Improve Sensor Interface Designs: The New PIC18-Q41 Product Family

Detailed introduction：

基于传感器的物联网设计依赖于模拟功能和数字控制能力的结合，以满足小尺寸、低成本、低功耗和整体性能的一系列要求。PIC18-Q41 通过增加微控制器 (MCU) 集成高级模拟和可配置外设以及外设间连接来应对这些挑战，从而缩短信号采集时间并减少物料清单 (BOM)。其统一、无缝的开发工具环境还有助于设计人员快速进入市场。 Sensor-based IoT designs depend on a combination of analog functionality and digital control capability to meet the list of requirements for small size, low cost, low power and overall performance. The PIC18-Q41 addresses these challenges with an increased microcontroller (MCU) integration of advanced analog and configurable peripherals with inter-peripheral connections for reduced signal acquisition time and reduced bill of materials (BOM). Its unified, seamless development tool environment also helps designers get to market quickly. 

这个新的 MCU 系列有何不同？ 

我们全新的 PIC18-Q41 产品系列专为紧凑型、高性能数据采集和传感器接口应用而设计，具有集成运算放大器和强大的内核独立外设 (CIP)。为了获得全面的开发工具体验，您可以在硬件原型制作之前轻松配置外设和功能、生成应用代码和仿真运算放大器电路，以缩短开发时间并加快上市时间。这些 MCU 采用紧凑型 14 和 20 引脚封装，包括 3x3 mm VQFN，特别适用于物联网边缘节点、医疗设备、可穿戴设备、LED 照明、家庭自动化、汽车行业和工业过程控制。它们也是 Microchip 32 位 MCU 和其他需要模拟集成的控制器的绝佳伴侣。   

What’s Different About This New MCU Family? 

Our new PIC18-Q41 product family is designed for compact, high performance data acquisition and sensor interfacing applications with an integrated operational amplifier and powerful Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs). For a comprehensive development tool experience, you can easily configure peripherals and functions, generate application code and simulate the operational amplifier circuit prior to hardware prototyping to reduce your development time and speed up your time to market. Available in compact 14- and 20-pin packages including the 3x3 mm VQFN, the MCUs are particularly well suited for IoT edge nodes, medical devices, wearables, LED lighting, home automation, the automotive industry and industrial process control. They also make an excellent companion to Microchip 32-bit MCUs and other controllers that need analog integration.   

PIC18-Q41 系列集成了复杂的模拟外设，用于传感和测量应用中的信号放大、滤波和调节。MCU 独特地配备了：  

● 5.5 MHz 增益带宽运算放大器 (OPA) 

● 过零检测 (ZCD) 

● 比较器 

● 两个 8 位数模转换器 (DAC) 

● 带计算功能的 12 位模数转换器 (ADCC)  

The PIC18-Q41 family integrates sophisticated analog peripherals for signal amplification, filtering and conditioning used in sensing and measurement applications. The MCUs are uniquely equipped with:  

● 5.5 MHz Gain Bandwidth Operational Amplifier (OPA) 

● Zero Cross Detect (ZCD) 

● Comparators 

● Two 8-bit Digital-to-Analog Converters (DACs) 

● 12-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter with Computation (ADCC)  

此外，ADCC 使电容分压器 (CVD) 技术自动化，以实现高级触摸感应、平均、滤波、过采样和自动阈值比较。这些功能的集成显着减少了模拟信号链中的组件数量。

In addition, the ADCC automates Capacitive Voltage Divider (CVD) techniques for implementing advanced touch sensing, averaging, filtering, oversampling and automatic threshold comparison. The integration of these features significantly reduces the component count in the analog signal chain. 

该系列的 CIP 使更小、功耗更低的 MCU 能够在硬件中完成许多时序关键和内核密集型任务，而无需 CPU 的任何干预。这减少了闪存的使用并释放 CPU 以专注于更复杂的系统任务或进入睡眠状态以节省电量。因为您不需要创建任何额外的代码或使用任何额外的分立元件，它们简化了您的设计，同时还降低了功耗，允许确定性响应时间并减少验证时间。  

The family’s CIPs enable smaller, lower-power MCUs to accomplish many timing-critical and core-intensive tasks in hardware without any intervention from the CPU. This reduces the use of Flash memory and frees up the CPU to focus on more complex system tasks or go to sleep to save power. Because you don’t need to create any additional code or use any extra discrete components, they simplify your design while also reducing power consumption, allowing for deterministic response times and decreasing validation time.  

PIC18-Q41 MCU 配备直接内存访问 (DMA)、可配置逻辑单元 (CLC)、16 位 PWM 和多个通信接口等 CIP。CLC 外设允许您将信号组合指定为逻辑函数的输入，并在内部连接定时器、脉宽调制器 (PWM)、串行端口和 I/O 引脚等外设，以前所未有的轻松实现硬件定制。CLC 无需任何外部组件即可实现更高级别的集成，从而减少 PCB 占用空间和系统成本。有关详细信息，请参见图 1 中的系列框图。 The PIC18-Q41 MCUs are equipped with CIPs like Direct Memory Access (DMA), Configurable Logic Cells (CLCs), 16-bit PWMs and multiple communication interfaces. The CLC peripheral lets you specify combinations of signals as inputs to a logic function and internally connects peripherals such as timers, Pulse-Width Modulators (PWMs), serial ports and I/O pins for hardware customization with unprecedented ease. The CLC enables a higher level of integration without any external components, thus reducing PCB footprint and system costs. See the family’s block diagram in figure 1 for more information. 

开始设计 

使用我们紧凑、经济高效的开发板PIC18F16Q41 Curiosity Nano 评估套件快速构建原型，如图 2 所示。该板具有完整的编程和调试功能以及预编程固件，因此您可以立即开始开发。PIC® MCU入门指南提供易于遵循的步骤，可立即开始项目。  

为缩短上市时间，PIC18-Q41 系列设计为与MPLAB® 代码配置器 (MCC)和MPLAB Mindi™ 模拟模拟器集成，以提供无缝的嵌入式开发体验。MCC 是一个免费的图形化编程环境，可以快速生成应用程序代码。它使用直观的界面，启用并配置一组丰富的外设和特定于您的应用程序的功能。MCC 已集成到我们可下载的MPLAB X 集成开发环境(IDE) 中。MPLAB Mindi 模拟仿真器通过在硬件原型制作之前仿真模拟电路来减少电路设计时间和设计风险。代码示例 和 模拟仿真 也可用于快速启动您的开发。 

Get Started with Your Design 

Build a protype quickly with our compact, cost-effective development board, the PIC18F16Q41 Curiosity Nano Evaluation kit, as seen in figure 2. The board has full programming and debugging capabilities with pre-programmed firmware so you can start development immediately. Getting started guides for a PIC® MCU provide easy-to-follow steps to start projects right away.  

To reduce your time to market, the PIC18-Q41 family has been designed to integrate with MPLAB® Code Configurator (MCC) and MPLAB Mindi™ Analog Simulator for a seamless embedded development experience. MCC is a free, graphical programming environment that quickly generates application code. Using an intuitive interface, it enables and configures a rich set of peripherals and functions specific to your application. MCC is incorporated into our downloadable MPLAB X Integrated Development Environment (IDE).  MPLAB Mindi Analog Simulator reduces circuit design time and design risk by simulating analog circuits prior to hardware prototyping. Code examples and analog simulations are also available to get a jump start on your development. 

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