Embedded Archives - Page 64 of 94 - SmartCitiesElectronics.com

Bridgetek’s evaluation hardware uses EVE technology for HMI prototypes

Fri, Mar 19, 2021

To assist with the initial development and prototyping of human machine interfaces (HMIs) based on Bridgetek’s object-oriented graphic controller ICs, the ME817EV evaluation board features Bridgetek’s BT817 embedded video engine (EVE) device. It allows engineers to experiment with the latest generation of EVE technology and its capabilities. The BT817 supports higher resolutions and large format displays to develop HMIs with broad functionality, offering greater visual clarity and enhanced video playback capabilities.

Measuring 165 x 100mm, the ME817EV has all the necessary attributes for undertaking development work relating to the graphics, audio and touch elements of the HMI. As well as audio amplification and multi-stage audio filtering features, an LED driver can be used to adjust the display backlighting. The evaluation board also includes a touch controller that supports five simultaneous touch points, with 16Mbytes of on-board flash memory resource for storing unicode fonts and image libraries.

The ME817EV can interface with large scale, high resolution display modules. For 1280 x 800 pixel displays it can connect through a 40-pin LVDS interface. A 50-pin RGB interface can be used for 1024 x 600 pixel displays. Capacitive touchscreens may be connected using a six- or 10-pin FPC connector. The board can be powered via a 5.0V supply using the SPI host connector, or via the USB Type-C port.

Fred Dart, founder and CEO of Bridgetek explains the company’s thinking behind this latest introduction: “It is clear that there is a real need for a more streamlined approach to larger format HMI construction. By providing this evaluation platform, we are making the whole project development process a lot quicker and easier for engineers to complete, with much better end results being derived too”.

Founded in 2016, Bridgetek supplies highly advanced ICs and board level products to meet the demands of a constantly evolving global technology landscape. The company’s Embedded Video Engine (EVE) graphic controller ICs each integrate display, audio and touch functionality onto a single chip. The EVE graphic controller ICs are complemented by its highly-differentiated, speed-optimised microcontrollers with augmented connectivity features.

http://www.brtchip.com

> Read More

Advantech packs features into COMe Mini Type 10 module

Thu, Mar 11, 2021

Despite being the size of a business card, Advantech’s COMe Mini Type 10 module is populated with Intel’s 11th generation Core processors.

In addition to the Intel Core i7 processors, the SOM-7583 features on-board LPDDR4 memory and NVMe SSD. It supports multiple I/O and displays, including 2.5GbE LAN supporting time sensitive networking (TSN), a PCIe Gen 3 x4, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbits per second), two SATA Gen3, and two independent 4k displays. The platform has AI Acceleration with Intel Deep Learning Boost engine, vector neural network instructions (VNNI), which can improve the efficiency and increase the inference performance dramatically, says Advantech.

Based on demand, Advantech says it will offer Edge AI Suite software, the Intel OpenVINO toolkit.

The SOM-7583 is suitable for powerful computing applications in aerospace, defence, industrial control and transportation.

The SOM-7583 yields 40 per cent higher CPU performance, 60 per cent better graphics and five times AI performance than the previous generation module. It integrates with LPDDR4X 4266Mt/s IBECC RAM, up to 16Gbyte and on-board NVMe SSD which achieves a 10 times increase in the sequential reading and writing speed compared with eMMC 5.1.

The fanless thermal module is designed to dissipate heat and keep the system running under thermal design power (TDP) 15W at 60 degrees C ambient temperature.

The thermal module has a height at only 27mm and comes with a copper block for direct contact with the CPU. It then transfers the heat to the ambient via heat pipes soldered with stacked fins.

The SOM-7583 features USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10GT per second) and PCIe Gen 3 (8.0GT per second), both of which are considerably faster than the previous COMe mini solutions, reports Advantech. It is designed to enable low-latency networking performance in factory automation applications via 2.5GbE LAN with TSN. This improves the precision of data synchronisation over the network, and minimises jitter to reduce latency during real time device communication. Similarly, the SOM-7583 enables USB4 compliance via its carrier board design. A reference design is available to help partners integrate USB-C to the carrier board for portable devices, test equipment, and defence applications.

The SOM-7583 provides multi-layer security via BIOS secure boot and Intel’s FW TPM to protect user’s data. Advantech also offers a free trial of WISE-DeviceOn to facilitate SSD health, memory loading, CPU temperature, and measurement monitoring via an optimised user interface. The combination of WISE-DeviceOn OTA (over-the-air) and WOL (wake-on-LAN) enables customers to remotely schedule BIOS and software updates for factory capacity optimisation. Customised software bundling with on-board NVMe SSD enables fast data formatting which removes confidential information from internal storage to meet military and aerospace requirements.

The SOM-7583 is rugged, anti-vibration board which supports a wide range power input of 8.5 to 20V and extended temperature range of -40 to +85 degrees C.

http://www.advantech.eu

> Read More

Software upgrade meet industry 4.0 with open platform communications

Thu, Mar 04, 2021

The latest version of Belden’s Hirschmann Operating System (HiOS) enables open platform communications for factory automation.

The software has an embedded Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC UA) server and provides a seamless, brand-agnostic solution as industrial automation moves towards industry 4.0. Belden says it is the only manufacturer to offer switches that can natively run this communication protocol.

Universal communication capability allows customers to reap the benefits of a more tightly integrated network within the factory automation system, including openness, interoperability and scalability. OPC is the de-facto communications standard for industry 4.0; it provides a communication bridge between all levels of the automation architecture, from embedded components on the factory floor to the enterprise.

“Industrial communication is extremely fragmented with various manufacturers or user groups promoting proprietary solutions,” said Mark Cooksley, product line manager at Belden. “We’ve embedded OPC UA directly into our HiOS software to promote interoperability between manufacturers. Now, our hardware speaks a common communication language and can be managed directly within existing industrial applications,” he explained.

The upgraded HiOS software is industry 4.0-ready, providing a future-proof system that ensures existing products will continue to support future technologies. It also offers seamless integration into existing OPC UA-based applications. It is also less complex and provides higher network availability as there is no requirement for Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to OPC gateways.

HiOS is suited to any industrial setting that requires immediate, reliable communication between devices, especially for machine-to-machine (MM) communication and motion control applications. Comprehensive security features also make it ideal for high-risk industries, such as power transmission and distribution, oil and gas, general manufacturing, automotive, transportation and mass transit, rail-rolling stock, and aerospace markets.

Belden offers a portfolio of interoperable products for seamless, secure and future-proof solutions that address the challenges of its industrial customers.

https://www.belden.com

> Read More

SMARC 2.1 industrial modules employ NXP i.MX 8M Plus processors

Wed, Mar 03, 2021

At Embedded World 2021 digital, congatec unveiled its latest SMARC 2.1 modules based on the NXP i.MX 8M Plus processor. The conga-SMX8-Plus modules feature four quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 based NXP i.MX 8M Plus processors and are intended for low power, embedded vision and artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

The low power SMARC 2.1 Computer-on-Modules have machine and deep learning capabilities, which allow industrial embedded systems to see and analyse their surroundings for situational awareness, visual inspection, identification, surveillance and tracking as well as gesture-based contactless machine operation and augmented reality.

The Arm Cortex-A53 based quad-core processor platform includes an integrated neural processing unit (NPU) for AI computational power and an image signal processor (ISP) for parallel real-time processing of high resolution images and video streams from the two integrated MIPI-CSI camera interfaces.

The ecosystem includes application-ready 3.5-inch carrier boards, Basler camera and AI software stack support. The credit card sized modules are intended for use in smart farming and industrial manufacturing, retail, as well as transportation, smart cities and smart buildings.

The i.MX 8M Plus processor-based SMARC modules enable responsive embedded vision and AI applications with a low power envelope. The neural processing unit (NPU) adds 2.3Toperations per second of dedicated AI computational power to the four multi-purpose Arm Cortex-A53 processor cores.

The integrated ISP processes full HD video streams with up to 3x 60 frames per second for video enhancement. There is also a DSP for local speech recognition without any cloud connection.

The module’s Cortex-M7 real-time control together with a time synchronised networking capable Ethernet port.

In addition to the encryption module (CAAM) for hardware-accelerated ECC and RSA encryption, the Arm TrustZone also integrates the resource domain controller (RDC) for isolated execution of critical software. The secure high assurance boot mode prevents the execution of unauthorised software during boot.

The SMARC 2.1 modules operate at the industrial (0°C to +60°C) or extended (-40°C to +85°C) temperature ranges. They also have in-line ECC for up to 6Gbyte LPDDR4 memory.

The modules can drive up to three independent displays and provide hardware accelerated video decoding and encoding including H.265 for high resolution camera streams delivered by two integrated MIPI-CSIs to be sent directly to the network.

For data storage, there is up to 128Gbyte eMMC, which can also operate in safe pSLC mode. Peripheral interfaces include one PCIe Gen 3, two USB 3.0, three USB 2.0, four UART as well as two CAN FD and 14 GPIO.

For real-time networking, the module offers 1x Gbit with time sensitive networking (TSN) support plus conventional GbE.

An optional M.2 WiFi and Bluetooth LE card adds wireless connectivity. Linux, Yocto 2.0 and Android operating systems are supported.

https://www.congatec.com

> Read More

Bridgetek’s evaluation hardware uses EVE technology for HMI prototypes

Advantech packs features into COMe Mini Type 10 module

Software upgrade meet industry 4.0 with open platform communications

SMARC 2.1 industrial modules employ NXP i.MX 8M Plus processors

About Smart Cities