Payment bracelets interpret gestures and use biometric data

Collaboration between Italian start-up, DEED and Infineon Technologies, is showcased at MWC21. The get bracelets interpret human gestures and use biometic data to pick up a call or make payments.

At the core of get is a system consisting of components from Infineon that enable the wearable with connectivity, computing, sensing and security capabilities. Infineon’s Secora Connect supports the payment functionality based on lowest power consumption to achieve longest battery life for the consumer. Infineon’s Xensiv MEMS technology provides high-fidelity voice recording during phone call. The PSoC 6 microcontroller family which uses a high performance dual-core M4/M0 architecture is paired with Infineon’s Airoc Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for secure, low power  connectivity.

According to Edoardo Parini, CEO and founder of DEED, the bracelet’s pioneering features include new and higher security standards, an ID acquisition method for contactless payment and there is no screen. “It is the perfect bridge between ‘you‘ and ‘your’ digital-self!” said Parini.

Patented techniques have been used to create a seamless, light and water resistant wearable wristband, made up of several layers, based around a rigid-flex PCB. The intuitive human machine interface (HMI) allows for natural operation because the wearer does not have to swipe on screens or touch any display. Motion sensors with artificial intelligence (AI), for gesture recognition allow it to interpret human gestures, for example, to pick up a call, to check the time or to make payments. Consumers can use it to listen to audio or answer calls by holding their finger to their ear by ‘wrist bone conduction’, sending the sound through the body to the inner ear. Contactless payments can be released after individual electrocardiogram-based biometric identification. The bracelet also allows fitness and health monitoring.

http://www.infineon.com

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Humidity sensors can extend industrial and automotive system lifetimes, says TI

The first devices in a family of humidity sensors from Texas Instruments are claimed to provide the industry’s highest reliability and accuracy and the lowest power consumption. The HDC3020 and HDC3020-Q1 have built-in protection for sensing elements to create more reliable industrial and automotive systems that withstand potential damage caused by moisture, reacting as needed to changing water vapour conditions over time.

From extending the life of produce during transport and storage, to keeping automotive cameras clear of fog, to controlling air quality and flow in buildings, the need for improved reliability and safer, more comfortable environments has increased the adoption of relative humidity (RH) sensors.

The HDC3020 and HDC3020-Q1 offer improved relative humidity measurement accuracy with reduced long-term error, when compared to existing RH sensors, says TI. They preserve data integrity under stress conditions and are claimed to be the industry’s first to provide integrated correction to adapt to drift caused by natural aging, environmental stress or interactions with contaminants.

The humidity sensors achieve lower drift in extreme conditions than competing devices, with less than 0.21 per cent RH accuracy drift per year and less than five per cent RH drift from temperature and humidity stress (tested up to 85 per cent RH and 85 degrees C). This sustained accuracy enables longer system lifetimes, eliminating the need to frequently replace or recalibrate the sensor.

When exposed to stress or contaminants, the sensors also provide a second line of defence, where even a small accuracy drift from the sensor’s time-zero specification can be removed using integrated drift correction technology.

The HDC3020 and HDC3020-Q1 are verified with a procedure traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology for the full supply voltage of 1.62 to 5.5V and the widest temperature and humidity range at ±1.5 per cent RH. This level of accuracy enables more precise control of a system, increasing efficiency by ensuring that the system only runs when necessary.

The sensors are available in several pin-to-pin compatible package cover options, such as removable polyimide tape and permanent IP67-rated filter covers. The covers provide ingress protection against dust and moisture for the devices during assembly and system lifetimes, and help maintain accuracy when the sensor is exposed to contaminants.

Low power consumption (nA) across the supply range from 1.62 to 5.5V enables low power operation while a system is actively running and when in sleep mode. An automatic measurement mode enables humidity sensing at regular intervals to capture data while the rest of the system sleeps to preserve system battery life in applications such as cold chain data loggers, wirelessly connected environmental sensors such as air-quality monitors, smart home or wireless sensor nodes in buildings or IP network cameras.

Preproduction versions of the HDC3020 and HDC3020-Q1 in eight-pin leadless plastic small outline packages are available exclusively from the TI website.  Additional devices with analogue output and packages with protective covers are expected to be available by the end of the year.

http://www.ti.com

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Infineon unveils in-cabin monitoring systems for safe vehicles and roads

Radar sensors and microcontrollers from Infineon enable short range automotive applications in in-cabin monitoring systems (ICMS) which is reshaping passenger safety, says Infineon.

The Xensiv 60GHz BGT60ATR24C AEC-Q100 radar sensors, Aurix microcontrollers and Optireg power management ICs (PMICs) contribute to ultra-wideband (UWB), low power and cost-performance scalable architecture for ICMS sub-systems. The devices support the use of new signal processing techniques which are robust but also balance computational costs, the degree of information as well as the power consumption of the system, claims Infineon.

The Xensiv BGT60ATR24C radar sensor is a cognitive sensing device with multiple transmit/receive for virtual array configurations. There is also an agile modulation generation mechanism, automatic power mode configurability and simplified interfaces between RF and the processing side.

The Aurix TC3xx MCU family integrates a fast radar signal processing unit and enhanced security with the second-generation of the hardware security module (HSM). This includes asymmetric cryptography accelerators and full EVITA support. (The EVITA project is an EU project to design, verify and prototype suitable architectures for secure automotive on-board networks.)

Infineon has partnered with bisening, a South Korean imaging radar technology start-up, and Caaresys, an Israeli start-up to accelerate the development cycle using Infineon’s 60GHz automotive portfolio.

For example, bitsensing’s 60GHz MOD620 is enabled by advanced signal processing techniques using Infineon’s chipset. The pairing “offers a new level of confidence in safety for the automotive industry that demands excellence, reliability and unmatched intelligence,” said Dr. Jae-Eun Lee, bitsensing’s CEO.

Partner Caaresy has used Infineon’s Xensiv 24GHz and 60HHz radar sensors and Aurix MCUs in its CabinCare and BabyCare radar-based systems. It uses algorithms and radar signal processing to create aesthetic and contactless vital sign monitoring in automotives, explained CEO, Ilya Sloushch.

http://www.infineon.com

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700V buck regulators have low power consumption for smart home sensing

700V buck regulators in the RAA2230XX family are claimed to deliver superior power consumption, noise and EMI suppression, as well as reduced overall system cost compared with competing alternatives. The devices can be used in a range of applications, including home appliances, sensing systems such as smoke alarms and gas sensors, white goods, power meters and industrial controls.

The RAA2230XX buck regulators consume only 10 to 30mW when idle, helping system designers meet standby power regulations. A switching algorithm minimises electromagnetic interference (EMI) and eliminates audible noise, such as ‘humming’ or ‘whining’, says Renesas. The regulators also can supply as low as 3.3V output, enabling designers to eliminate a second-stage low dropout regulator (LDO), saving bill of materials (BoM) cost and board space.

The buck regulators connect to the AC line to power Renesas MCUs, sensors and other digital ICs. Renesas has developed Winning Combinations, consisting of complementary analogue, power, timing devices and embedded processing, simplifying the design process. There is, for example the household smoke detector with a turnkey architecture for a residential smoke alarm, which is suitable for smart industrial control terminals.

The RAA2230XX buck regulators are available in TSOT23-5, SOIC-8 and SOIC-7 package options. They are pin-to-pin compatible with competitors’ products for easy replacement

The new 700V RAA2230XX buck regulators (2.0, 4.0 and 8.0W versions) are available today. Renesas also offers evaluations boards for different package and output combinations.

Renesas Electronics delivers embedded design with microcontrollers, analogue, power, and SoC products for a broad range of automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT applications.

http://www.renesas.com

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