ST’ new integrated wireless MCUs combine extra features and performance with power efficiency

ST has announced the next generation of its STM32 power-efficient short-range wireless microcontrollers (MCUs) that simplify connecting consumer and industrial devices to the IoT.

The new STM32WBA6 series is used in connected, smart devices like wearable healthcare and wellness monitors, animal collars, electronic locks, remote weather sensors, and more. Packing extra memory and digital system interfaces, while preserving energy efficiency the new MCUs can handle richer functionality in emerging new product designs.

The STM32WBA6 MCUs also embed SESIP3 and PSA Level3 certifiable security assets, such as cryptographic accelerators, TrustZone isolation, random generator, and product lifecycle that will contribute and enable ST customers to reach compliancy towards the upcoming RED and CRA regulations.

“Robust and standardised wireless connectivity is central to the IoT’s success. Our new STM32WBA6 MCUs bring richer features and larger memory to address high-end applications in smart home, health, factory, and agriculture,” said Patrick Aidoune, General-Purpose MCU Division General Manager, STMicroelectronics. “Our customers can now increase the pace of development to meet demands from consumer and industrial markets for new products that deliver more features and increased capabilities within reduced size and power constraints.”

The wireless subsystem in the new STM32WBA6 microcontrollers supports Bluetooth, Zigbee, Thread, Matter, and other protocols operating in the 2.4GHz frequency band, and allows communication using multiple protocols concurrently. It’s how a system like a smart-home bridge can communicate with the homeowner’s mobile app over Bluetooth and simultaneously manage lights or thermostats through mesh networking such as Zigbee. The STM32WBA6 series also contains single-protocol variants for simpler and more cost-conscious applications.

https://www.st.com

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u-blox introduces PointPerfect Live bringing network RTK to high-precision GNSS applications

u-blox has announced the launch of PointPerfect Live, a next-generation network RTK correction service designed to provide centimetre-level positioning. With instant access to high-precision corrections, customers in surveying, construction, mining, and agriculture can maximize productivity, reduce costly errors, and streamline workflows.

PointPerfect Live builds upon the capabilities of the u-blox PointPerfect service, delivering real-time positioning capabilities in the centimetre-level range, which are crucial for high-value market segments such as surveying, construction, mining and agriculture.

PointPerfect Live is designed to address the growing demand for GNSS correction services that achieve the highest precision within seconds, thereby enhancing productivity. Built upon proven RTK technology, it ensures real-time accuracy within 1-2 centimetres, even in challenging environments. The solution leverages a dense network of reference stations to provide seamless corrections in local data formats, eliminating the need for complex transformations and reducing operational overhead.

“The launch of PointPerfect Live marks a major milestone in our mission to deliver best-in-class positioning solutions,” said, Franco de Lorenzo Head of Product at u-blox’s Services business unit, “The extension of the PointPerfect line of correction services enables our customers to work faster, reduce errors, and optimise their workflows across industries that rely on high-precision GNSS — from surveying and construction to mining and agriculture.”

https://www.u-blox.com

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Infineon announces PSOC 4 Multi-Sense expanding capacitive sensing technology

Infineon has  expanded its capacitive sensing technology CAPSENSE with a new, proprietary inductive sensing technology, as well as a non-invasive and non-contact liquid sensing solution. With PSOC 4, developers now have endless possibilities to develop new HMI and sensing solutions. From sleek metallic product designs with touch on metal buttons, to waterproof touch buttons, and innovative ways of sensing liquids, PSOC 4 Multi-Sense unlocks new possibilities of sensing.

Infineon’s PSOC 4000T is the first device to feature the company’s fifth-generation CAPSENSE and Multi-Sense. The supported sensing technologies can be combined in a single PSOC 4 MCU to optimise performance (e.g., combination of capacitive and inductive sensing), enable new use cases (e.g., underwater inductive sensing buttons) or realize cost savings (e.g., system control plus liquid sensing). In addition, Infineon’s fifth generation CAPSENSE with “Always On” technology enables sensing at 10x lower power consumption and offers a 10x higher signal-to-noise ratio than previous devices.

Infineon’s new Multi-Sense capabilities in the PSOC 4 family include:

Inductive sensing – Based on a new and proprietary methodology which is less sensitive to noise and more robust than current state of the art approaches that suffer from external noise as well as manufacturability concerns. Infineon’s inductive sensing technology enables new HMI use cases, such as touch-over-metal, force touch surfaces and proximity sensing. It is highly complementary to capacitive sensing and enables modern, metal-based and waterproof designs with sleek form factors such as metal touch buttons on refrigerators or robust HMI for underwater devices such as cameras and wearables.

Liquid sensing – Non-invasive and non-contact liquid sensing capability with AI/ML based processing algorithm in PSOC 4 enables more cost-effective and accurate sensing than mechanical sensors and typical capacitive solutions. It is resistant to environmental factors such as temperature and humidity and can detect liquid levels with up to 10-bit resolution in various shapes of containers. The solution offers even more features that other liquid sensors cannot solve such as foam rejection, residue rejection and reliably work with varying air gaps between sensor and container. Liquid sensing on PSOC 4 brings more intelligence to applications managing liquids such as robot vacuum cleaner, soap dispensing in washing machine, coffee machines, humidifiers, etc.

CAPSENSE hover touch – Hover touch sensing supports new use cases where a direct touch of a button is not required. Hover touch can eliminate multiple components in certain applications such as springs and gaskets in cooktop touch panels. By bridging the airgap with hover touch, customers achieve significant bill-of-material (BOM) savings, while realising increased system performance, reduced design complexity, and faster time-to-market.

Infineon’s PSOC 4000T with fifth-generation CAPSENSE and new Multi-Sense capability is available now. A second device, the new PSOC 4100T Plus with higher memory and more I/Os, will be Multi-Sense-enabled in the second quarter of 2025, and all subsequent PSOC devices with CAPSENSE will incorporate this technology. The new PSOC 4000T series provides an upgrade path for PSOC 4000, PSOC 4000S and PSOC T 4700S based designs to fifth-generation HMI technology with software and package compatibility.

https://www.infineon.com/multi-sense

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ST releases innovative satellite navigation receiver to democratise precise positioning

ST has introduced the Teseo VI family of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers aimed at high-volume precise positioning use cases. For the automotive industry, Teseo VI chips and modules will be core building blocks of advanced driving systems (ADAS), smart in-vehicle systems, and safety-critical applications such as autonomous driving. They have also been designed to improve positioning capabilities in multiple industrial applications including asset trackers, mobile robots for home deliveries, managing machinery and crop monitoring in smart agriculture, timing systems such as base stations, and many more.

“Our new Teseo VI receivers represent a real breakthrough among positioning engines for several reasons: they are the first to integrate multi-constellation and quad-band signal processing in a single die; they are the first to embed a dual-Arm®-core architecture enabling both very high performance and ASIL-level safety for assisted and autonomous driving applications. Last but not least, they embed ST’s proprietary embedded Non-Volatile-Memory (PCM), thus delivering a very integrated, cost-effective, and reliable platform for new precise-positioning solutions,” said Luca Celant, Digital Audio and Signal Solutions General Manager, STMicroelectronics. “ST’s new satellite-navigation receivers will support exciting, advanced capabilities in automotive ADAS applications and enable many new use cases being implemented by industrial companies.”

Teseo VI is the first in the market to integrate all the necessary system elements for centimetre accuracy into one die, supporting simultaneous multi-constellation and quad-band operations. This innovation simplifies the development of end-user navigation and positioning products, enhances reliability even in challenging conditions like urban canyons, and reduces bill-of-materials costs. Additionally, the single chip accelerates time to market and allows for compact and lightweight form factors.

The new Teseo VI family of precise positioning receiver chips leverages decades of experience and integrates multiple ST proprietary technologies, including precise positioning and advanced embedded memory.

ST’s new GNSS device family includes the Teseo VI STA8600A and Teseo VI+, STA8610A, each with dual independent Arm® Cortex®-M7 processing cores for local control of all the IC’s (integrated circuit) functions. The Cortex-M7 brings powerful 32-bit processing and helps enable concurrent multi-constellation and multi-band operation on a single die.

Teseo VI+ can also host various enhanced positioning engines, developed independently by third ST Authorised Partner companies, to provide complete real-time kinematics for centimetre position accuracy.

Completing the family, the Teseo APP2 STA9200MA operates dual cores in lockstep, providing hardware redundancy for applications such as road vehicle guidance meeting ISO 26262 ASIL-B functional safety. Pin-compatibility between Teseo APP2 and other Teseo VI ICs simplifies PCB design for companies producing ASIL-certified and non-ASIL applications.

All variants feature ST’s innovative RF architecture and GNSS baseband design provides quad-band GNSS support (L1, L2, L5 and E6) with the unique ability to acquire and track only L5. This is highly effective in reducing outliers and increasing robustness in difficult conditions such as urban canyons and in the presence of jammers.

In addition, the proprietary phase-change memory (PCM) technology removes external memory needs, thereby minimising the system bill of materials (BOM) and simplifying the manufacturing supply chain. Proprietary PCM is robust to withstand challenging environments such as automotive, non-volatile like Flash, and has a small cell architecture suited to space-efficient on-chip integration.

The ICs all contain a full set of hardware cyber security features including secure boot, over-the-air firmware update, and output-data protection. In addition, ST’s hardware security module (HSM) provides robust protection against online hacking. The devices comply with the latest UNECE R155 and ISO 21434 specifications that mandate cybersecurity by design.

The Teseo VI product family is supported by an established ecosystem of suppliers and partners for algorithms, reference designs, and compatible complementary hardware.

The Teseo VI product family includes also two new GNSS automotive modules: the Teseo-VIC6A in a 16mm x 12mm form factor (embedding Teseo VI), and the Teseo-ELE6A in a 17mm x 22mm form factor (embedding Teseo VI+). These new modules simplify the integration of Teseo VI/VI+ ICs on the customer platform and ensure optimum performance.

https://www.st.com/teseo6

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