In-Home Display Units

In-Home Display (IHD) Units are a new innovation that is key to reducing energy usage by providing energy customers with real time feedback on consumption.

IHD units can acquire consumption information through a sensor with built-in RF. However, a more effective solution transmits information from a Smart Meter via a Home Area Network.

IHD units vary in complexity, from simple wall mounted segment LCD display, up to battery operated products with color TFT displays and touchscreens. Advanced IHDs can display not only consumption information, but energy consumption advice from energy providers. They can also support a variety of additional functions such as home automation.

IHD units need to support displays, connectivity via USB and RF, low power, and touch buttons or screens for an interactive user interface.

Features and Benefits

• Range of microcontrollers from entry level 8-bit through to sophisticated ARM9 with embedded LCD graphics display controllers, provides flexibility to support any application
• Flexible touch solutions, from buttons and wheels to sophisticated touchscreens provide support for a wide range of user interface features and capabilites
• Power-efficient solutions support battery-operated products
• 1 µA Watchdog and Brown-Out
• Atmel® picoPower technology offers industry-leading solutions for extended battery life
• Event system to allow measurement whilst CPU in SLEEP modes
• Support true 1.6V operation
• Lowest power 32 kHz Crystal Oscillator giving 650nA RTC
• Low power RF transceivers enable connectivity

In-House Display can range from a basic segment LCD to a more sophisticated color TFT. The display choice drivers the processing power required, and the main microcontroller can be either an entry-level 8- or 32-bit microcontroller, to a more powerful embedded MPU with on-chip TFT LCD controller. As products become more sophisticated, so will the user interface. Atmel touch technology provides robust support for state of the art features such as capacitive touch buttons or a full touchscreen.

The communications within the IHD depend on the implemented architecture of the HAN (typically RF or PLC). Wireless connectivity can also be supported via Secure Digital Input Output (SDIO) cards.

Products

Microcontroller	Hardware Security	RF Transceivers	Capacitive Touch
AVR Solutions 8- and 32-bit ARM-Based Solutions: AT91SAM9	CryptoAuthentication	Single-chip (Microcontroller and Transceiver) Transceiver ZigBit Modules	Buttons, Sliders and Wheels QTouch library maXTouch™ Touchscreen controller

Learn more about the Atmel solution Application Notes, Devices, and Tools and Software