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Software has a vision for programming industrial robots

Fri, Feb 17, 2023

Mitsubishi Electric has updated its RT Toolbox3 and iQ Works2 to offer a new visual editor for programming SCADA and six-axis industrial robots. It has been designed with operators that are new to robotics in mind, and is designed to help users streamline the set-up of automated applications.

Both entry-level and experienced users can benefit from the new additions to RT Toolbox3 and iQ Works2, said Mitsubishi Electric. The latest update adds an intuitive GUI (graphical user interface) that features drag-and-drop building blocks to the programming environment. This enables the creation of flowchart diagrams to quickly set up and simulate robot workflows without requiring any specialist knowledge, said Mitsubishi Electric.

The pre-coded modules feature a configuration wizard that helps users to insert the parameters needed for the machine to move, pick, pause and repeat. As a result, it is possible to customise the robot actions for flexibility to make it easier to deploy industrial robots.

The tool mirrors the framework used to set up and run the MELFA Assista collaborative robot (cobot). This means any operator that has experience with this system will be able to interact with industrial robots using a familiar environment with the option to compare the visual flowcharts with the automatically generated scripts. This will support users advance programming skills and offers an educational platform to interact with the two programming forms and develop a company’s future workforce.

Barry Weller, robotics product manager at Mitsubishi Electric, commented: “Industrial robots are generally misperceived as time, resource and cost intensive as well as too complex to be used for entry-level applications”. These additions expand the tools available, and with the graphical programming interface, targets novice users for ease of configuration and installation of any type of industrial robot, said the company.

“More experienced engineers can also benefit from this update, as it can help simplify and reduce their programming time,” said Weller. This is why Mitsubishi Electric has made the new functions available to new and existing customers. “We want to maximise accessibility to help companies improve and futureproof their operations,” he added.

The update is automatically included in recently purchased robot packages.

https://gb.mitsubishielectric.com

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STMicroelectronics releases nine RF integrated passive devices (RF IPDs)

Fri, Feb 17, 2023

Nine RF integrated passive devices (RF IPDs) from STMicroelectronics combine antenna impedance-matching, balun, and harmonic filter circuity optimised for STM32WL wireless microcontrollers.

The STM32WL MCUs combine application-level processing and wireless communication for smart, connected devices. They integrate an Arm Cortex-M4 microcontroller with a sub-GHz long range radio managed by a Cortex-M0+ core. The radio is LPWAN-compliant, supports multiple modulation schemes, and comes with LoRaWAN and Sigfox stacks included in the STM32CubeWL microcontroller software package.

The RF IPDs are in tiny chip scale packages. They connect the STM32WL microcontroller to its antenna and help maximise the RF performance. By integrating all the components on one die, STMicro said performance is consistent and avoids the process variations that affect conventional matching networks built with discrete components. They also simplify circuit design, save on bill of materials, and permit a smaller form factor, added ST.

The nine RF IPD variants let designers choose the optimum parameters according to the RF frequency range and power, microcontroller package type, and two- or four-layer PCB.

The series comprises the BALFHB-WL-01D3 through BALFHB-WL-06D3 for applications at 868MHz and 915MHz. The BALFLB-WL-07D3, BALFLB-WL-08D3, and BALFLB-WL-09D3 are optimised for 490MHz. Each integrates the complete receive and transmit signal paths between the microcontroller and antenna. The integrated filter provides high attenuation of unwanted transmitter harmonics, for designers to satisfy the regulations set by radio licensing authorities worldwide.

All devices are in production now. They are offered in a 2.13 x 1.83mm eight-bump wafer-level chip-scale package with a profile below 630 micron after reflow.

http://www.st.com

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SiT7910 Super-TCXO sets timekeeping benchmark, says SiTime

Fri, Feb 17, 2023

Designed for aerospace and defence applications, the latest member of the Endura family by SiTime enables faster GPS signal acquisition and locking. The SiT7910 sets a new performance benchmark for timekeeping components, said the company.

The SiT7910 is part of the SiTime Endura ruggedised family in aerospace and defence devices which use global positioning system (GPS) signals, such as ruggedised handheld radios, ground vehicles and sensors. All can acquire and lock to GPS more quickly and securely with the 25 times higher precision of this Super-TCXO, said SiTime.

“The GPS signal is ubiquitous and is a crucial part of national security, everyday communications, financial systems, and power grid operations,” said Piyush Sevalia, executive vice president of marketing at SiTime. “However, it is susceptible not just to environmental disruptions but also to jamming and spoofing”. It requires precision timekeeping, which ensures the faster and more secure acquisition of, and locking to GPS signals, even in the harshest of environmental conditions. The SiT7910 Super-TCXO uses SiTime’s MEMS, analogue and systems technologies.

Key features include 32.768kHz frequency and ±0.2 ppm frequency stability over -55 to +105 degrees C with performance up to 25 times better than legacy quartz technology, reported SiTime. The device maintains one second of accuracy for one year, versus legacy quartz devices that can only maintain it for one to 14 days.

The SiT7910 also has 20 ppb per g g-sensitivity for resilience in high-vibration environments. It also has low power consumption, typically 6.0 microA and ±5 ppm frequency ageing over 20 years.

Operating supply voltage is 1.62 to 3.63V.

The Super-TCXO is packaged in a space saving 2.5 x 2.0mm package and is Pb-free, RoHS, and REACH-compliant

The Endura SiT7910 is sampling now. Volume production is expected in Q2, 2023.

SiTime is a precision timing company, with products designed to enable customers to differentiate their products with higher performance, smaller size, lower power, and better reliability.

http://www.sitime.com

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Qualcomm announces “first 5G Advanced-ready modem-RF system”

Thu, Feb 16, 2023

Claimed to be the first modem to antenna system to support 5G Advanced, Snapdragon X75 will push the boundaries of connectivity including coverage, latency, power efficiency and mobility, said Qualcomm. Target applications are smartphones, mobile broadband, automotive, compute, industrial IoT, fixed wireless access and 5G private networks.

Snapdragon X75 has a dedicated hardware tensor accelerator, Qualcomm 5G AI processor Gen 2, enabling over 2.5 times better AI performance compared to Gen 1. It also introduces Qualcomm 5G AI Suite Gen 2 with AI-powered optimisations to achieve better speeds, coverage, mobility, link robustness and location accuracy. The 5G AI suite’s AI-based capabilities include what is believed to be the first sensor-assisted mmWave beam management and AI-enhanced GNSS Location Gen 2 to optimise 5G performance.

The Snapdragon X75 is powered by a new modem-to-antenna upgradeable architecture and is scalable. In addition to the 10-carrier aggregation for mmWave, there is 5x downlink carrier aggregation and FDD uplink MIMO for sub-6GHz bands, which optimise spectrum aggregation and capacity.

Converged transceiver for mmWave and sub-6GHz paired with the new Qualcomm QTM565 mmWave antenna modules reduce cost, board complexity, hardware footprint and power consumption, said the company.

There is also the company’s 5G PowerSave Gen 4 and RF Power Efficiency suite for extended battery life.

The modem to antenna system has support for DSDA Gen 2, enabling 5G/4G Dual Data on two SIM cards simultaneously. For fast, reliable, long range uploads, there is the Smart Transmit Gen 4 now includes support for Snapdragon Satellite.

“5G Advanced will take connectivity to a whole new level, fuelling the new reality of the connected intelligent edge,” said Durga Malladi, senior vice president and general manager, cellular modems and infrastructure, Qualcomm Technologies. He added the Snapdragon X75 Modem-RF system with “innovations such as hardware accelerated AI and the support for upcoming 5G Advanced capabilities, . . . unlock a whole new level of 5G performance and a new phase in cellular communications.”

Qualcomm has also announced the Snapdragon X72 5G modem-RF system (pictured). It is optimised for mainstream adoption of mobile broadband applications, supporting multi-Gigabit download and upload speeds.

Snapdragon X75 is currently sampling, with commercial devices expected to launch by the second half of 2023.

http://www.qualcom.com

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Software has a vision for programming industrial robots

STMicroelectronics releases nine RF integrated passive devices (RF IPDs)

SiT7910 Super-TCXO sets timekeeping benchmark, says SiTime

Qualcomm announces “first 5G Advanced-ready modem-RF system”

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