Haptic IC driver cuts external BoM by 50%

19th September 2018

Mick Elliott

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Datasheet

electronica will provide the platform for Dialog Semiconductor to demonstrate the DA7280, a low power Haptic Driver Integrated Circuit (IC). The device is capable of driving both ERM (Eccentric Rotating Mass) and LRA (Linear Resonant Actuators) motors, offering High Definition (HD) Wideband Drive, 76% lower idle power consumption and a 50% reduction in external BOM (Bill of Materials) count compared to existing solutions on the market.

The device drives from the company’s expertise in power management and audio technology.

As consumer needs and expectations evolve, device manufacturers have moved toward more advanced and efficient haptics systems as they look to deliver a richer physical feedback experience to the user.

Today’s haptic systems are limited by implementations done in standalone microcontrollers or haptic-enabled Power Management Integrated Circuits (PMICs). The DA7280 scores over these approaches by enabling advanced, highly power-efficient haptic experiences, such as high-definition waveform generation, resonant frequency tracking capabilities and up to 500mA of drive capability.

As haptic drivers spend the majority of their time in standby/idle mode, the DA7280 was designed to utilise very low idle current consumption (360nA) to maximise battery life. Multiple general purpose inputs allow low latency triggering of haptic sequences, making it an ideal solution for Android systems incorporating a sensor hub and application processor.

With the DA7280, the application processor can remain in deep sleep while the sensor hub triggers up to six haptic events directly.

Then, in active mode, the application processor can trigger or stream complex sequences using I²C. Dialog’s patented constant current output technology continuously monitors the BEMF (Back Electro-Motive Force) from the LRA, allowing the device to have constant awareness of the LRA resonant frequency providing a more responsive, consistent output force, compared to other solutions across temperature, age, mechanical coupling and LRA transducer mechanical variation.

The device combines custom drive sequences at up to 1kHz for HD haptic effects, along with resonant frequency tracking for driving both LRA and ERM motors.

This yields superior click/vibration effects in smartphone, automotive human interface systems, gaming and wearable applications, in addition to similar applications in the industrial space such as touchscreens, VR systems and personal medical devices.

The DA7280 is available now in both a 12-ball, 1.5-mm by 1.5-mm by 0.6-mm WLCSP package and a 12pin QFN package.