ICs & Semiconductors

RSL10 Smart Shot Camera brings snappy automatic image recognition to IoT

Tue, Feb 09, 2021

The RSL10 Smart Shot Camera from ON Semiconductor combines cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) with ultra-low-power image capture and recognition, to enable a new generation of Internet of Things (IoT) endpoints such as surveillance cameras, restricted areas, factory automation, smart agriculture and smart homes. A companion smartphone application provides a user interface for the platform and acts as the gateway to cloud-based, AI-enabled object recognition services.

The platform brings together ON Semiconductor’s RSL10 SIP, which provides ultra-low-power Bluetooth low energy technology, and the ARX3A0 Mono 65 degree DFOV IAS module. The module is a compact prototype used for developing compact cameras with 360 fps mono imaging based on the ARX3A0 CMOS image sensor. Complemented by motion and environment sensors and power and battery management, these technologies are aimed at providing a complete solution that can be used to capture images autonomously and identify objects within them.

Using ON Semiconductor’s RSL10 Smart Shot Camera, developers can create an endpoint that automatically sends an image to the cloud for analysis when triggered by various elements including time or an environmental change, such as light or temperature. Equally, the camera platform can operate in low power mode while monitoring a specific part of its field of view, automatically taking an image when the scene’s contents change. The image is then sent to the cloud for processing, using AI to determine the contents of the image before taking the appropriate action.

The image data is transferred to the cloud through a gateway, connected over Bluetooth low energy, using the RSL10 SIP. The low power credentials of the components used in the platform mean it can operate for extended periods of time from a single primary or secondary cell. The triggers are configured using the companion app, also over Bluetooth low energy.

Typical applications may include adding smart cameras to wearable safety equipment such as hard hats, monitoring the contents of a shopping cart to support automated checkout, monitoring occupants in vehicles to provide early warning of any safety issues, and at home scanning the contents of cupboards to build shopping lists.

http://www.onsemi.com

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Photorelay targets industrial use with 40 to 100V control range

Tue, Feb 09, 2021

Toshiba Electronics Europe has added the TLP241B high-current photorelay to its optoelectronics portfolio. The 100V rated device comes in a compact DIP4 package and covers a wide control range. It is intended for use in industrial equipment, such as programmable logic controllers and I/O interfaces, as well as building automation systems such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

Toshiba says the TLP241B, which incorporates Toshiba’s U-MOS mosfets, is the first photorelay device to have an off-state output terminal voltage spanning from 40V to 100V which means it can replace larger scale electro-mechanical relays. A non-contact optical arrangement, rather than moving parts, helps to extend operational lifespan, reduce system complexity and provide a more rapid response.

The device has an on-state current rating of 2A (continuous) and 6A (pulsed). It also offers 5kV isolation capabilities, making them suitable for applications that require reinforced insulation, with an operating temperature range between -40 degrees C and 110 degrees C. Housed in a DIP4 package, gull wing options are available to aid surface mounting.

Toshiba Electronics Europe GmbH (TEE) is the European electronic components business of Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage Corporation (Toshiba). TEE offers European consumers and businesses a variety of hard disk drive products plus semiconductor solutions for automotive, industrial, Internet of Things, motion control, telecoms, networking, consumer and white goods applications.

Along with hard disk drive products, the company provides power semiconductors and other discrete devices ranging from diodes to logic ICs, optical semiconductors, as well as microcontrollers and application specific standard products.

http://www.toshiba.semicon-storage.com

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Low power TCXO accelerates development through customisation

Thu, Feb 04, 2021

MEMS timing specialist, SiTime, announces the SiT5008 temperature-compensated silicon MEMS oscillator (TCXO). It is intended for connected consumer and IoT devices such as internet-connected audio-video, over-the-top streaming devices, industrial smart meters, and other devices that use low power wireless connectivity.

The SiT5008 offers programmable features, high reliability, and environmental resilience in a small package.

It is also an example of SiTime’s rapid release strategy, where the company develops up to 15 product derivatives from a single base platform.

“Each derivative has customised features and solves unique timing problems for customers,” explained Piyush Sevalia, executive vice president of marketing of SiTime.

The small, low power SiT5008 MEMS TCXO delivers any frequency between 10 and 60MHz accurate to six decimals and exhibits ±2 ppm to ±10 ppm frequency stability.

The TCXO has an LVCMOS output and an operating temperature range of -40 to +85 degrees C. It has a low power consumption of 3.5mA typical at 1.8V and features a standby mode for longer battery life.

The SiT5008 MEMS TCXO is supplied in an industry-standard 2.5 x 2.0mm package and is 100 per cent pin-compatible with quartz devices.

It is also RoHS and REACH-compliant, Pb-free, halogen-free, and antimony-free.

The SiT5008 TCXO is available in production now.

SiTime is a market leader in silicon MEMS timing. Its programmable solutions offer a rich feature set that enables customers to differentiate their products with higher performance, smaller size, lower power, and better reliability. The company has shipped over two billion devices.

http://www.sitime.com

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PCIe board brings AI to the edge

Mon, Feb 01, 2021

Combining the Flex Logix InferX X1 edge inference accelerator chip with Winbond Electronics’ LPDDR4X DRAM, the former’s half-height, half-length PCIe embedded processor board is designed for demanding artificial intelligence (AI) applications, such as object recognition delivered via edge servers and gateways.

The Winbond LPDDR4X chip is paired with Flex Logix’s InferX X1 edge inference accelerator chip, which is based on an architecture that features arrays of reconfigurable Tensor processors. According to the company, this provides higher throughput and lower latency at lower cost than any other existing AI edge computing when processing complex neural networking algorithms such as YOLOv3 or Full Accuracy Winograd.

To support the InferX X1’s 7.5Terra operations per second (maximum) performance, the W66CQ2NQUAHJ 4Gbit LPDDR4X DRAM offers a maximum data rate of 4267Mbits per second at a maximum clock rate of 2133MHz. To enable use in battery-powered systems and other power-constrained applications, the W66 series device operates in active mode from 1.8V or 1.1V power rails, and from a 0.6V supply in quiescent mode. It offers power saving features including partial array self-refresh.

The 4Gbit W66CQ2NQUAHJ is comprised of two 2Gbit dies in a two-channel configuration. Each die is organised into eight internal banks which support concurrent operation.

Flex Logix’s half-height, half-length PCIe embedded processor board takes advantage of Flex Logix’s architecture which includes reconfigurable optimised data paths which reduce the traffic between the processor and DRAM, to increase throughput and reduce latency.

According to Robert Chang, technology executive of DRAM product marketing at Winbond:  “The price/performance advantage of using InferX with our LPDDR4X chip has the potential to significantly expand AI applications by finally bringing inference capabilities to the mass market.”

Dana McCarty, vice president of sales and marketing for Flex Logix’s AI inference products agreed: “The combination of the unique InferX X1 processor and Winbond’s high-bandwidth LPDDR4X chip sets a new benchmark in edge AI performance. Now for the first time, affordable edge computing systems can implement complex neural networking algorithms to achieve high accuracy in object detection and image recognition even when processing data-intensive high-definition video streams.”

https://flex-logix.com

http://www.winbond.com

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