ICs & Semiconductors

Infineon combines Airoc Wi-Fi / Bluetooth in Nvidia Jetson for edge AI

Mon, May 30, 2022

Airoc Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity provides Wi-Fi 6 / 6E and low power wi-Fi 5 connectivity to Nvidia’s Jetson system on modules (SoMs) for developers to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) -enabled edge devices.

AI at the edge devices require reliable and instant Wi-Fi cloud connectivity for lifecycle management functions like deploying AI models through over the air (OTA) updates.

“In congested network environments, AI devices often encounter disconnections or low-data throughput, leading to poor user experience, explained Infineon. The Airoc Wi-Fi family delivers low latency, robust connectivity and high data throughput streaming, said Sivaram Trikutam, vice president, Wi-Fi product line at Infineon. 

The Wi-Fi will be used for AI applications which require real time blending effects from live action to computer-generated images or videos, such as gaming and AR / VR (augmented reality / virtual reality) in industry applications. In these applications, high-throughput and low-latency wireless transmissions are critical and require simultaneous processing and streaming of data. Infineon said its Wi-Fi 6E solution, operating in the 6.0 to 7.0GHz band, minimises latency and prevents interruptions due to congested wireless networks. This is combined with the fast processing power of the Nvidia Jetson platform for AI-enabled devices in, for example, robotics, smart cities, healthcare, industrial, retail, energy and agriculture where processing in the cloud is blended with edge processing.

The Airoc CYW4373, CYW5459x and CYW5557x are available to design now. The Nvidia Jetson compute platform is claimed to be the leading AI at the edge compute platform with over one million developers. With pre-trained AI models, developer software development kits and support for cloud-native technologies across the full Jetson line up, intelligent machine manufacturers and AI developers can build and deploy software defined features on embedded and edge devices.

http://www.infineon.com

> Read More

Authenticator protects against counterfeiting with ECDSA and 1-Wire interface

Fri, May 27, 2022

To detect and protect products from counterfeiting or misuse, Analog Devices has introduced the DS28E30, a 1-Wire ECDSA secure authenticator. 

The authenticator combines a fixed-function cryptographic toolbox based on the industry standard FIPS 186 elliptic curve digital signature algorithm (ECDSA) with secure storage of keys and application data and the single-contact 1-Wire interface for minimal interconnect requirement. Authentication is based on challenge/response sequences. Analog Devices said that the authenticator is easy to integrate into new or existing designs.

The DS28E30 provides secure features to enable the use of limited life tools, sensors, and other peripherals. Features include a monotonic, non-resettable, decrement-only counter and 1kbit of general-purpose EEPROM. It can optionally be ECDSA protected to store application data including end-product life cycle information.

The DE28E30 has a wide operating range of 1.62 to 5.25V and a temperature range of  -40 to +85 degrees C.

The authenticator is supplied in a four-ball WLP with a 0.5mm pitch and measuring 1.2mm x 1.4mm. It is in full production and available now.

Analog Devices offers a suite of analogue and mixed signal, power management, radio frequency (RF), and digital and sensor technologies with more than 75,000 products in the industrial, communications, automotive, and consumer markets. ADI is headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts, USA.

http://www.analog.com

> Read More

Transmitter controller IC is Qi v1.3.2-certified for wireless charging

Thu, May 26, 2022

At Computex in Taipei, Taiwan this week, Infineon has introduced the WLC integrated and scalable wireless charging platform. 

The WLC1115 transmitter controller IC is the first product of the WLC family of controllers for inductive wireless charging. Infineon has also introduced an accompany Qi v1.3.2 certified MP A11 power transmitter reference design. The IC can be used for wireless charging in a variety of consumer devices, such as smartphones, smart speakers, docking stations and monitor stands, as well as industrial or healthcare accessories.

The WLC1115 transmitter controller IC and companion reference design for wireless charging can be used for a wide range of consumer and industrial applications that demand state-of-the-art Qi-standard compliance, explained Ajay Srikrishna, senior vice president and general manager of the Wired Connectivity Solutions product line at Infineon. “As inductive wireless charging standards evolve, our programmable solution will offer the flexibility to scale higher power levels and allow OEMs to materialise differentiated features while remaining Qi-compatible,” he added.

Infineon’s WLC1115 integrated, Qi-compliant, configurable 15W transmitter controller IC includes a USB-PD/PPS sink, DC/DC controller, gate drivers for DC/DC, a full-bridge inverter, sensing peripherals and configurable flash memory. It supports a wide input voltage range (4.5 to 24V), multi-path voltage- and current-based ASK (amplitude shift keying) demodulation. It also features an integrated, programmable, high-side current-sense amplifier and adaptive foreign object detection (FOD) via Q-factor, resonant frequency and power loss.Protection features for under-voltage lockout (UVLO), over-voltage protection (OVP), over-current protection (OCP) and over-temperature protection (OTP) are programmable.

The WLC1115-based Extended Power Profile (EPP) transmitter uses Optiga Trust Charge to meet the authentication requirements specified in the Qi v1.3.2 standard.

Infineon also provides software tools that support Qi v1.3.2 and proprietary charging protocols.

The Infineon WLC1115 transmitter controller IC is available now. 

Infineon is presenting at Computex (24 to 27 May 2022) in Taipei, Taiwan. Visit Infineon at Computex, Hall 1 – 412.

http://www.infineon.com

> Read More

Three-phase sensorless BLDC gate drivers cool data centres

Thu, May 26, 2022

Additions to Allegro Microsystems’ three-phase sensorless brushless DC (BLDC) gate drivers, the A89332 and A89332-1 improve thermal efficiency, reduce energy use and data centre costs, claims the company.

The A89332 and A89332-1 are designed for cooling systems in today’s data centres. The A89332 is available with integrated power loss brake while the A89332-1 has AC-loss features. Both drivers enable compact, high airflow fan designs, said Allegro Microsystems.

When server fans malfunction or break, backflow causes them to go into reverse rotation. Other fans have to work harder to compensate, which increases power consumption. Conventional solutions to prevent reverse rotation involve adding external circuitry and components to function as the power loss brake. The components however do not fit into 1U fans and require software coding. This approach also increases bill of material (BoM) costs and increases time to market, said Allegro.

Its solution is the A89332’s integrated power loss brake (PLB) function which applies a brake to fans that are not working properly and stops them from spinning. The result is braking performance that is four times better than discrete implementations. This eliminates unnecessary power consumption and increases thermal efficiency, said Allegro, ultimately reducing data centre costs. When combined with the A89332-1’s AC loss logic, the gate drivers in a 4.0 x 4.0mm QFN package are suitable for the high-end server market and in a form factor that is 36 per cent smaller than comparable options and “perfect for “donut” circuit boards” said the company.

Allegro said it offers the industry’s only code-free solutions for server cooling fans. Its embedded algorithms and graphical user interface (GUI) eliminate the need for an additional Hall-effect position sensor and motor control unit with no additional software development required. 

“The need to build data centres that operate more sustainably and consume less power is accelerating,” says Andy Wang, product line director for Motors (Industrial) at Allegro. “It’s not just about building low-maintenance ‘lights-out’ facilities; server and component designers are looking for new and novel ways to reduce heat and power consumption, and fans play a big role,” he continued.

The A89332 and A89332-1 offer developers improved control over their cooling systems for maximum efficiency, said Wang.

Both devices are available in a 26-contact 4.0 x 4.0mm QFN package with exposed thermal pad (suffix EX). The packages are lead (Pb) -free, with 100 per cent matt-tin leadframe plating

Allegro MicroSystems provides sensing and power technologies for green energy to advanced mobility and motion control systems. The company offers global engineering, manufacturing and support.

http://www.allegromicro.com

> Read More

About Smart Cities

This news story is brought to you by smartcitieselectronics.com, the specialist site dedicated to delivering information about what’s new in the Smart City Electronics industry, with daily news updates, new products and industry news. To stay up-to-date, register to receive our weekly newsletters and keep yourself informed on the latest technology news and new products from around the globe. Simply click this link to register here: Smart Cities Registration