supports PDoA two-dimensional positioning, and can display the x, y axis coordinates in real time. It also supports TWR and TDOA ranging positioning algorithms, so that the ranging accuracy can reach about 10cm.

Finally, after the terminal gets the development kit, it can directly evaluate the relevant performance of the UWB SiP, and Goertek Microelectronics provides the corresponding SDK. There is no need to rebuild the project or write drivers. The algorithm can be developed or transplanted directly in the existing routines, which greatly shortens the cycle. In addition, all IO ports and power interfaces are available on the EVK, which is convenient for hardware and software engineers to debug. At the same time, there is an RF connector on the EVK, and the terminal manufacturer only needs to connect the external adapter cable to the test equipment to test the RF characteristics.

In summary, this "combination punch" is actually to optimize the portability and ease of use of the product from both the software and hardware aspects, thereby helping to speed up the development of the terminal, which is undoubtedly very important for the ever-changing consumer electronics market. More efficient completion of product development and even iterative upgrades will obviously help terminal manufacturers gain a more advantageous position in the competition.

Two products to achieve full scene coverage

As mentioned above, UWB GSUB-0001 is mainly used in scenarios such as smart factories, smart transportation, smart retail, smart homes, and tags. Compared with traditional consumer electronics, the requirements for data transmission in these emerging markets that are booming under the incubation of IoT technology are also changing.

Goertek Microelectronics introduced to Jiwei.com: "For example, smart factories require more and more unmanned production and manufacturing, including on-site logistics transportation, automatic movement and return of machinery and equipment, etc. In the field of intelligent transportation, it is necessary to achieve high-level autonomous driving, and cars automatically adjust traffic lights according to traffic conditions. In the smart retail industry, there are more and more scenarios requiring users to achieve convenient self-service... These new demands and new scenarios all rely on the terminal to more accurately determine the target location and information. At the same time, these emerging markets have further shortened the product development cycle and the time to put into application."

Faced with the increasingly diverse and complex scenario requirements in the above-mentioned IoT field, Goertek Microelectronics, on the one hand, uses UWB technology to achieve centimeter-level positioning, which can greatly improve the accuracy of terminal capture and judgment of target information; on the other hand, it combines SiP technology to assist terminal manufacturers in shortening the product development cycle and achieving the goal of rapid application deployment.

In addition to supporting multiple applications in the IoT field like UWB GSUB-0001, the scenarios targeted by UWB GSUB-0002 also include smart wearable terminal products.

At present, wearable products can be roughly divided into three categories: ear-worn devices (TWS headphones, etc.), wrist-worn devices (smart watches, bracelets, etc.) and head-worn devices (AR/VR, etc.). Although the main applications are different, the three types of products are currently facing the bottleneck of lack of scene innovation, device miniaturization and long-term battery life. UWB GSUB-0002 combines the two characteristics of UWB technology to improve positioning accuracy and SiP to achieve miniaturization, giving wearable devices more possibilities.

"Using UWB technology, we can determine accurate location information and implement access control, employee attendance, and indoor navigation in certain scenarios (shopping malls, underground parking lots, hospitals, etc.) on wearable devices. In addition, the miniaturization advantage of SiP can further reduce the size of the wearable product motherboard, leaving more space for the battery, improving battery life and reducing size to bring a better user experience."