ICs & Semiconductors

SiP integrates cellular and GNSS technology

Wed, Jan 27, 2021

Swiss positioning and wireless communication specialist, u-blox, has integrated low power wide area (LPWA) connectivity and a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) technology into a small system in package (SiP) form factor. The Alex-R5 is a miniature cellular module designed for size-constrained asset tracking, wearable and healthcare applications.

It features the secure u-blox UBX-R5 LTE-M / NB-IoT chipset with Secure Cloud functionality and the u-blox M8 GNSS chip for location accuracy.

Alex-R5 has a small footprint of 14 x 14mm footprint. The SiP design reduces its size by half, compared to the functionally equivalent u-blox SARA-R5 module.

Its 23dBm cellular transmission power guarantees that end devices operate effectively in all signal conditions, even at cell edges, underground, or in other challenging scenarios. A dedicated GNSS antenna interface enables fully independent, simultaneous operation of the u-blox M8 GNSS chip, matching the performance of a stand-alone u-blox M8 module. To further enhance positioning, there is the u-blox IoT Location-as-a-Service with CellLocate and AssistNow (online, offline, and autonomous).

Alex-R5 is optimised for power-sensitive and battery-dependent applications, says u-blox, including wearables and connected medical devices. The lower power modes of the u-blox UBX-R5 and UBX-M8 chipsets give users options to balance power consumption and performance using GNSS Super-E mode.

The rugged SiP construction is suitable for harsh environments, where moisture or vibration would be a concern for conventional modules, says u-blox. Alex-R5 is rated at moisture sensitivity level 3 (MSL 3), offering reduced handling and device production complexity.

u-blox guarantees long-term device availability and provides lifetime support for the entire platform, down to the chipset level. Secure Cloud functionality supporting IoT-Security-as-a-Service based on an internal, hardware-based secure element enables a pre-shared key management system specifically designed for LPWA devices.

In addition, Alex-R5 futureproofs IoT devices and networks by enabling customers to software upgrade deployed devices for compatibility with 5G networks in a seamless transition as 5G networks are rolled out by mobile operators.

Engineering samples of the Alex-R5 SiP will be available by Q1, 2021.

http://www.u-blox.com

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STMicroelectronics simplifies portable GNSS receiver design

Fri, Jan 22, 2021

Claimed to simplify design and save real estate in global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers, the BPF8089-01SC6 RF is an integrated impedance-matching and protection IC from STMicroelectronics.

Integrating the impedance-matching and electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuitry, typically implemented using discrete components, results in a much smaller footprint, says STMicroelectronics.

The BPF8089-01SC6 provides a 50 Ohm matched interface between the receiver’s antenna and low noise amplifier (LNA), and is ready to use with ST’s STA8089 and STA8090 LNAs. The compact, integrated device typically replaces a matching network containing up to five capacitors, resistors, and inductors, as well as two discrete protection devices. Designers can also leverage PCB-track specifications provided in the device datasheet for optimal performance.

The ESD protection provided complies with IEC 61000-4-2 (C = 150pF, R = 330Ω) and exceeds level 4: 8kV for contact discharge and 15kV for air discharge. The device also withstands 2kV pulse voltage in accordance with MIL STD 883C (C = 100pF, R = 1.5 kOhm).

The BPF8089-01SC6 is suitable for use in portable satellite receivers for GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, and QZSS constellations, which may be used in a number of applications including consumer satellite navigation, radio base stations, drones, and tracking of assets or livestock.

The IC is part of ST’s ASIP (Application Specific Integrated Passives) product range. It is housed in a SOT23-6L package that is compatible with automatic optical inspection. It is in production now.

http://www.st.com

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Renesas boosts AI with Arm Cortex-A55 on RZ/G2L microprocessors

Wed, Jan 20, 2021

Renesas has announced the expansion of its RZ/G2 general-purpose 64-bit microprocessors, with improved artificial intelligence (AI) processing.

The company has added three entry level microprocessor models built around the Arm Cortex-A55 core. The RZ/G2L, RZ/G2LC, and RZ/G2UL join the mid- to high-end RZ/G2E, RZ/G2N, RZ/G2M, and RZ/G2H microprocessors. Renesas adds that the seven RZ/G2 microprocessors provide scalability from entry-level to high-end design.

The RZ/G2Lx microprocessors’ Arm Cortex-A55 CPU core delivers approximately 20 per cent improved processing performance compared with the previous Cortex-A53 core. It also provides approximately six times faster essential processing for AI applications, says the company.

The latest microprocessors integrate camera input interfaces, a 3D graphics engine, and a video codec, for human machine interface (HMI) applications, such as multimedia processing, graphical user interface (GUI) rendering and AI image processing. The microprocessors also feature the Cortex-M33 core, to perform real-time processing for tasks such as sensor data collection without the need for external microcontrollers.

Hiroto Nitta, senior vice president and head of SoC Business, IoT and Infrastructure business unit at Renesas, explained that, with the entry-level products, Renesas is accelerating adoption of the Linux OS on high-performance microprocessors, for innovation to improve performance and enhance functionality in HMI devices, while driving down the overall cost.

“With AI transforming our daily lives, greater on-device compute capabilities are required to provide real-time insights for billions of IoT endpoints,” said Dipti Vachani, senior vice president and general manager, of Automotive and IoT at Arm. “By incorporating Arm technology in its latest 64-bit microprocessors, Renesas is accelerating the adoption of endpoint AI by enabling higher-performance IoT devices capable of processing more intelligence on the device,” he added.

The new entry-level RZ/G2L microprocessors feature error checking and correction (ECC) protection for both on-chip memory and external DDR memory. There is also a Verified Linux Package (VLP) featuring a Civil Infrastructure Platform (CIP) Linux – an industrial-grade Linux offering guaranteed support and security maintenance for more than 10 years. This makes it possible to reduce future maintenance costs, says Renesas. Additionally, support for security functions means that customers can also confidently adopt the RZ/G2L microprocessors for industrial applications requiring high reliability and extended service life, making it possible to bring products to market quicker.

For cases where more sophisticated AI functionality may be required, Renesas plans to enhance the functions and performance of the RZ/G2L microprocessors with its DRP-AI, AI accelerator.

Samples of the new microprocessors MPUs are shipping today, with mass production scheduled to commence sequentially beginning in August 2021.

An evaluation board can be reserved to get an early start evaluating applications for RZ/G2L microprocessors. Reference designs (circuit diagrams and board layout data) are available now.

Renesas is currently developing power management IC (PMIC) products optimised for the RZ/G2L Group. These are scheduled for release later this year.

 http://www.renesas.com

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ON Semiconductor integrates Quuppa’s locating tech in BLE SoC

Wed, Jan 20, 2021

Quuppa Intelligent Locating System is integrated in ON Semiconductor’s RSL10, flash-based Bluetooth Low Energy radio SoC. The Intelligent Locating System is in a user-friendly CMSIS-Pack format, to allow manufacturers to design low power indoor asset tracking applications with direction finding features and advanced angle of arrival (AoA) technology.

The Quuppa Intelligent Locating System is a technology platform for location-based services and applications. Its direction finding methodology and positioning algorithms enable real time tracking of tags and devices, with centimetre level accuracy even in challenging environments, says ON Semiconductor. The technology allows positioning updates to be sent up to 50 times per second, providing a reliable and versatile real-time locating system (RTLS) for all industries.

The RSL10 Quuppa RTLS AoA Tag CMSIS-Pack is part of an asset management development ecosystem from ON Semiconductor and technology partners. The ecosystem is designed to provide manufacturers with flexible deployment options, and features a range of RSL10-based options, including sensor development kits and software resources.

For turnkey solutions, ON Semiconductor has collaborated with Swiss RFID, Bluetooth Low energy, NFC and IoT engineering company, Tatwah, to develop a portfolio of Bluetooth tags and beacons including Quuppa Trackable Tags.

Monitoring and tracking of assets enables new capabilities and huge improvements in operational efficiencies across a wide variety of applications, explained Wiren Perera, head of IoT at ON Semiconductor. Low power wireless sensing and accurate location identification are essential to deliver these new capabilities and realise market potential, he added.

“We are thrilled to work alongside ON Semiconductor in creating a solution for monitoring and tracking assets across vertical markets. Over the years, we witnessed increasing demand for RTLS technologies where companies are seeking to gain visibility within their production lines and workflows,” said Fabio Belloni, Chief Customer Officer, Quuppa. “The need for a variety of different types of sensors and tags to empower those use cases is endless”.

The RSL10 Quuppa AoA RTLS Tag CMSIS Pack featuring the Quuppa Intelligent Locating System is compatible with all RSL10-based development hardware and is available now for free download.

http://www.onsemi.com

https://quuppa.com

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