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Liquid-cooled models extend SiC IPMs for e-mobility

Wed, Apr 28, 2021

Liquid-cooled SiC MOSFET intelligent power modules (IPMs) for e-mobility have been tailored for lower switching losses or for higher power. Cissoid has added the IPMs to its three-phase SiC IPM range. It has also added a module based on a lightweight AlSiC flat baseplate that meets the demand for natural convection or forced cooling in aerospace and in dedicated industrial applications. Both integrate a three-phase SiC MOSFET module with a powerful gate driver.

The IPM technology can be rapidly adapted to new voltage, power and cooling requirements, says Cissoid. They accelerate the design of SiC-based power converters enabling high efficiency and high power density. The embedded gate driver solves multiple challenges related to fast-switching SiC transistors. For example, negative drive and active miller clamping (AMC) prevent parasitic turn-on. There is also desaturation detection and soft-shut-down (SSD) to react rapidly but safely to short-circuit events. Under-voltage lockout (UVLO) functions on gate driver and DC bus voltages monitor system operation.

Two liquid-cooled power modules are based on a pin fin baseplate and rated for 1,200V blocking voltages and for 340 to 550A maximum continuous currents. The on resistance ranges from 2.53 to 4.19mOhms, depending on current rating. The total switching energies are as low as 7.48mJ (Eon) and 7.39mJ (Eoff) at 600V/300A.

Integrating the power module and the gate driver optimises the modules for lowest switching energies by tuning the dV/dt and controlling voltage overshoots which are inherent in fast switching. The reverse bias safe operating area (RBSOA) authorises peak currents up to 600A with DC bus voltages up to 880V making the power modules perfectly safe for 800V battery applications.

The air-cooled module is designed for applications where liquid cooling is not an option, for example, aerospace electromechanical actuators and power converters. This module is rated for a blocking voltage of 1,200V and a maximum continuous current of 340A. The on resistance is equal to 3.25mOms. Turn-on and turn-off switching energies are respectively 8.42mJ and 7.05mJ at 600V and 300A. The power module is cooled down through an AlSiC flat baseplate. The module is rated for 175 degrees C junction temperature and the gate driver for 125 degrees C ambient temperature.

http://www.cissoid.com

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4K digital signage player supports multiple displays for video walls

Tue, Apr 27, 2021

For multi-display applications, such as video walls, digital menu boards, digital directory boards, and self-service kiosks, the DSP500 4K digital signage player is powered by the 9th/8th gen Intel Core i7/i5/i3 or Pentium processors.

It is also supported by the Intel Movidius Myriad X VPU and Intel Distribution of OpenVINO toolkit, says Axiomtek, to meet the diverse needs of computer vision and AI workloads. It also has the extended display identification data (EDID) function and three HDMI 2.0 ports that can support diverse content in retail areas.

The low power digital signage player is expandable via an internal M.2 interface for integrating the Intel Movidius Myriad X VPU and Intel Distribution of OpenVINO toolkit to develop a real-time promotion system. Data such as the gender and age of shoppers as well as using eye tracking can be used to analyse engagement with campaigns.

There is also support for Axiomtek’s exclusive Intelligent Remote Device Management (RDM) software, which provides a highly efficient and cost-effective solution with comprehensive remote management capabilities.

The DSP500 has two DDR4-2400 SO-DIMM slots for up to 32Gbyte of system memory. It also comes with one M.2 Key M 2280 for SATA and NVMe storage. To meet the requirement of diverse applications, the media player has four USB 3.1 ports, one Gigabit Ethernet ports, one device management port, one RS-232, one Line-out, one SIM card slot and four antenna openings.

Other features include one power switch, one remote switch, one clear EDID, and one VDC power input connector. It also has one M.2 Key E 2230 slot and one M.2 Key B for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or 4G LTE. The system operates over a temperature range of 0 to 45 degrees C.

The DSP500 runs on Windows 10 and Linux. It has been certified with CE and FCC Class A.

http://www.axiomtek.com

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Cadence adds DSP IP cores for always-on applications

Tue, Apr 27, 2021

Two DSP IP cores for embedded vision and artificial intelligence (AI) have been added to Cadence Design System’s Tensilica Vision DSP family.

The Vision Q8 and Vision P1 DSPs are designed for automotive, mobile and consumer markets. The Cadence Tensilica Vision Q8 DSP delivers what is claimed to be an industry-leading 3.8T operations per second (TOPS), to double performance and memory bandwidth compared to the Tensilica Vision Q7 DSP. It also increases energy efficiency for high-end vision and imaging applications in the automotive and mobile markets. The Tensilica Vision P1 DSP is an energy-efficient DSP, optimised for always-on and smart sensor applications in the consumer market.

Based on the SIMD and VLIW architecture found in the existing Tensilica Vision DSPs, the Vision Q8 and Vision P1 DSPs feature an N-way programming model that preserves software compatibility for an easy migration from earlier Tensilica Vision DSPs with different SIMD widths. Like the rest of the Tensilica Vision DSP family, the Vision Q8 and Vision P1 DSPs support Tensilica Instruction Extension (TIE) language, allowing customers to customise the instruction set. Both DSPs also support Xtensa Neural Network Compiler (XNNC) and the Android Neural Networks API (NNAPI) for neural network support. In addition, they support more than 1,700 OpenCV-based vision library functions, OpenCL and the Halide compiler for computer vision and imaging applications. Both cores are automotive-ready with ASIL B hardware random faults and ASIL D systematic fault certification.

The seventh-generation Tensilica Vision Q8 DSP is optimised for mobile and multi-camera automotive applications. The single core simplifies system design, reducing power by up to 20 per cent, claims Cadence while an up to four-fold improvement in performance for non-convolution layers addresses the AI workload.

The Tensilica Vision P1 DSP is optimised for always-on applications including smart sensors, AR/VR glasses and IoT/smart home devices. The 128-bit SIMD architecture delivers 400G operations per second (GOPS) and offers one third the power and area, compared to the Vision P6 DSP, yet with 20 per cent higher frequency, says Cadence. The architecture is optimised for small memory footprint and operation in low power mode.

The Tensilica Vision Q8 and Vision P1 DSPs support Cadence’s Intelligent System Design strategy. The Tensilica Vision Q8 DSP is available now, while the Tensilica Vision P1 DSP is expected to be available for general release in the second quarter of 2021.

http://www.cadence.com

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Tool suite eases the flow for utility meter design

Tue, Apr 27, 2021

Evaluation tools for ultrasonic flow converters by ScioSense give designers almost-instant measurement outputs to accelerate the design cycle for utility meters and other applications using AS6031 and AS6040 ultrasonic flow converters.

The ScioSense tool suite for the AS6031 and AS6040 ultrasonic flow sensors includes dedicated development boards and new evaluation software.

The AS6031 and the AS6040 UFCs provide precise measurements of time of flight that convert into flow rate of gas or water.

The development tools include general-purpose or microcontroller-specific boards, and evaluation software which provides an intuitive graphics user interface (GUI) for sensor configuration and for the display of measurement outputs.

The UFC evaluation software provides a framework for configuring transducer and spool piece settings, enabling developers to start acquiring flow rate data from the sensors quickly after powering up the sensor board. The software displays the measurement results in either a graphical or numerical format.

Developers can also choose to use a wizard to guide them through the settings. Data can be exported for subsequent data analysis in other tools.

The evaluation software is supplied free with any of the evaluation boards for the AS6031 and AS6040.

Stand-alone evaluation kits, the AS6031-QF_DK and AS6040-QF_DK, include a PICOPROG USB programming interface and cables. ScioSense also supplies Nucleo shields (or demo boards) which are compatible with any STMicroelectronics STM32 microcontroller family. The AS6031-QF_NUC and AS6040-QF_NUC boards are supplied with sample code for communication with STM32 microcontrollers, including libraries for configuration download, initialisation and data readout.

The combination of evaluation boards and evaluation software provide a convenient platform for users to integrate an AS6031 or AS6040 ultrasonic flow sensor instantly into the measurement set-up. Instead of spending time on basic system configuration, they can focus on characterising the operation of the application over the range of flow rates and ambient temperatures, says the company.

The AS6040 and AS6031 ultrasonic flow converters with integrated 32-bit CPU core include all the functions required to drive a pair of external transducers, and to convert ultrasonic time of flight measurements to a calculation of the rate of flow. The sensors are notable for their low power consumption, high accuracy, and high sensitivity.

The AS6031 and AS6040 evaluation kits are available for purchase directly from ScioSense or from authorised distributors.

http://www.sciosense.com

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Liquid-cooled models extend SiC IPMs for e-mobility

4K digital signage player supports multiple displays for video walls

Cadence adds DSP IP cores for always-on applications

Tool suite eases the flow for utility meter design

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