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Solar harvesting technology meets LoRa Edge for IoT tracking

Fri, Nov 11, 2022

A collaboration between Semtech and Exeger “significantly extends” the battery life of asset tracking and environmental sensing devices, said Semtech.

Partnering with the Swedish manufacturer of customisable solar cells, the pair have combined Semtech’s LoRa Edge asset management platform with Exeger’s Powerfoyle solar cell technology.

Semtech’s LoRa Edge scans GNSS satellites as well as Wi-Fi SSIDs and partitions the processing between IoT devices and the LoRa Cloud to determine location. The cloud-based solver is claimed to significantly reduce power consumption and increase battery life. Exeger’s Powerfoyle is can be integrated seamlessly into any electronics device and uses solar cell technology to convert all forms of light to charge and power devices with clean, endless energy.

“Coupling the benefits of Powerfoyle with the ultra-low power capabilities of Semtech’s LoRa devices will provide IoT applications with an extended or even unlimited battery life,” said Dr. Oscar Hemberg, chief product integration officer at Exeger. “Together, we move one step closer to energy independence through more sustainable products powered with clean, endless energy.”

The patented Powerfoyle material integrates into IoT sensors with Semtech’s LoRa Edge chip-to-cloud platform. Combining both technologies is expected to spur a world of new solar-powered tracking applications for geolocation use cases, including indoor and outdoor asset tracking, global supply chain logistics, agriculture, smart utilities, and smart cities.

“LoRa devices enable smart IoT applications that help solve some of the biggest challenges facing our planet,” said Marc Pégulu, vice president and general manager for Semtech’s Wireless and Sensing Products Group. “Semtech and Exeger’s collaboration will enable manufacturers to develop IoT devices leveraging new energy harvesting technology for a smarter and more sustainable future.”

New IoT asset trackers will be showcased at EdgeTech+ 2022 (16 to 18 November) in Yokahama, Japan, in the LoRa Pavilion, booth A-H04.

http://www.semtech.com

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Mercury Systems launches DDR4 memory for edge processing in space missions

Thu, Nov 10, 2022

A radiation-tolerant version of Mercury Systems’ 8Gbyte DDR4 memory has been announced. According to the company, it “sets a new bar for performance in data-intensive processing applications in space”.

Today, military satellites enable critical national security missions such as missile warning, communications and Earth observation. Commercial satellites provide in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity, TV and radio services as well as global infrastructure and asset monitoring. These space systems require ever-increasing amounts of processing power to manage enormous volumes of data.

The increased complexity of these space systems, as capabilities and requirements are added, need high density memory capabilities to complement greater processing power. As space systems are increasingly developed with smaller form factors, Mercury’s 8GB DDR4 components offer 75 per cent space savings compared to alternative memory options, claimed the company.

“Mercury memory modules are designed to operate in the most demanding environments and are employed on critical missions in the air, land, and sea domains,” said Tom Smelker, vice president and general manager of custom microelectronics solutions at Mercury. These radiation-tolerant 8Gbyte DDR4 modules will unlock even more capability and performance for next-generation government and commercial space missions, he added.

Mercury’s 8Gbyte DDR4 memory components feature data transfer speeds of up to 2,666Mbits per second in a form factor that is 13 x 20 x 2.36mm. The memory package has eutectic solder balls for board-level reliability and the memory components undergo 100 per cent burn-in and electrical test for quality assurance.

The memory components are manufactured in a DMEA-trusted facility.

Mercury delivers commercial innovation to the global aerospace and defence industry, providing products, services and technologies and from data to decision, silicon to systems.

http://mrcy.com

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Slim IP67 Wirepas Mesh tag can track in high density networks

Thu, Nov 10, 2022

Asset tracking in hospitals, offices, warehouses and factories can be achieved using a mesh unit, or tag, with built-in Wirepas Mesh 2.4GHz network connectivity by Fujitsu Components America. When used with Fujitsu’s IoT connectivity anchors, sensor nodes, or USB dongle products, the FWM8BLZ14T mesh tag enables the creation of large, high density networks which operate autonomous rerouting in the event of device failure or changes in the network environment.

The IP67-rated tag is water resistant, so stains, particles, and liquids (such as chemicals, medications, and blood) may be washed off without risk of damage. The battery housing (patent-pending) is designed to facilitate easy battery replacement by end-users. It also contributes to environmentally friendly, sustainable use, said Fujitsu Components.

The tag is only 5.8mm thick, so it can be placed between stacked equipment. Two screw holes allow for three mounting options. The tag can be directly mounted, or mounted using an optional bracket to securely attach the tag to the desired location, or the hole in the tag can be used to attach the tag with a strap or lanyard. If screws are not used, the screw holes may be sealed with fitted white or coloured plugs for identification purposes.

The FWM8BLZ14T also includes an embedded pattern antenna, a carrier frequency of 2,400 to 2,483.5MHz, a modulation/symbol rate of GFSK / 1Mbits per second and the ability to operate at temperature and humidity levels of -30 to +70 degrees C and 20 per cent RH to 80 per cent, respectively.

A push switch functionality allows the unit to be used to convey crisis messages, trigger alarms, or locate individuals in an emergency. The tag operates on 40 channels, with spacing of 2MHz and runs on a coin cell CR3032 lithium battery (not included). The tag measures 52.8 x 35.9 x 5.8mm.

Samples are available in December 2022, and orders will be accepted in January 2023.

Fujitsu Components America distributes electronic and system components and sub-systems throughout North and South America. Its product portfolio includes relays, touch panels, thermal printers, wireless modules and input and pointing devices.

The company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, USA.

https://www.fcl.fujitsu.com/en/fcai-products/

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Compact Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE modules have enhanced security

Wed, Nov 09, 2022

The Nora-W3 series has been added to u-blox’s Wi-Fi standalone module portfolio. The modules make dual-band capability available for the first time in this compact form factor, said u-blox. The modules are suitable for healthcare, HVAC, energy management, EV charging, professional grade power tools and industrial sensing or monitoring applications.

Saturation of Wi-Fi channels in the 2.4GHz band, size constraints, need Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) to work in conjunction in order to connect to infrastructure, back-end systems, sensors and mobile devices. There is a balance that needs to be struck between cost and functionality. The Nora-W3 modules comprise dual band Wi-Fi 4 (IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth LE 5 based upon a Realtek Ameba chipset.

The modules feature u-connectXpress to simplify the task of integration for designers. This only requires the use of high-level AT commands. The compact modules integrate two microcontrollers, the Arm Cortex-M33-compatible, operating at 200MHz as the main MCU. The second is an Arm Cortex-M23-compatible, operating at 20MHz for low power operation. This system allows the complete communication firmware to run on the module. To ease integration, Nora-W3 comes with the option to use an embedded antenna, said u-blox.

By offering dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE, the u-blox Nora-W3 modules ensure a robust Wi-Fi connection in the field, partly due to the ability to operate in the less congested 5GHz band. The inclusion of u‑connectXpress significantly reduces software effort by removing the need for competence in embedded Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE, claimed u-blox, allowing designs to be delivered to the market quicker.

The modules offer a wide range of security features including secure boot, encryption, trusted execution environment, authentication and storage that protect sensitive data and prevent unauthorised access.

The Nora-W3 modules measure just 14.3 x 10.4 x 1.9mm, making them suitable for space-constrained designs and includes an embedded antenna within this envelope.

Nora-W3 is an upgrade, from single to dual band, for customers using u-blox’s Nina-W15 and a smooth transition for those using Odin-W2, said u-blox. The common form factor and pin-out allows simple migration for customers already using, for instance the Nora-W1 and Nora-B1 modules.

There are two variant, the u-blox Nora-W36 with the u-connectXpress software simplifying the integration into the end-product and the u-blox Nora-W30 with an open CPU architecture, allowing customers to run their own applications on the modules.

The Nora-W3 series will be globally certified for use with the internal antenna or a range of external antennas, reducing time, cost and effort for customers integrating Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE in their designs.

http://www.u-blox.com

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Solar harvesting technology meets LoRa Edge for IoT tracking

Mercury Systems launches DDR4 memory for edge processing in space missions

Slim IP67 Wirepas Mesh tag can track in high density networks

Compact Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE modules have enhanced security

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