ICs & Semiconductors

New demonstration board from ST kickstarts dual-motor designs

Thu, May 23, 2024

ST’ EVSPIN32G4-DUAL demonstration board controls two motors from a single STSPIN32G4 integrated driver, accelerating product development and simplifying the PCB design and bill of materials.

The EVSPIN32G4-DUAL board cuts the time to market for advanced industrial and consumer products such as robots, multi-axis factory automation systems, garden equipment, and power tools. The STSPIN32G4 motor controller contains an Arm Cortex-M4 microcontroller (MCU) with the processing power to manage both motors simultaneously, executing complex algorithms like field-oriented control (FOC) in real-time. In addition, MCU peripherals support sensored or sensorless FOC and advanced position and torque-control algorithms, including motor-control and general-purpose timers, analog functions including operational amplifiers and comparators.

The EVSPIN32G4-DUAL demonstration board leverages an advanced three-phase gate driver integrated in the STSPIN32G4 and an additional STDRIVE101 gate driver to control two three-phase inverters delivering up to 10A with a maximum supply voltage of 74V. Both gate drivers have their own bootstrap circuitry and safety features including drain-source voltage monitoring, cross-conduction prevention, several thermal protection mechanisms, and under-voltage lockout (UVLO).

EVSPIN32G4-DUAL also leverages the STSPIN32G4’s built-in power-management circuitry, permitting a compact design with a low BOM that is easy to procure and permits rapid assembly in production. The power management includes a programmable buck converter for gate drivers VCC supply, a low-dropout linear regulator, and a special regulator with low quiescent current to supply the MCU during standby.

The STSPIN32G4 is included in the STM32 ecosystem that provides extensive support for application development, including tools for starting the project, middleware packs, and software examples. The X-CUBE-MCSDK (motor control software development kit) has firmware libraries for algorithms including FOC and STM32 motor-control workbench. This is an easy-to-use graphical tool that lets the user select and automatically configure the EVSPIN32G4-DUAL directly from a menu.

https://www.st.com

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Panasonic announces wireless modules, embracing Wi-Fi 6 standard

Thu, May 16, 2024

Panasonic has announced its entry into the realm of Wi-Fi 6 technology with the launch of PAN9019 and PAN9019A wireless modules. These modules, built on NXP’s IW611 and IW612 chips respectively, mark a leap forward in wireless connectivity solutions.
The PAN9019 module boasts Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 capabilities. Meanwhile, the PAN9019A module extends its functionality further with the addition of 802.15.4 compatibility, enabling seamless integration with Thread and Zigbee protocols. This versatility ensures that these modules cater to a wide array of applications, including EV charging, heat pumps, smart home devices, industrial automation/equipment, and medical equipment.
To further enhance customisation and flexibility, Panasonic Industry provides an approved antenna list featuring three different antenna types. Customers can choose from a selection of antennas offered by leading players in the industry, including TDK, AVX/Kyocera, Taoglas, and 2J.
Moreover, each evaluation kit comes equipped with a FXP830 pre-certified flex PCB antenna from Taoglas, guaranteeing optimal performance out of the box.
Samples and evaluation tools for the PAN9019 and PAN9019A modules are readily available, enabling customers to experience the performance and versatility firsthand.

https://industry.panasonic.eu/coming-soon-wi-fi-6-pan9019a

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Intel’s RealSenseTM ID access solution now at Rutronik

Thu, May 09, 2024

With Intel’s RealSenseTM ID, Rutronik offers a facial recognition solution based on state-of-the-art image processing technology and AI. It provides highly reliable authentication regardless of factors such as skin colour or lighting conditions. The combination of an active stereo depth sensor and a specialised neural network guarantees an intuitive and secure solution, that continues to optimise itself through constant learning processes and recognises people even if they change over time. Facial recognition has protective mechanisms to prevent unauthorised use. Intel’s solution is therefore predestined for use at access controls, ATMs or kiosks.

The Intel RealSenseTM ID F450 is an embedded facial authentication module based on a closed-loop real-time operating system (RTOS) with neural network algorithms. It integrates the optical components and processing hardware to integrate high-performance, localised facial authentication capabilities into new and existing product types. The Intel RealSenseTM ID F450 Module is ideal for custom designs with an excellent price-performance ratio and tighter integration possibilities in various form factors. The Intel RealSenseTM ID F455 is a ready-to-use peripheral device with the F450 module already integrated, perfect for integration out-of-the-box.

An active depth sensor projects an infrared pattern that enables accurate identification even in poor lighting conditions and authenticates in less than a second. The camera allows interaction from different angles for people between 120 cm and 190 cm at a distance of 55 cm, making it easy to use for children to tall adults. Due to Anti-spoofing the person in front of the camera is recognised with 99.75% certainty. The authentication solution thus protects against attacks using photos, videos or 3D masks.

The various components interlock in such a way that they reliably guarantee security, data protection, reliability and speed. Facial recognition does not store images of faces, but captures facial impressions that are unique to a person’s face – similar to fingerprints – and uses AI software to create a match with a false acceptance rate (FAR) of 1:1,000,000. To protect privacy, however, the facial impressions cannot be reconstructed into a face.

https://www.rutronik24.com

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SoM by Variscite brings machine learning to compact, cost-optimised, rugged edge devices

Wed, May 08, 2024

Variscite has announced the newest member of the DART Pin2Pin family for machine learning on edge devices for markets like industrial, IoT, smart devices, and wearables.

At only 55 x 30 millimetres—about half the size of a credit card—the DART-MX93 enables machine learning, even in compact devices. Its energy-flex architecture provides efficient processing; built-in security ensures data and applications are protected.

Similar to the VAR-SOM-MX93 which was already launched by Variscite in 2023, the DART-MX93 is based on the same NXP iMX93 processor with up to 1.7GHz Dual Cortex-A55, and 250MHz Cortex-M33 real-time co-processor, equipped with the Arm neural processing unit Ethos-U65 microNPU. The new SoM includes robust features like 2x CAN bus, 2x GbE, and industrial temperature grade plus a wide range of features and connectivity options: camera inputs, audio in/out, ADC, 2x USB, certified Wi-Fi 6 dual-band 802.11 ax/ac/a/b/g/n with optional 802.15.4, BT/BLE 5.3, and LVDS display outputs.

Variscite offers a broad range of SoMs based on NXP’s i.MX 9 series. The upcoming VAR-SOM-MX91, to be released in parallel with NXP’s iMX91, is ideal for price-sensitive devices. The DART-MX95, powered by NXP i.MX95, was created for powerful edge platforms that demand high performance, high-end graphics, AI/ML capabilities, advanced security and safety functions, and a rich set of high-speed connectivity options.

The DART-MX93 is part of the DART Pin2Pin family that gives Variscite customers a future-proof way to scale their device capabilities with new generations of DART SoMs. This ensures extended longevity for customer products, as well as reduces development time, costs, and risks for future product iterations. From the i.MX8M Mini, through the i.MX8M and iMX8M Plus, to the i.MX 95.

https://www.variscite.com

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