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Qseven CoM celebrates 15 years with i.MX 8M Plus processor

Wed, Sep 15, 2021

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of Qseven computer on modules (COMs), congatec has introduced the conga-QMX8-Plus Qseven module based on the NXP i.MX 8M Plus application processor.

It has been introduced as an upgrade for all NXP i.MX 6-based Qseven applications. It brings modern machine learning and AI (artificial intelligence) capabilities as well as time sensitive networking (TSN) support for real-time Ethernet to those applications, said congatec. It will also extend their lifetime by an additional 10 to 15 years.

The i.MX 8M Plus application processor has 1.8GHz Arm Cortex-A53 quad-core performance and an additional integrated neural processing unit (NPU) with up to 2.3Tera operations per second. There is also a DSP that enables speech recognition applications.

The first i.MX processor with a machine learning accelerator, the i.MX 8M Plus provides higher performance for deep learning inference and AI at the edge. Typical power consumption is just 3.0W. The conga-QMX8-Plus module is supported by the 64-bit architecture and onboard LPDDR4 memory with up to 6Gbyte.

The i.MX 8M Plus processor is enhanced with AES encryption for higher cyber security. There is also the Arm TrustZone which integrates the resource domain controller (RDC) for isolated execution of critical software, and secure high assurance boot (HAB) mode to prevent the execution of unauthorised software during boot.

The image signal processor (ISP) for parallel real-time processing of high resolution images is another new feature. It includes H265 decoding / encoding.

The modules can control up to three independent displays, connected via natively supported HDMI 2.0a, LVDS 2x24bit and MIPI-DSI, and provide hardware accelerated video decoding and encoding including H.265 so that high resolution camera streams delivered by two integrated MIPI-CSI interfaces can be sent directly to the network. For onboard data storage, the modules provide up to 128 GB 5.1 eMMC, which can also operate in safe pSLC mode, as well as one onboard µSD socket. Peripheral interfaces include one PCIe Gen 3, one USB 3.0, three USB 2.0, four UART as well as one CAN FD and 14 general purpose I/O ports. For real-time networking, the module offers 1Gbit with TSN support. There are also two I2S for sound. The supported operating systems include Linux, Yocto and Android.

Target market applications are industrial controls, smart robotics and factory automation to medical health care and retail, and from transportation and smart farming to smart cities and smart buildings.

https://www.congatec.com

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On-device Tensilica AI engine boosts intelligent SoC development

Tue, Sep 14, 2021

To accelerate AI (artificial intelligence) SoC development, Cadence Design Systems has introduced the Tensilica AI platform which includes three supporting product families optimised for varying data and on-device AI requirements.

Catering for low, mid and high end systems, the Cadence Tensilica AI platform delivers scalable and energy-efficient on-device to edge AI processing for AI SoCs. A companion AI neural network engine (NNE) consumes 80 per cent less energy per inference and delivers more than four times the TOPS/W (Tera operations per second per Watt) compared to standalone Tensilica DSPs, claimed Cadence.

The platform is intended for intelligent sensor, IoT, audio, mobile vision / voice AI, IoT vision and ADAS (advanced driver assistance system) applications. It is claimed to deliver optimal power, performance and area (PPA) and scalability with a common software platform and is built on the application-specific Tensilica DSPs that are already used In AI SoCs for the consumer, mobile, automotive and industrial markets.

Product families are the AI Base, which includes Tensilica HiFi DSPs for audio / voice, Vision DSPs, and ConnX DSPs for radar / lidar and communications, combined with AI ISA (instruction set architecture) extensions. The AI Boost family adds a companion NNE, initially the Tensilica NNE 110 AI engine, which scales from 64 to 256G operations per second and provides concurrent signal processing and efficient inferencing.

Finally, the AI Max encompasses the Tensilica neural network accelerators (NNA) 1xx AI accelerator family (the Tensilica NNA 110 accelerator and the NNA 120, NNA 140 and NNA 180 multi-core accelerator options, with AI Base and AI Boost technology). The multi-core NNA accelerators can scale up to 32T operations per second, while future NNA products are targeted to scale to 100s of Tera operations per second.

All of the NNE and NNA products include random sparse compute to improve performance, run-time tensor compression to decrease memory bandwidth, and pruning plus clustering to reduce model size.

Comprehensive common AI software addresses all target applications, streamlining product development and enabling easy migration as design requirements evolve. Software includes the Tensilica Neural Network Compiler, which supports TensorFlow, ONNX, PyTorch, Caffe2, TensorFlowLite and MXNet for automated end-to-end code generation; Android Neural Network Compiler; TFLite Delegates for real-time execution; and TensorFlow Lite Micro for microcontroller-class devices.

The NNE 110 AI engine and the NNA 1xx AI accelerator family support Cadence’s Intelligent System Design strategy, which enables pervasive intelligence for SoC design excellence, and are expected to be in general availability in Q4 2021.

http://www.cadence.com.

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Digi-Key Electronics continues support for Winning Combinations

Tue, Sep 14, 2021

Following the acquisition of Dialog by Renesas, distributor Digi-Key Electronics has confirmed that it will continue to support the product portfolios of both companies.

Digi-Key has announced five new product combinations from Renesas and Dialog, following the announcement. They are a 100W adapter with power delivery (PD) and wireless charger, a smart asset tracking label, a smart connected pulse oximeter, a smart time-of-flight (ToF) -based range finder with mobile app and a smart lock with low power Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy.

These expert designs showcase both Renesas’ and Dialog’s complementary, and now combined, product portfolios for embedded processing, analogue, power and connectivity. Winning Combinations are engineering-vetted designs which can be used by customers. They are encouraged to take advantage of an elevated platform for their own design ideas in order to accelerate the product development cycle and lower the overall risk to bring a design to market.

“We are proud to support the completion of the merger between Renesas and Dialog by offering new winning combinations from their extensive product portfolio,” said David Stein, vice president of global supplier management for Digi-Key.

Digi-Key Electronics is headquartered in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, USA. It describes itself as a leader and continuous innovator in the high service distribution of electronic components and automation products worldwide.

Digi-Key provides more than 11.7 million components from over 1,900 quality name-brand manufacturers with an industry-leading breadth and depth of product in stock and available for immediate shipment.

Digi-Key also supports design engineers and procurement professionals with a wealth of digital solutions and tools to make their jobs more efficient.

http://www.digikey.com

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ToF sensor with multiple sensing zones elevates automation

Mon, Sep 13, 2021

Distance sensing takes on new scope with the first multi-zone FlightSense time of flight (ToF) sensor from STMicroelectronics. The VL535CX also has up to 64 sensing zones (8×8) and can be used gesture recognition and complex scene analysis as well as for general purpose applications in the consumer and industrial markets.

The VL53L5CX’s multiple sensing zones offer multi-target detection, distance measurement up to four meters in each zone, and a wide square-edged field of view with 63 degrees diagonal. The sensor can be used for gesture recognition and complex scene analysis including 3D room mapping for robotics, storage-tank level monitoring to assist in inventory management, liquid-level control, and waste-bin-level monitoring used in smart refuse collection.

By supporting gesture recognition and automatic human-presence detection, the VL53L5CX enables safe, touch-free operation and saves power when used for waking-up publicly accessible equipment such as self-service payment terminals, and a variety of IoT-enabled, smart consumer products and domestic appliances. The sensor uses ST’s proven histogram processing which reduces the impact of cover-glass crosstalk. As a result, the sensor can be integrated and hidden behind front panels. A motion-indicator allows the sensor to detect if the target has moved or not.

The number of sensing arrays is programmable and the sensor can provide up to 60 frames per second in 16-zone (4×4) mode for fast-ranging mode. Simple software configuration enables it to reach high resolution of 8×8 zones. This is particularly useful to assist keystone correction for video projectors, for example, and provides a mini depth-map for augmented reality and virtual reality (AR / VR) applications.

The VL53L5CX contains a low power microcontroller and is capable of autonomous operation to conserve energy in power-saving applications. It is supplied in an integrated 6.4 x 3.0 x 1.5mm module that contains an infra red vertical cavity surface emission laser (VCSEL) emitter and a receiver with embedded single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) and histogram-based ToF processing engine.

For prototyping, ST provides an evaluation and calibration tool. Development boards designed to integrate easily into larger prototype systems are also available. There is also the P-NUCLEO-53L5A1 evaluation kit and X-CUBE-TOF1 software expansion pack to develop ToF applications.

All parts are in production now.

http://www.st.com

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Qseven CoM celebrates 15 years with i.MX 8M Plus processor

On-device Tensilica AI engine boosts intelligent SoC development

Digi-Key Electronics continues support for Winning Combinations

ToF sensor with multiple sensing zones elevates automation

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