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GaN-based FET supports lidar systems

Fri, Oct 18, 2019

Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)’s campaign to introduce enhanced-mode gallium-nitride on silicon (eGaN) FETS as replacements for power MOSFETs continues with the announcement that its EPC2216 GaN transistor has been qualified to AEC Q101 for automotive use.

The 15V EPC2216 is designed for lidar applications in self-driving cars and other time-of-flight (ToF) applications including facial recognition, warehouse automation, drones and mapping.

It is a 26 mOhm eGaN FET with a 28A pulsed current rating. It is used for firing the lasers in lidar systems to improve positioning accuracy. The FET can be triggered to create high-current with extremely short pulse widths. According to EPC, the short pulse width leads to higher resolution. Its 1.02mm² footprint is small and inexpensive, suitable for an array of ToF applications from automotive to industrial, healthcare to smart advertising, gaming and security, advises EPC.

The AEC Q101 testing involves rigorous environmental and bias-stress testing, including humidity testing with bias (H3TRB), high temperature reverse bias (HTRB), high temperature gate bias (HTGB) and temperature cycling (TC).

The WLCS package passed the same test standards created for conventional packaged parts, demonstrating that the chip-scale packaging does not compromise ruggedness or reliability, according to EPC.

The eGaN devices are produced in facilities certified to the Automotive Quality Management System Standard IATF 16949.

The automotive-qualified FET joins an expanding family of EPC transistors and ICs designed to enable autonomous driving, improve resolution and reduce cost in ToF applications, commented CEO, Alex Liddow.

The EPC2216 eGaN FET is available for immediate delivery from Digi-Key.

http://www.epc-co.com

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Meter-level positioning technology enhances GNSS, claims u-blox

Fri, Oct 18, 2019

For automotive and high-end telematics, u-blox has introduced the NEO-M9N module, based on its M9 global positioning technology. The meter-level M9 global positioning technology platform is designed for demanding automotive, telematics, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications.

The GNSS chip, UBX-M9140 and the NEO-M9N can receive signals from up to four GNSS constellations (GPS, Glonass, Beidou, and Galileo) concurrently, for high positional accuracy even in difficult conditions, such as deep urban canyons, says u-blox. M9 offers a position update rate of up to 25Hz, enabling dynamic applications, like UAVs, to receive position information with low latency.

The M9 technology has a special filtering against RF interference and jamming, spoofing detection and advanced detection algorithms that enable it to report fraudulent attacks quickly. A surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter, with a low noise amplifier (LNA) in the RF path, is integrated in the NEO-M9N module. According to u-blox, this guarantees normal operations even under strong RF interferences, for example when a cellular modem is co-located with the NEO-M9N.

u-blox advises that users can design a single PCB and migrate to a different positioning technology, such as dead reckoning augmenting GNSS technology, with very little change to the board design.

In support of the M9, the company offers the Explorer Kit M9 (XPLR-M9) development board. The miniature device is supplied with u-start software, which includes a number of pre-set scenarios to enable users to explore the performance of the new device.

The M9 technology complies with the ISO/TS 16949, ISO 16750, AEC-Q100 standards. The NEO-M9N is the first module based on the M9 platform. It is sampling now. The UBX-M9140 high performance chip and the Explorer Kit are available now.

u‑blox provides positioning and wireless communication technologies for the automotive, industrial, and consumer markets for people, vehicles, and machines to determine their precise position and communicate wirelessly over cellular and short range networks. The company’s portfolio of chips, modules, and a growing ecosystem of product supporting data services are designed to help customers develop solutions for the IoT.

http://www.ublox.com

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Battery monitor IC is ASIL-D-compliant

Thu, Oct 17, 2019

Believed to be the only single chip, ASIL-D-compliant IC for mid-to-large cell count configurations, the MAX17853 battery monitor IC is by Maxim Integrated.

Designers can now achieve ASIL-D compliance for automotive applications using just a single chip, says the company, for a safer, more cost-effective battery management system.

It is intended for mid-to-large cell count configurations for automotive applications, such as battery packs for electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). It is based on the Flexpack architecture which allows customers to rapidly make changes to module configurations in response to market demands.

Achieving safety compliance in automotive applications can require adding redundant components to the system, explains Maxim. The MAX17853 enables customers to create a system that meets the highest level of safety for voltage, temperature and communication and contribute to higher safety via its battery cell balancing system, which automatically balances each cell by time and voltage to minimise the risk of over-charging. Customers can achieve all this without adding extra components, such as redundant comparators, confirms Maxim. The MAX17853 reduces system bill of materials cost by up to 35 per cent compared to competitive solutions, claims Maxim.

Typically, engineers must design and qualify separate boards and bills of materials for each different module configuration, but the MAX17853 is the industry’s only IC to support multiple channel configurations (eight to 14 cells) with one board, says Maxim. This enables customers to reduce design time by up to 50 per cent through reduced validation and qualification time.

A MAX17853EVKIT# evaluation kit is also available.

Maxim Integrated develops analogue and mixed-signal products and technologies to make systems smaller and smarter, with enhanced security and increased energy efficiency. It has automotive, industrial, healthcare, mobile consumer, and cloud data centre customers.

http://www.maximintegrated.com

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Stereo vision system likely to drive 3D adoption

Thu, Oct 17, 2019

Manufacturers of consumer, computing and industrial products will be able to implement face recognition and other 3D sensing applications more easily and at lower cost, says ams, using the Active Stereo Vision system.

The Active Stereo Vision system combines new projectors, cameras and
software. It has been developed to boost the adoption of 3D in smart phones, home and building automation (HABA) and the IoT.

According to ams, the Active Stereo Vision (ASV) technology products address 3D sensing applications in the mobile segment, from smartphones to computing, smart homes and smart buildings.

3D depth maps are generated using the ASV technique, using twin infra red cameras that sense the target using the illumination from miniature laser projectors. The system includes the ams Belago, a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) illuminator which projects a semi-random, high-density dot-pattern on the target. There is also the ams PMSILPlus (VCSEL) flood projector, which features an enhanced wafer-level optical diffuser for uniform irradiance over the target plane, together with dual infra red cameras and ams software for generating a depth map image from the reflections captured by the cameras. There is also ams system calibration software and ams face-recognition software.

The components are used to produce a depth map of an object, such as a face, with high accuracy and precision, says ams. Compared to structured light solutions, it is more cost effective without compromising on depth map quality and resolution and supports easier assembly processes, continues the company.

The depth maps generated enables face recognition to meet payment-grade quality standards. This is an industry first, says ams. The maps can also be used in other 3D sensing applications such as augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) using simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM), driver monitoring in automotive systems, 3D scanning in smart factory production systems and eLock and point-of-sales systems.

The launch version of the ams ASV reference design is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform, optimised for mobile phones. Improvements to the Belago illumination module enable it to produce a randomised high-contrast dot pattern with full focus over the entire range that can be reliably captured by the infra red cameras. By integrating optical components at wafer level, ams has miniaturised the design while maintaining high optical quality. The Belago device, supplied in a 4.2mm x 3.6mm x 3.3mm package, can be integrated into space-constrained designs.

Both the Belago and PMSILPlus emitters incorporate an eye-safety interlock to shut down the device in the event of lens crack or lens detachment.

http://www.ams.com

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GaN-based FET supports lidar systems

Meter-level positioning technology enhances GNSS, claims u-blox

Battery monitor IC is ASIL-D-compliant

Stereo vision system likely to drive 3D adoption

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