ICs & Semiconductors

Ceva Bluetooth low energy IPs bring ultra-low power wireless connectivity

Thu, Jul 25, 2024

Ceva has announced that Alif Semiconductor has licensed and deployed the Ceva-Waves Bluetooth Low Energy and 802.15.4 IPs in its Balletto family of wireless microcontrollers.
The Balletto family is a complete Edge AI/ML microcontroller solution for connected IoT platforms with integrated Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3 and 802.15.4 wireless subsystem and a dedicated network co-processor, enabling connectivity and machine learning in a single chip. The Balletto family delivers up to 50x boost in machine learning performance and inference efficiency versus traditional MCUs that lack neural co-processors. The Ceva-Waves Bluetooth Low Energy IP provides Balletto MCUs with the robust connectivity at ultra-low power consumption, and supports Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast broadcast audio, for customers who wish to leverage Balletto to create highly differentiated wireless audio products. The Balletto family also relies on Ceva-Waves 802.15.4 IP for Thread, Zigbee and Matter support in smart home applications.

“Our Balletto family of connected, intelligent MCUs are tailored to meet the growing demand for AI/ML workloads in battery-powered devices,” said Mark Rootz, VP Marketing at Alif Semiconductor. “Ceva’s Bluetooth Low Energy and 802.15.4 IPs provide us with a highly-proven and robust connectivity solution for our chip design, allowing us to focus our R&D resources on differentiating our MCU to deliver outstanding performance for the most demanding wireless audio and smart home AI/ML use cases.”

“Wireless connectivity is a fundamental requirement of every intelligent device, and we’re proud to be the trusted supplier of embedded wireless IP to industry leaders and innovators alike, including Alif Semiconductor,” said Tal Shalev, Vice President and General Manager, Wireless IoT Business Unit at Ceva. “Our Bluetooth Low Energy IP has powered billions of devices to date, and we’re excited to partner with Alif to enable their Balletto family of intelligent MCUs with robust connectivity and high-bit rate audio.”

The Ceva-Waves Bluetooth IP platforms provide comprehensive solutions for both Bluetooth LE and Bluetooth dual mode connectivity, spanning RF, Modem, Baseband Controller, and complete Host and Profile software stacks. All the latest features of Bluetooth are supported, including AoA / AoD / Direction Finding, LE Audio / Auracast, Periodic Advertising with Response, and other enhancements such as Channel Sounding. It also comprises an IEEE 802.15.4 addon for Thread, Zigbee and Matter support. With more than 4.5 billion devices shipped to date and dozens of licensees, the Ceva-Waves Bluetooth IP is widely deployed in consumer, automotive, industrial, medical and IoT devices with many of the world’s leading semiconductors companies and OEMs, including smartphones, tablets, beacons, wireless speakers, wireless headsets and earbuds, hearing aids and other wearables.
The Ceva-Waves Bluetooth IP is part of the Ceva-Waves unique and broad family of wireless connectivity IP platforms that also includes the Ceva-Waves Wi-Fi, UWB, NB-IoT and Links multi-protocol platforms.

https://www.ceva-ip.com/app/connectivity/

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New Edge AI evaluation kit from Infineon accelerates ML application development

Wed, Jul 24, 2024

Infineon has announced the release of a comprehensive evaluation kit for embedded, Edge AI and Machine Learning (ML) system designs. The new PSoC 6 AI Evaluation Kit provides all the tools required to build intelligent consumer, smart home and IoT applications. The solution executes inferencing next to the sensor data source, providing such user benefits as enhanced real-time performance and power efficiency compared to cloud-centric solution architectures. Its small 35 mm x 45 mm form factor, affordable cost and broad range of integrated sensors and connectivity make it the perfect choice for in-field data collection, rapid prototyping, model evaluation and solution creation.
The PSoC 6 AI Evaluation Kit also leverages Infineon’s advanced microcontroller (MCU), sensor and connectivity portfolios and powerful software development environments, including the Infineon ModusToolbox and the company’s Imagimob Studio offering for custom ML models, as well as off-the-shelf Ready Models.
“Infineon is helping drive the evolution of Edge AI, which requires the real-time compute capability and power-efficiency that distinguish our hardware portfolio, along with development tools that simplify and speed application development,” said Steve Tateosian, SVP of IoT, industrial and consumer microcontrollers, Infineon Technologies. “With our newest evaluation kit, we are offering access to a complete, easy-to-use ecosystem of Infineon hardware and software that will accelerate development and deployment of intelligent solutions in consumer, smart home, commercial and industrial IoT applications.”

https://www.infineon.com

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ST releases 750W motor-drive reference board in tiny outline

Tue, Jul 23, 2024

The EVLDRIVE101-HPD (High Power Density) motor-drive reference design by ST packs a 3-phase gate driver, STM32G0 microcontroller, and 750W power stage on a circular PCB just 50mm in diameter. The board features extremely low power consumption in sleep mode, below 1uA, and its tiny outline can fit directly in equipment like hairdryers, handheld vacuums, power tools, and fans. It also fits easily into drones, robots, and drives for industrial equipment such as pumps and process-automation systems.

Built with ST’s STDRIVE101 3-phase gate driver, the reference design gives flexibility to choose the motor-control strategy, such as trapezoidal or field-oriented control (FOC), with sensored or sensorless rotor-position detection. The STDRIVE101 IC contains three-half bridges with 600 mA source/sink capability and operates from 5.5V to 75V to handle any low-voltage application. The chip integrates voltage regulation for the high-side and low-side gate drivers and configurable drain-source-voltage (Vds) monitoring protection. It also provides an external pin for choosing direct high-side and low-side gate inputs or PWM control.

Developers can take advantage of the STM32G0 single-wire debug (SWD) interface to interact with the microcontroller, while support for direct firmware update allows applying bug fixes and new features.

The power stage of the EVLDRIVE101-HPD reference design features STL220N6F7 60V STripFET F7 MOSFETs, which preserve efficiency with their 1,2mΩ typical Rds(on), easing plug-and-play connection of the motor. Additional features include fast-acting power-on circuitry that disconnects the power source when idle to save energy and extend operation in battery-powered applications. Protection built into the driver IC ensures system safety and efficiency, including the Vds monitoring of the power-stage MOSFETs, as well as under-voltage lockout (UVLO), overtemperature protection, and cross-conduction prevention.

https://www.st.com/evldrive101-hpd 

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TI pioneers new magnetic packaging technology for power modules

Wed, Jul 17, 2024

TI has introduced six new power modules designed to improve power density, enhance efficiency and reduce EMI. These power modules leverage TI’s proprietary MagPack integrated magnetic packaging technology, shrinking their size by up to 23% compared to competing modules, enabling designers of industrial, enterprise and communications applications to achieve previously impossible performance levels. Three of the six new devices, the TPSM82866A, TPSM82866C and TPSM82816, are the industry’s smallest 6A power modules, supplying an industry-leading power density of nearly 1A per 1mm2 of area.

In power design, size matters. Power modules simplify power designs and save valuable board space by combining a power chip with a transformer or inductor in one package. By leveraging TI’s exclusive 3D package moulding process, MagPack packaging technology maximises the height, width and depth of the power modules to push more power in a smaller space.

The magnetic packaging technology includes an integrated power inductor with proprietary, newly engineered material. As a result, engineers can now achieve best-in-class power density and reduce temperature and radiated emissions while minimising both board space and system power losses. These benefits are especially important in applications such as data centres, where electricity is the biggest cost factor, with some analysts predicting a 100% increase in demand for power by the end of the decade.

https://www.ti.com

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