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Microchip introduces MPLAB TÜV SÜD-certified tools

Thu, Jan 16, 2020

Functional safety certifications can be time-consuming and expensive, so Microchip has announced TÜV SÜD certification of its MPLAB XC compilers for functional safety. The tools significantly simplify the functional safety qualification process for Microchip’s PIC, AVR and SAM microcontrollers and dsPIC Digital Signal Controllers (DSCs), claims the company.

To further simplify testing and diagnostics, Microchip also introduced MPLAB Code Coverage license, which determines parts of software that have or have not been executed with minimal impact to the application.

The MPLAB XC functional compilers certified by TÜV SÜD contribute to satisfying the verification and validation requirements specified in the ISO 26262 standard for automotive safety, IEC 61508 for industrial applications, IEC 62304 for medical software and IEC60730 for automatic electric controls. The MPLAB XC Compilers for Functional Safety will be packaged with additional documentation for qualification of the MPLAB X integrated development environment (IDE) and MPLAB debuggers and programmers. With no annual renewal fees, the licenses are the lowest-cost solution on the market. Using Microchip’s microcontrollers with the functional safety licenses will reduce application costs and time to market, the company advises.

Ensuring high test coverage of embedded software using code coverage tools often requires a large amount of hardware modification, expensive software and significant effort searching large data files for pertinent information. MPLAB Code Coverage has less than one per cent impact to test time. Through a patented process, code can be tested in a single pass without breaking the code into blocks. This saves time and eliminates sifting through large data files.

In addition to offering development tools that make it easier, faster and more affordable to comply to functional safety standards, Microchip also offers many PIC, AVR, dsPIC and SAM microcontrollers that are functional safety-ready. For all functional safety ready microcontrollers, Microchip provides Failure Mode Effect and Diagnostics Analysis (FMEDA) reports and safety manuals targeting ISO 26262 up to ASIL-B safety levels, with some products achieving ASIL-D.

MPLAB X IDE version 5.25 is available for free on Microchip’s website. The MPLAB Code Coverage workstation license and MPLAB XC8, XC16 and XC32++ functional safety workstation licenses are available today.

http://www.microchip.com

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Demonstration board drives eGaN FETs for ToF and lidar systems

Mon, Jan 13, 2020

Using fast transition eGaN FETs from Efficient Power Conversion (EPC), the EPC9144 is a 15V, 28A high current pulsed laser diode driver demonstration board.

It is designed to illustrate the use of eGaN FET technology in developing systems that enhance the accuracy, precision, and processing speed of time of flight (ToF) and flash lidar systems.

Reliable ToF systems rely on the speed and accuracy of object detection. EPC says that the EPC9144 board demonstrates the rapid transition capability of the company’s AEC Q101-qualified EPC2216 eGaN FETs to provide power pulses to drive laser diodes, vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSELs) or LEDs up to 10 times faster than an equivalent MOSFET, in a small fraction of the area, energy, and cost.

eGaN FETs and ICs provide the high current pulses, extremely narrow pulse widths, and small size that make affordable, high performance lidar possible, EPC maintains. The short pulse width leads to higher resolution while the small size and low cost make eGaN FETs particularly well suited to ToF applications in a range of applications from automotive to industrial, healthcare to smart advertising, gaming, and security.

The EPC9144 ships with an interposer board. This is a collection of break-away 5.0 x 5.0mm square interposer PCBs with footprints to accommodate different lasers, RF connectors and other footprints designed to allow engineers to experiment with different loads in development projects. The use of the interposers allows many different lasers or other loads to be mounted, allowing users to test the performance with the load requirements that are appropriate to their application, adds EPC.

GaN can be used in autonomous vehicles and other ToF applications, advises the company, such as facial recognition, warehouse automation, drones and topological mapping. The EPC9144 can also be used for applications requiring a ground-referenced eGaN FET, for example, in class E or similar circuits.

http://www.epc-co.com

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Flexible tags communicate with standard touchscreens

Fri, Dec 20, 2019

Research hub, imec, with TNO, and Cartamundi have developed a flexible capacitive identification tag that communicates with standard touchscreens. The C-touch tags can be integrated in a range of paper and plastic based objects such as tickets, certified documents and payment cards. Connection to the internet is established simply by placing the tagged object on the touchscreen or vice-versa.

C-touch tags are thin and flexible chips that have a unique identifier which can communicate via any touchscreen. Smart cards or other objects with embedded C-touch tags can securely interact with mobile phones used worldwide, as well as with the large number of touchscreens integrated in cars, booths, walls, coffee machines and everyday objects, says imec.

No additional hardware and major reconfigurations or additional costs for the users are incurred, confirms imec. The tags offer security thanks to the very short communication range and have the potential to be produced at low cost thanks to the monolithically integrated antenna. Compared to existing RFID technologies such as NFC, the C-touch tag does not require an external antenna. The tiny antenna is part of the chip, making the tag much smaller than current NFC tags. The small size enables C-touch tags to be integrated in all use cases where interaction via touchscreens is feasible, but RFID/NFC tags are either too large or too expensive or where contactless reading is a disadvantage; this can range from board games to providing higher security in payment cards, or to replace difficult to service and manage hardware readers and access control points with easy to service and update apps on standard mobile devices.

The C-touch tag is based on thin-film transistor technology and is powered by a thin-film battery or a thin-film photovoltaic cell that converts light from the touchscreen. The 12-bit thin-film capacitive identification tag achieves up to 36bits per second data transfer rates at 0.6V supply voltage, which is compatible with commercially available touchscreen devices without requiring modifications. The flexible thin-film integrated circuit has a 0.8cm² on-chip monolithic antenna and dissipates only 38nW of power at 600mV supply voltage.

http://www.imec.be

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SYSGO and STMicroelectronics demonstrate secure telematics

Thu, Dec 19, 2019

Real-time operating system (RTOS) for certifiable embedded systems company, SYSGO has jointly developed the Automotive Secure Gateway, based on STMicroelectronics’ Telemaco3P SoC.

The Telemaco3P SoC is an automotive processor for secure telematics and connectivity, which is combined with SYSGO`s PikeOS hypervisor-based RTOS, which brings avionics-grade safety and security to the automotive market, says the company.

The Telemaco3P platform ensures a secure connection between the vehicle and the cloud. Its asymmetric multi-core architecture is built upon powerful application processors as well as an independent controlled area network (CAN) control sub-system with optimised power management. Its ISO 26262 silicon design, embedded hardware security module and automotive-grade qualification up to +105 degrees C ambient temperature enable it to be used in a range of secure telematics applications supporting high-throughput wireless connectivity and over-the-air (OTA) firmware upgrades.

PikeOS extends the concept of secure telematics by encapsulating all communications channels and all applications in individual partitions, using a positive-security concept. This means that individual partitions cannot communicate with each other unless explicitly allowed and configured by the developer. The strict separation on the kernel level ensures that any malfunction or malicious attack will not impact the software running in partitions other than the one originally affected. PikeOS is currently the only RTOS/hypervisor certified to Common Criteria (EAL 3+). It has been used in a range of critical safety and security applications in the avionics, railway, and automotive industries.

The Automotive Secure Gateway implements a comprehensive security concept including a virtualised firewall, an intrusion detection system (IDS), fast and secure boot capabilities and a secure OTA update process. It supports secure cloud communications via LTE, as well as secured Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet and CAN connectivity within the car.

At CES 2020, ST and SYSGO will demonstrate how the Automotive Secure Gateway can detect and effectively mitigate OTA attacks. Demos will take place at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, in the Automotive Grade Linux showcase in the Smart City exhibition (Westgate Booth 1815) and in SYSGO’s hospitality suite in the Westgate Hotel (floor 18, suite 1830).

https://www.st.com

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Microchip introduces MPLAB TÜV SÜD-certified tools

Demonstration board drives eGaN FETs for ToF and lidar systems

Flexible tags communicate with standard touchscreens

SYSGO and STMicroelectronics demonstrate secure telematics

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