ICs & Semiconductors

u-blox launches Bluetooth Angle-of-Arrival solution to enable indoor asset tracking

Tue, Jun 04, 2024

u-blox has announced u-locate, a complete indoor positioning solution, offering the optimal combination of accuracy, cost and power consumption. Based on Bluetooth LE AoA (Angle-of-Arrival), u-locate delivers positioning accuracy levels down to 10 centimetres while ensuring extended tag battery lifetimes at an affordable price point.

The flexible and modular u-locate solution targets RTLS (real-time location system) solution providers and systems integrators, with end-user indoor tracking applications in warehousing, manufacturing, healthcare and many more. The easy-to-configure mobile application includes an extensive management support tool and anchors with self-aware orientation, removing the pain of complex solution installations and ensuring reduced times to market.

u-locate’s AoA positioning algorithms deliver accuracy while reducing the cost of tracking assets, enabling a wider range of use cases. The combination of Bluetooth 5.1 technology with the optimised antenna configuration of u-locate delivers positioning accuracy, without compromising power consumption. The u-locate solution scales easily as the end-user installation grows, and futureproofing is underpinned with OTA (over-the-air) software updates ensuring continuous access to new features and updates.

The flexible solution can be tailored according to the needs of the application, and consists of a positioning middleware (u-locateHub), a positioning engine (u-locateEngine), anchor points (u-locateAnchor) and tags (u-locateTag). It can be complemented with GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) products from u-blox, to guarantee seamless indoor and outdoor localisation.

u-locateHub complies with the omlox global interoperability standard and its well-documented API platform contains various APIs, supporting integration with multiple vendor solutions. By joining omlox, u-blox recognises the importance of contributing to a growing ecosystem, and promoting global interoperability of positioning solutions.

https://www.u-blox.com

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Microchip adds 12 Products to its wireless portfolio that reduce barriers to Bluetooth integration

Fri, May 31, 2024

System designers face many barriers when adding Bluetooth functionality to their products, from skill and resource limitations to budget constraints to time-to-market pressures to challenging performance and integration requirements. Microchip has expanded its Bluetooth Low Energy portfolio with 12 new products, aimed at providing designers with an extensive array of choices to tackle their unique challenges, effectively lowering barriers across designs spanning from the simplest to the most advanced. These additions include the RF-ready WBZ350 module and the PIC32CX-BZ3 SoC that offers the lowest entry point available for integrating a Bluetooth Low Energy microcontroller (MCU) into product designs. For a list of all 12 products see Microchip’s Bluetooth Low Energy webpage.

In addition to its Bluetooth MCUs, Microchip introduced the RNBD350 plug-and-play module that reduces the cost and complexity barriers to adding Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity to product designs. These modules minimise the time, money and engineering resources required for RF design optimisation, regulatory certification and software development.

Sample applications for Microchip’s Bluetooth Low Energy parts include IoT smart home and building systems, Industrial IoT (IIoT) solutions and automotive designs.

Designers using the newly expanded Bluetooth Low Energy portfolio for entry-level applications benefit from an easy development process, including in-house support services and development tools, without compromising Bluetooth functionality.

Developers can also tap into Microchip’s expanding wireless portfolio for end-to-end solutions. The portfolio offers a range of products in popular wireless technologies like Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Thread and sub-GHz that are designed to work seamlessly with the Bluetooth portfolio.

https://www.microchip.com.

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Infineon announces next generation CoolGaN transistor families

Thu, May 30, 2024

Infineon has announced two new generations of high voltage (HV) and medium voltage (MV) CoolGaN devices which now enable customers to use Gallium Nitride (GaN) in voltage classes from 40 V to 700 V in a broader array of applications that help drive digitalisation and decarbonisation. These two product families are manufactured on high performance 8-inch in-house foundry processes in Kulim (Malaysia) and Villach (Austria). With this, Infineon expands its CoolGaN advantages and capacity to ensure a robust supply chain in the GaN devices market, which is estimated to grow with an average annual growth rate (CAGR) of 46 percent over the next five years according to Yole Group.

The new 650 V G5 family addresses applications in consumer, data centre, industrial and solar. These products are the next generation of GIT-based high voltage products from Infineon. The second new family manufactured on the 8-inch process is the medium voltage G3 devices which include CoolGaN Transistor voltage classes 60 V, 80 V, 100 V and 120 V; and 40 V bidirectional switch (BDS) devices. The medium voltage G3 products are targeted at motor drive, telecom, data centre, solar and consumer applications.

https://www.infineon.com

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High current load switches from Diodes provide smart power delivery

Wed, May 29, 2024

Diodes has announced the expansion of its DML30xx series smart load switches. The four new products, DML3008LFDS, DML3010ALFDS, DML3011ALFDS, and DML3012LDC, provide high-current (10.5A to 15A) power domain switching control for voltage rails from 0.5V to 20V. Through the array of embedded functions, these devices are highly effective at handling all aspects of power delivery to microcontrollers, graphic cards, ASICs, FPGAs, and memory chips. They are well-suited for power management purposes in servers, computing hardware, networking infrastructure, gateways, solid-state drives, notebooks, tablets, industrial equipment, hot-swappable devices, and peripheral ports.

Incorporating a chip-on-chip arrangement that sees the controller chip in each device stacked on top of a low RDS(ON) N-channel power MOSFET, these devices occupy an ultra-compact footprint to provide increased power density. Their large, underside heat pads maximize thermal efficiency to reduce operating temperature and improve reliability. Power consumption is minimised due to their <150A(typ.) on-state current and 0.1A(typ.) standby mode.

The high degree of feature integration that these load switches offer minimises additional circuitry requirements—achieving reduced component count, smaller PCB area, and accelerated time to market. To maintain system reliability and maximize uptime, a comprehensive choice of safeguards and monitoring features are available. These allow designers to select the optimum combination to suit their applications. These include short-circuit and overcurrent protection, undervoltage lockout, power good signal, and soft-start to limit inrush current to an acceptable level. Additionally, all devices provide quick discharge capabilities to ensure controlled rail power-down, and thermal shutdown protection.

https://www.diodes.com.

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