Convergence Components & Materials Research Laboratory

areas for Research & Development

  Study on Mobile Processor technology

Overview

The coming convergence of information technology opens a new future which will be added new function such as camera, 3D game, DMB, and new services at mobile terminal. Especially, the mobile terminal is rapidly converging with medical, broadcasting, communication, and information technologies. The Multimedia Processor Design Team is preparing essential technologies. Those include 1) embedded DSP based on high efficient processor for multimedia and voice data and 2) mobile multimedia platform technologies for text, graphics, voice, and video technologies. We are currently developing the advanced mobile processor technology using multi-core processor technology for 3D graphics, video, image recognition, and vision. The mobile processor will advance to a new service market based on convergence technology.

  Study on Advanced Digital RF Technology for Next Generation Wireless Convergence

Overview

Digital RF technology enables the wireless components to be affordable, reconfigurable, and quick delivery time by digitalizing conventional RF components used in the today's wireless devices. With this technology, not only component vendors but also wireless device manufacturers can take an advantages of the technology; component vendors can use reconfigurable RF components to timely respond market needs, and device manufacturers will be able to update device by change its software without having redesign H/W, verification etc. processes.

In fact, this technology is expected to be one of the key technologies of the future wireless devices. Digital RF SoC design team is a leading group in the RF digital technology. The team have focused on the issuing base patents, common platform development that enable the future RF technology.

  Study on Platform based Mobile Communications & Broadcasting Convergence SoC

Overview

Broadcasting & communications convergence can change all the service contents to digital by the high achievements of digital technologies. The convergence has been triggered due to the varieties of digital service contents distributed to the digital networks (internet, communication, CATV, broadcast, etc). At the service of broadcasting, telecommunications, and internet, adjacent industries' barriers are rapidly collapsing.

Today, "One media age", as say words, broadcasting of personalization is accomplished. With the increase in communication network bandwidth, video and multimedia services and value-added data services throughout the networks create the new converged services by breaking and mixing their boundaries.

At the broadcasting and communications convergences, ETRI system-on-chip (SoC) research department committed to development of the research topic of the communication and the broadcasting convergence SoC technologies based on platform technologies. Major research topics of researches are pico-net base station SoC with platform technology, mobile TV SoC, 3D-TV SoC, body area network communication SoC, narrowband wireless communication SoC technology, and there core IP technologies and IPRs.

Especially, the human body communication (HBC) that is the one of the significant candidates in IEEE 802.15 TG6 (Body Area Network) is a method for data communication using user’s body as a communication medium, so it does not require any wire or wireless medium. Two devices are connected and data is transmitted between them via user’s body, simply by touch; Touch and Play(TAP).