ICs & Semiconductors

NFC tag controller integrates sensing and energy-harvesting

Mon, Mar 20, 2023

NFC-based sensing controller, the NGC1081, has energy-harvesting capabilities and is the latest addition to Infineon Technologies portfolio of NFC tag-side controllers. 

The NGC1081 IC is a single chip designed to enable the IoT industry to develop low-cost, miniaturised, smart edge computing/sensing devices which can be controlled and powered by mobile phones. Potential applications range from medical patches and disposable point-of-case testers to data loggers, smart thermostats, and sensor inlays.

The tag-side controller supports a dual power supply function, allowing it to operate in a passive mode (battery-free) based on energy harvesting, or in a battery-powered mode in which it operates as a self-contained sensing node via a 3.0 to 3.3V external power supply. 

In passive mode, the entire sensing system, including the IC and its connected sensors, can draw power via energy harvesting from the NFC field of a mobile phone. The IC also has a naturally galvanically isolated sensing interface.

The NFC tag-side controller is based on a low-power Arm Cortex-M0 microcontroller and integrates an NFC front end which is compliant with the ISO14443 type-A standard. There is also a motor control driver that employs an H-bridge circuit with a current drive capability of up to 250mA. NGC1081 also features a sensing unit based on a 12-bit SAR ADC with four analogue inputs and a 10-bit DAC with one analogue output. The sensing unit also comprises an I2V converter and an integrated temperature sensor that provides an accuracy of ±0.3 degrees C over the temperature range of 0 to 45 degrees C and ±0.4 degrees C from -20 to 0 degrees C and 45 to 85 degrees C.

This integrated single-chip enables customers to implement smart sensing devices with miniaturised product design and reduced system bill of material costs, advised Infineon. The IC architecture and the hardware/software partitioning allow customers to create flexible software-defined functions.

Seamless connectivity to mobile phones allows developers to use a cloud-based business model, supported by a lean and scalable mailbox concept that ensures robust access management to maintain data integrity and security. Application-specific commands and messages from an open protocol interface can extend the protocol layer, added Infineon.

The NGC1081 NFC tag-side controller is available in a VQFN-32 package. 

http://www.infineon.com

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Wireless modules combine Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth and IEEE 802.15.4 LR-WPAN

Fri, Mar 17, 2023

Exploring new opportunities in wireless communication, Murata has developed the LBES5PL2EL module. It is, said the company, optimised to the demands of IoT hardware and anticipates the demand for Matter connectivity.

The LBES5PL2EL is based on a highly-integrated IW612 single chip 2.4 / 5.0GHz device from NXP, which covers a broad array of wireless protocols, allowing Murata to incorporate 1×1 dual-band Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax), Bluetooth 5.3 and IEEE 802.15.4 into the Murata tri-radio module.

Bluetooth Low Energy Audio functionality has also been included with a view to its use in voice-controlled products. This latest generation of Bluetooth technology delivers heightened performance, while drawing less power, and is predicted to replace many of the current BR / EDR (basic rate / enhanced data rate) Bluetooth-based audio connections.

Murata has also introduced the LBEE5PL2DL module, based on the NXP IW611 device. It also features both Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 support.

The wireless combination modules can be used in home automation equipment, digital assistants, smart domestic appliances, lighting gateways, climate control systems and EV charging points. FCC/IC and TELEC certification plus conductive tests for CE are all available, to assist in accelerating time to market, while keeping product development costs down.

The Murata LBES5PL2EL and LBEE5PL2DL wireless combo modules are each supplied in compact surface-mount packages, with dimensions of just 8.8 x 7.7 x 1.3mm.

“There are still only a few Matter-compliant solutions on the market, yet the potential for it to deliver convenience and comfort to the places in which we live is huge,” states Akira Sasaki, director of the communication module division at Murata. “Thanks to the introduction of the LBES5PL2EL, we are now able to provide full support for Matter, including Thread, alongside Wi-Fi 6. This will be a real value to engineers developing hardware for home/building automation, as well as for numerous other purposes.”

http://www.murata.com

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Two IC families are for small form factor IoT devices

Wed, Mar 15, 2023

The xG27 family of Bluetooth SoCs and the BB50 microcontroller are designed for the smallest IoT devices, said Silicon Labs.

The xG27 and BB50 families range in size from 2mm2 up to 5 mm2. They offer IoT device designers energy efficiency, performance and security, and in the case of the xG27 family, wireless connectivity. Both families are suitable for tiny, battery-optimised devices like connected medical devices, wearables, asset monitoring tags, smart sensors, simple consumer electronics like toothbrushes and toys.

The ICs are intended to help developers build exciting new devices while also simplifying their development processes, all while maintaining the low-power and small form-factor requirements for extremely small devices,” said Matt Johnson, CEO.

The xG27 family of SoCs comprises the BG27, for Bluetooth connectivity, and the MG27, supporting Zigbee and other proprietary protocols. Built around the Arm Cortex M33 processor, the BG27 and MG27 are supplied in  wafer-level chip scale packaging, down to 2.3 x 2.6mm, suitable for compact and unobtrusive devices like medical patches, continuous glucose monitors, wearable electrocardiograms, and asset tags in retail and agriculture.

The integrated DC/DC boost allows the devices to operate on batteries as low as 0.8V and the integrated coulomb counter is for battery level monitoring to avoid battery depletion during use.

Silicon Labs’ Secure Vault with virtual security engine (VSE) ensures secure boot and debug which are hardened against glitch attacks, tamper protection. There are also features designed to protect the device and its users’ data from local and remote cyber threats, said Silicon Labs.

They also have shelf mode, which reduces energy use to less than 20 nanoA so that devices can be transported and stocked on shelves while maintaining nearly full battery life for the end-user.

The BB50 8-bit microcontrollers have a high performance core, optimised for a large number of single cycle instructions to improve operating efficiency. They also have wide operating voltage ranges and low power modes to improve energy efficiency. 

They operate with Silicon Labs’ Simplicity Studio and a fully-featured 8-bit compiler.

http://www.silabs.com

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Aurix and Traveo MCUs support IEC 61508 for SIL-3 safety

Tue, Mar 14, 2023

Industrial control systems must have a minimal error rate even in harsh environments. Infineon has announced that its Aurix TC3x and Traveo T2G microcontroller families address these requirements with a wide range of integrated hardware functional safety and cybersecurity features. Infineon has extended support from ISO26262 to IEC61508 hardware and software metrics, including all documentation required for functional safety certification, for both microcontroller families. In addition, Infineon’s AutoSAR Microcontroller Abstraction Layer (MCAL) low level driver software product supports the IEC 61508 metrics.

The driver software has been deployed in the mobility market and now enables other functional safety applications including medical devices, industrial drives, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), robotics together with indoor applications such as lifts/elevators or machinery.

Ralf Koedel, vice president, microcontrollers, at Infineon, commented: “The demand for minimal errors in harsh environments has tightened up the requirements for industrial control systems. With the . . . extended support for IEC 61508 metrics, however, developers can count on a series of proven microcontrollers to design safety-critical applications and rely on the available diagnostic analysis documentation (FMEDA and safety manual).”

The failure modes effects and FMEDA documentation shows IEC 61508 failure rates and safety metrics calculated at both MCU and basic function levels. By extending the support of the Aurix TC3x and Traveo T2G microcontrollers from ISO26262 to IEC61508 metrics, developers can achieve SIL-1-3 for industrial applications. 

Infineon added that it has created a strong ecosystem of design partners to pave the way for safety-critical designs up to SIL-4 and offers reliable support for functional-safety certification.

The Aurix TC3x and Traveo T2G microcontrollers will be exhibited at Embedded World 2023 (14 to 16 March 2023) in Nuremberg, Germany at the Infineon stand Hall 4A – 138.

http://www.infineon.com

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