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PathWave Test 2020 suite accelerates 5G, Iot and automotive design

Fri, Oct 25, 2019

Keysight Technologies claims to accelerate the time-to-market of leading 5G, IoT and automotive electronics, using the PathWave Test 2020 software suite. It is developed on the Keysight PathWave software platform.

The suite enables 5G, IoT and automotive engineers and managers to streamline test data processing and analysis to speed product introductions and secure a competitive advantage in the market, explains Keysight.

PathWave Test 2020 software provides data sharing and management between platform software tools including test automation, advanced measurement, signal creation and generation, as well as data analytics. According to the company, the integrated software platform allows application-tailored solutions to be developed and deployed to “significantly accelerate electronic test workflows and product introductions”.

The PathWave Test 2020 software suite includes the PathWave Desktop Edition, providing users with access to the platform for launching and managing applications in the design and test ecosystem. It enables engineers to manage instrument discovery and installed design and test software, share data with a common user experience across all design and test software, accelerate development and deployment and improve insights leveraging powerful new analytics and measurement science.

PathWave runs on both Windows and Linux and provides immediate access to design and test tools. The interoperability of the design and test tools and advanced data management speeds the product development cycle and eliminating the need to re-create individual measurements and test plans at each discrete stage of the process.

PathWave Test 2020 also includes PathWave Test Automation which leverages the OpenTAP open source test sequencer. For design verification, validation, and test engineers under extreme deadline pressures, the PathWave Test 2020 suite supports efficient test flows including shared data and analysis for making fast, informed decisions.

Keysight Technologies helps enterprises, service providers and governments accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world. Keysight’s solutions optimise networks and bring electronic products to market faster and at a lower cost with offerings from design simulation, to prototype validation, to manufacturing test, to optimization in networks and cloud environments.

Customers span the worldwide communications ecosystem, aerospace and defence, automotive, energy, semiconductor and general electronics end markets.

http://www.keysight.com

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Arm extends ML processors to include AI in mobile and home devices

Thu, Oct 24, 2019

Two mainstream machine learning (ML) processors, have been introduced by Arm, together with the latest Mali graphics and display processors.

The Ethos-N57 and Ethos-N37 neural processing units (NPUs) enable artificial intelligence (AI) applications and balancing ML performance with cost, area, bandwidth, and battery life constraints.

The Mali-G57 graphics processing unit (GPU) is the first mainstream Valhall architecture-based GPU and the Mali-D37 display processing unit (DPU) which delivers a rich display feature set within the smallest area, claims Arm. The DPU is intended for entry-level devices and small display screens, adds Arm.

The Ethos-N57 and Ethos-N37 NPUs enable truly heterogeneous computing, claims Arm.

They are additions to the ML processor family, including the earlier Ethos-N77. The suite of products designed to solve complex AI and ML compute challenges, and for consumer devices, they are optimised for cost- and battery life-sensitive designs, adds Arm.

Both the Ethos-N57 and Ethos-N37 are optimised to support Int8 and Int16 datatypes, with data management techniques to minimise data movement and associated power. There is a 200 per cent performance improvement compared with other NPUs, through techniques such as Winograd implementation, according to Arm.

The Ethos-N57 is designed to provide a balance of ML performance and power efficiency. It is optimised for two Tera operations per second (TOPS) ML performance range.

The Ethos-N37 is claimed to provide the smallest footprint ML inference processor (less than 1mm²). It is optimised for one TOPS ML performance range.

The Mali-G57 GPU brings intelligent and immersive user experiences – such as high-fidelity gaming, console-like graphics on mobile, 4K/8K user interfaces on DTVs, and more complex augmented and virtual reality workloads – to the mainstream.

The Mali-G57 includes 1.3x better performance density across a range of content compared to the Mali-G52 and 1.3x improvements in energy efficiency leading to longer battery life, reports Arm.

Foveated rendering support for virtual reality (VR) and 60 per cent better on-device ML performance for more complex xR workloads.

The Mali-D37 DPU has an area efficiency which is configurable to an area of less than 1mm² on 16nm for Full HD and 2K resolutions.

It offers system power savings of up to 30 per cent through offloading core display tasks from the GPU and memory management features, including MMU-600.

http://www.arm.com

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Monolithic thin-film image sensor boosts SWIR range

Tue, Oct 22, 2019

Holding out the promise for high-resolution applications in surveillance, biometric identification, virtual reality, research, and industrial automation, a thin-film monolithic image sensor developed by Imec captures light in the near-infrared (NIR) and short-wavelength infrared (SWIR).

Based on a monolithic approach, the process promises an order of magnitude gain in fabrication throughput and cost compared to processing today’s conventional infrared imagers, while enabling multi-megapixel resolution, claims Imec. It means that the use of infrared imagers can be extended to surveillance, biometric identification, virtual reality, machine vision and industrial automation.

Conventionally, infrared image sensors are produced through a hybrid technology of the crystalline semiconductor detector and the electronic readout fabricated separately and then interconnected at pixel or chip periphery level. This is an expensive and time-consuming process with low throughput. Sensors have a restricted resolution that often requires cooling to reduce the signal noise under dark conditions.

Imec’s infrared imagers consist of a novel thin-film photodetector pixel stack based on quantum dots deposited directly on top of an electronic readout. They are manufactured in a monolithic process compatible with wafer-based mass production, confirms Imec. The pixels embed newly developed high-performance, low bandgap, quantum dot materials that match or surpass the performance of inorganic light absorbers. The stacks can be tuned to target a spectrum from visible light up to two-micron wavelength. Test photodiodes on silicon substrate achieve an external quantum efficiency above 60 per cent at 940nm wavelength and above 20 per cent at 1450nm, allowing for uncooled operation with dark current comparable to commercial InGaAs photodetectors.

The prototype imager has a resolution of 758 x 512 pixels and five-micron pixel pitch.

“This result opens up many new applications for thin-film imagers,” commented Pawel Malinowski, imec’s thin-film imagers program manager. “Our imagers could be integrated in next-generation world-facing smartphone cameras coupled with eye-safe light sources, enabling compact sensing modules for augmented reality. In inspection, they could be used for food or plastics sorting, and in surveillance for low-light cameras with better contrast. Additionally, by enabling feature distinction in bad weather or smoke conditions, one can envision firefighting applications and, in the future, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS),” he added.

http://www.imec-int.com

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Nordic introduces Bluetooth 5.1 SoC for multi-protocol applications

Tue, Oct 22, 2019

Temperature-qualified, the nRF52833 SoC joins Nordic’s nRF52 series. The multi-protocol SoC includes a Bluetooth 5.1 Direction Finding-capable radio for low power Bluetooth Low Energy, Thread, Zigbee, and 2.4GHz proprietary wireless connectivity. It is qualified for operation across a -40 to +105 degrees C temperature range.

The nRF52833 features a powerful 64MHz 32bit Arm Cortex-M4 processor with a floating-point unit (FPU) and includes 512kbyte of flash and 128kbyte of RAM, suitable for use in commercial and industrial wireless applications including professional lighting, asset tracking, smart home products, wearables, and gaming.

The SoC’s memory capacity also supports a dynamic multi-protocol capability, suitable for applications such as professional lighting where concurrent Bluetooth Low Energy and Bluetooth mesh, Thread or Zigbee support enables provisioning, commissioning, and interaction with a lighting mesh network from a smartphone using Bluetooth Low Energy. The temperature range also enables the nRF52833 to operate in professional lighting applications which typically feature elevated ambient temperatures, adds Nordic.

The nRF52833’s radio is capable of all Bluetooth 5.1 Direction Finding features and its memory can support both receiver and transmitter roles for angle-of-arrival (AoA) and angle-of-departure (AoD) applications. Direction Finding enables positioning applications that not only rely on received signal strength indication (RSSI) but also the signal direction. Applications include real-time location systems (RTLS) and indoor positioning systems (IPS).

The nRF52833 includes full-speed USB, high-speed SPI, and +8dBm output power. The increased output power together with Bluetooth 5 technology’s long-range (LoRa) feature enables the nRF52833 to be used in smart home applications.

The SoC includes up to 42 general-purpose I/Os (GPIOs) and a range of analogue and digital interfaces such as an NFC-A Tag, ADC, UART, SPI, TWI, PWM, I2S, and PDM. Additionally, a two-stage LDO voltage regulator and a DC/DC converter with a 1.7 to 5.5V input supply range allows the nRF52833 SoC to be powered by coin cells, rechargeable batteries, or the on-chip USB.

The nRF52833 is supported by the S113 or S140 SoftDevices, Nordic’s Bluetooth RF protocol stacks. The S140 is a qualified Bluetooth 5.1 stack and includes support for 2Mbits per second throughput, Bluetooth LoRa and improved coexistence through Channel Selection Algorithm #2.

The nRF5 SDK for Mesh and nRF5 SDK for Thread and Zigbee are scheduled for release in Q4 2019.

An nRF52833 development kit is for Bluetooth LE, Bluetooth mesh, 802.15.4, Thread, Zigbee, and 2.4GHz proprietary applications running on the nRF52833 SoC. It is compatible with the Arduino Uno Rev3 standard.

The SoC will be made available in three packages: a 7.0 x 7.0mm aQFN73 with 42 GPIOs, a 5.0 x 5.0mm QFN40 with 18 GPIOs and a 3.2 x 3.2mm wlCSP with 42 GPIOs.

nRF52833 engineering samples are available now with volume production due Q4, 2019.

http://www.nordicsemi.com

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PathWave Test 2020 suite accelerates 5G, Iot and automotive design

Arm extends ML processors to include AI in mobile and home devices

Monolithic thin-film image sensor boosts SWIR range

Nordic introduces Bluetooth 5.1 SoC for multi-protocol applications

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