At the recently concluded CES 2016, major chip manufacturers and device manufacturers engaged in an aerial competition, making the emerging product form of drones quite popular. The reason is that if drones are positioned as personal consumer products, their market capacity is actually quite limited, and manufacturers wouldn’t be so enthusiastic about them. However, as the demand for drones in agriculture, logistics, and other application scenarios continues to be explored, a frenzy that can sweep across the entire industry chain naturally follows. The theme related to drones was everywhere at this year’s CES, and it can be proudly said that domestic companies such as DJI and EHang have taken the lead with keen market insights, allowing domestic manufacturers to shine in this market and gain significant influence in the industry chain.
However, looking at the upstream chip suppliers in the drone market, especially the main control chips, they are still dominated by European, American, and Korean manufacturers. Here, we have specifically compiled the current mainstream 8 major drone control chips for your reference:
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1. STMicroelectronicsSTM32Series
Currently, STMicroelectronics’ STM32 series is a highly adopted drone control chip in China. In this regard, STMicroelectronics has a clever approach; it sponsored the National College Student Electronic Design Competition early on, and the main control chip recommended for the drone projects in the competition is the STM32. Students become familiar with its control platform, and when they work on drones later, they will naturally choose it.
The STM32 series includes multiple product lines such as STM32 F0/F1/F2/F3/F4/F7/L0/L1/L4, among which the STM32 F4 series is widely used in drones.
Based on the ARM Cortex-M4, the STM32F4 series MCU uses STMicroelectronics’ NVM technology and ART accelerator, achieving processing performance of 225 DMIPS/608 CoreMark when executing from flash memory at a working frequency of up to 180 MHz. This is the highest benchmark score achieved by any microcontroller product based on the Cortex-M core to date.
Due to the dynamic power adjustment feature, the current consumption range when executing from flash memory is from 89 µA/MHz for the STM32F410 to 260 µA/MHz for the STM32F439.
The STM32F4 series includes eight mutually compatible digital signal controller (DSC) product lines, perfectly combining MCU real-time control functions with DSP signal processing capabilities:
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Advanced Series• STM32F469/479 – 180 MHz CPU/225 DMIPS, up to 2 MB dual-bank flash memory, with SDRAM and QSPI interfaces, Chrom-ART Accelerator™, LCD-TFT controller, and MPI-DSI interface• STM32F429/439 – 180 MHz CPU/225 DMIPS, up to 2MB dual-bank flash memory, with SDRAM interface, Chrom-ART Accelerator™, and LCD-TFT controller• STM32F427/437 – 180 MHz CPU/225 DMIPS, up to 2 MB dual-bank flash memory, with SDRAM interface, Chrom-ART Accelerator™, serial audio interface, higher performance, and lower static power consumption
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Basic Series• STM32F446 – 180 MHz/225 DMIPS, up to 512 KB Flash, with Dual Quad SPI and SDRAM interfaces• STM32F407/417 – 168 MHz CPU/210 DMIPS, up to 1MB Flash, added Ethernet MAC and camera interface• STM32F405/415 – 168 MHz CPU/210 DMIPS, up to 1MB Flash, with advanced connectivity and encryption features
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Basic Type Series• STM32F411 – 100 MHz CPU/125 DMIPS, with excellent power efficiency, larger SRAM, and new intelligent DMA, optimizing power consumption for data batch processing (dynamic efficiency series using batch collection mode)• STM32F410 – 100 MHz CPU/125 DMIPS, setting new milestones for outstanding power efficiency performance (89 µA/MHz in sleep mode and 6 µA), using new intelligent DMA, optimizing power consumption for data batch processing (dynamic efficiency™ series using batch collection mode), equipped with true random number generator, low-power timer, and DAC• STM32F401 – 84 MHz CPU/105 DMIPS, the smallest and lowest-cost solution, with outstanding power efficiency (dynamic efficiency series)
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2. QualcommSnapdragon FlightPlatform
At CES 2016, Qualcomm Incorporated’s subsidiary Qualcomm Technologies, Tencent, and Zero Degree Intelligence released and showcased a commercial drone YING based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon Flight platform, which will be launched globally in the first half of 2016.
Snapdragon Flight is a highly optimized 58x40mm development board designed specifically for consumer drones and robotics applications. Snapdragon Flight includes a Snapdragon 801 SoC (composed of four cores with a frequency of 2.26GHz), supporting GPS, 4K video recording, robust connectivity, and advanced drone software and development tools, dual-channel Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth modules, supporting real-time flight control systems, equipped with a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, supporting 4K video processing, and fast charging technology, all integrated on a credit card-sized mainboard. It brings cutting-edge mobile technology to create a new level of consumer drones.
This chip can reduce the average price of 4K drones from about 7791 RMB to about 1948-2597 RMB, extending the battery life from 20 minutes to 45-60 minutes, making it feel quite practical.
The Snapdragon Flight platform has advanced processing capabilities, relying on Qualcomm’s Hexagon DSP for real-time flight control, built-in Qualcomm 2×2 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and optimized leading global navigation satellite system (GNSS) to support highly accurate positioning. The purpose of the Snapdragon Flight platform is to meet the advanced features that drone consumers desire the most, including:
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4K video—supports 4K high-definition video recording, graphics optimization, and video processing capabilities, as well as synchronized 720p decoding
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Advanced communication and navigation—dual-channel 2*2 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, and 5Hz GNSS positioning, as well as real-time flight control based on Hexagon DSP
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Robust imaging and sensing—4K stereo VGA, optical flow camera, inertial measurement unit (IMU), barometric sensor, as well as additional sensor support and ports
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Qualcomm Quick Charge technology—supports fast battery charging between video/images
The Snapdragon 801 processor supports some of the hottest smartphones in the world, including a 2.26GHz quad-core Qualcomm Krait CPU, Qualcomm Adreno 330 GPU, Hexagon DSP, and optional video decoding engine and dual graphics signal processors (ISP).
These functional components form an asynchronous computing platform that supports the development of advanced features in drones, such as obstacle avoidance and video stabilization.
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3. Intel Atom Processor
At CES 2016, Intel showcased the Yuneec Typhoon H, which uses Intel RealSense technology in the UAV field, featuring anti-collision capabilities, convenient takeoff, equipped with a 4K camera and 360-degree gimbal, as well as a remote control with a built-in display, allowing sports enthusiasts to capture themselves in motion. Yuneec plans to launch this device in the first half of 2016.
It is equipped with up to 6 Intel “RealSense” 3D cameras and a PCI-express custom card using a quad-core Intel Atom processor to process real-time information on distances and how to avoid close-range obstacles.
Intel promotes drones as a major emerging application for its processor products, but from the perspective of publicity, Intel seems to prefer to see breakthroughs in the applications of its RealSense technology, which has been focused on 3D camera applications over the past two years. We understand a lot about Intel’s processors, so here we will focus on Intel’s RealSense 3D cameras.
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– From the hardware aspect, it supports Intel RealSense computing with a 3D camera;
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– From the software aspect, it is the Intel “RealSense” computing SDK;
Intel 3D cameras are divided into two types, one for close distances with higher precision, and the other for longer distances with slightly lower precision.
The front RealSense 3D camera works on the principle of “structured light,” similar to Kinect. As for the structure, it can be specifically seen in the image below:
As for the long-distance 3D camera, Intel uses the “active stereo imaging principle,” which mimics the “parallax” principle of the human eye by emitting a beam of infrared light, using left and right infrared sensors to track the position of this light, and then calculating the “depth” information in the 3D image using the triangulation principle.
This is its structure:
Intel’s RealSense 3D cameras can be divided into the R series and F series based on their different positions in the device (front/rear). The rear camera model used in the Dell Venue 8 7840 is Snapshot R100, and the same series also includes R200. The front cameras generally used in traditional computers, laptops, and all-in-ones are referred to as the F series, with the current devices being F200.
R200 is primarily aimed at tablet use, with main applications including 3D scanning, home decoration, immersive fitting, image and video processing, and gaming applications. In comparison, R100 has a much simpler functional positioning, mainly supporting RealSense. Additionally, the main applications of F200 include capturing and scanning 3D data, gesture control, and immersive collaboration.
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4. Samsung Artik Chip
Samsung’s Artik chip has three models, among which the main one used in drones is Artik 5. The Artik 5 is 29x25mm in size, equipped with a 1GHz dual-core ARM processor (Mali 400 MP2 GPU), with 512MB LPDDR3 memory and 4GB eMMc flash storage. It supports Wi-Fi, low-power Bluetooth, and 802.11 b/g/n. Additionally, this chip can decode H.264 and other formats of 720p 30fps video and provides TrustZone.
ARTIK 5 adopts Samsung’s next-generation ePoP packaging technology, providing an optimal combination of computing power and storage capacity for a wide range of devices and applications, achieving a balance between performance and power consumption. It integrates the industry’s best security features.
ARTIK 5 module is a highly integrated system module, using Exynos architecture dual-core ARM Cortex-A7 processor, while integrating DRAM and flash memory, a secure element (SE), and providing various standard digital control interfaces, supporting external sensors and high-performance peripherals to extend module functionality.
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5. Texas Instruments OMAP3630
Texas Instruments’ OMAP3630 once shone in the single-core smartphone field, but as multi-core became mainstream and Texas Instruments gradually faded from consumer electronics, the battlefield for OMAP3630 has shifted to emerging markets like drones.
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6. Atmel Mega2560 Chip
Atmel’s AVR processor chips are widely used in drones abroad, but in China, they have been largely occupied by STMicroelectronics. Its specifications include: core processor: AVR core bit: 8-bit speed: 16MHz connectivity: EBI/EMI, I2C, SPI, UART/USART peripheral devices: under-voltage detection/reset, POR, PWM, WDT input/output count: 86 program memory capacity: 256KB (256K x 8) program memory type: FLASH EEPROM size: 4K x 8 RAM capacity: 8K x 8 voltage – power supply (Vcc/Vdd): 4.5 V ~ 5.5 V data converter: A/D 16x10b oscillator type: internal operating temperature: -40°C ~ 85°C package/case: 100-TQFP, 100-VQFP
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7. XMOS XCORE Multi-core Microcontroller
Multirotor aircraft require four to six brushless motors to drive the drone’s rotors. The motor drive controller is used to control the speed and direction of the drone. In principle, one motor needs to be equipped with one 8-bit MCU for control, but there are also solutions where one MCU controls multiple BLDC motors.
Active in the robotics market, the European processor manufacturer XMOS has also stated that it has entered the drone field. Currently, XMOS’s xCORE multi-core microcontroller series has been adopted by some drone/multirotor OEM customers. In these systems, XMOS multi-core microcontrollers are used for both flight control and internal communication of the MCU.
xCORE multi-core microcontrollers have between 8 to 32, with a frequency of up to 500MHz 32-bit RISC cores. xCORE devices also feature Hardware Response I/O interfaces, providing hardware real-time I/O performance with very low latency. The multi-core solution supports completely independent execution of system control and communication tasks without incurring any real-time operating system (RTOS) overhead. The hardware real-time performance of xCORE microcontrollers enables customers to implement precise control algorithms without jitter in the system.
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8. Nuvoton MINI 51 Series
Although it comes from Taiwan, a domestic processor has finally appeared.
Mini51 is a Cortex-M0 32-bit microcontroller series characterized by a wide voltage operating range of 2.5V to 5.5V and an operating temperature of -40℃ ~ 105℃, built-in 22.1184 MHz high-precision RC oscillator (±1% accuracy, 25℃ 5V), and built-in Data Flash, under-voltage detection, rich peripherals, integrating various serial transmission interfaces, high anti-interference capability (8KV ESD/4KV EFT), supporting online system updates (ISP), online circuit updates (ICP), and online application updates (IAP), providing packaging of TSSOP20, QFN33 (4mm*4mm and 5mm*5mm) and LQFP48.
Key features:• Core – Cortex®-M0 32-bit microprocessor – Operating frequency up to 24 MHz – Operating voltage: 2.5V to 5.5V – Operating temperature: -40℃ ~ 105℃• Memory – 16 KB application – Built-in 2 KB SRAM – Configurable Data Flash – Online system updates ISP (In-System Programming) – Online circuit updates ICP (In-Circuit Programming) – Online application updates IAP (In-Application Programming)• Analog to digital converter (ADC) – Provides 8 channels – 10-bit resolution – Sampling rate up to 250kSPS – PWM output can trigger A/D conversion
• Pulse Width Modulation (PWM）
– Up to 6-channel PWM output or 3-channel complementary PWM output – PWM time and period can trigger A/D conversion
• Communication interface (Connectivity) – A set of SPI (up to 24 MHz) – A set of I²C (up to 400 kHz) – A set of UART• Clock control (Clock control) – External crystal oscillator 4 to 24MHz – Built-in 22.1184 MHz high-precision RC oscillator, normal temperature 5V ±1% error
