SoC that combines MCU and SE security chip
Extract RGB images and depth information with one camera

These days, with the security of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the spotlight, there is a company that makes a security SoC with SE (Secure Element) function built into the terminal.

eWBM (www.ewbm.co.kr) is a fabless semiconductor company established in 2009. It develops IoT security semiconductors and 3D imaging semiconductor products.

The method used by existing companies to secure the Internet of Things is to use a microcontroller (MCU) without security in the terminal together with a security chip called Secure Element (SE). This method provides advanced security functions compared to general MCUs, but increases terminal costs due to system complexity.

To this end, EWBM has come up with a complete solution: a secure SoC solution with built-in SE functionality in the terminal. The secure SoC must have functions such as secure boot, storage, unique keys per terminal, code signing updates, and a secure key storage device.

EWBM is mass producing three products: MS300, MS500, and MS1000. It provides solutions that satisfy the requirements of the IoT Common Security Guide published by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) and do not incur additional costs. Among these, the MS500 is a flagship product, an SoC with a 100MHz ARM Cortex-M0 core that features both hardware-based symmetric and asymmetric encryption engines.

It also supports real-time encryption, user and device authentication functions, and secure boot, which was only applied to some high-performance application processors such as smart devices. It includes advanced security functions such as real-time integrity monitoring and support for a secure operating system. It implements security functions in a proprietary chip, so it does not burden the central processing unit (CPU), and it also supports security services for IoT devices equipped with CPUs with performance limitations.

Mutual authentication between devices can be easily implemented at higher levels of device-to-server and device-to-device (end-to-end), and data streams between the end points can be protected by encrypting/decrypting them using high-speed symmetric cryptographic engines. These advantages overturn the idea that it is difficult to provide sufficient security for the Internet of Things due to price and power consumption issues.

The 3D imaging semiconductor 'DR1152' is a chip that simultaneously extracts color photos, infrared photos, and distance information with one lens and one sensor. The most suitable field for application is AR. AR does not have much information that people can input. There must be a device to recognize hand gestures in front, and distance (Depth) information up to 1m in front of the nose is required. Also, since most cases use glasses, power consumption must be less than 100mW.

The existing method required multiple cameras, could not extract RGB images, was difficult to miniaturize, and was expensive, but this was solved by extracting RGB images and depth maps simultaneously using only one camera. Since it does not use reflected IR, it can be extracted even in outdoor environments. It can be applied to AR, VR, distance-sensitive CCTV, collision avoidance systems, driver drowsiness monitoring devices, and hand gesture control devices.

EWBM CEO Oh Sang-geun said, “We are planning to release the MS1200 and DC2000 next year. We have other release plans in the works,” and added, “Our goal is to shake up the market with a technology that has never existed before. This year, we will fully enter the market with IoT security chips and video chips.”