IoT

Rohde & Schwarz and LG verify wireless emergency alerts

Mon, Nov 18, 2019

New FCC enhanced targeting rules, due to take effect this month, will mean that providing the ability to geo-target residents who receive wireless emergency alerts (WEA) will soon be a mandatory requirement.

Rohde & Schwarz, in collaboration with LG Electronics Mobile Comm USA have verified WEA 3.0 features related to geo-fencing using an LG G8 ThinQ mobile smartphone. The enhanced targeting rules imposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), require wireless providers to reach 100 per cent of the targeted geographic area specified by government issuers, with no more than a 0.1-mile (160m) overshoot.

WEAs are a critical part of the nation’s emergency readiness system for warning the public about dangerous weather, missing children and other emergencies. Geographic targeting is a necessary mobile device feature as alerting citizens not affected by a specific emergency could cause unnecessary panic and safety risks.

The Rohde & Schwarz solution consists of the R&S CMW500 radio communication tester and the R&S SMBV100B vector signal generator. The solution verifies mobile device signalling according to WEA 3.0 geo-fencing specifications. It can also cover 3GPP conformance and network operator test plans for LTE, WLAN, WCDMA and GSM location-based services.

Bryan Helmick, product manager for mobile radio testers at Rohde & Schwarz USA, explained, “Test systems that can verify device compliance are critical to the successful roll-out of the FCC’s enhanced targeting requirements. This effort between Rohde & Schwarz and LG Electronics helps to further the commercial rollout of WEA 3.0 and geo-fencing.”

http://www.rohde-schwarz.com

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Multi-band wireless communication LSI suits smart meters around world

Mon, Nov 18, 2019

A multi-band (sub-1GHz/2.4GHz) wireless communication large scale integration LSI chip, the ML7421, is optimised for applications requiring low power consumption over relatively long distances. Lapis Semiconductor, part of the Rohm group, says typical end users are smart meters, gas/fire alarms, smart agriculture and home/building security systems.

The use of smart meters has increased dramatically in Japan since 2015 and the Wireless M-bus system was launched in Europe. At the same time, there is a trend to collect and manage sensor data using wireless networks not only to optimise energy consumption and lighting in buildings but also for crime surveillance and disaster prevention. These wireless sensor networks are also increasingly used to improve productivity in agriculture.

The ML7421 covers the sub-1GHz frequency band (400MHz to 960MHz) and the 2.4GHz frequency band, providing universal compatibility. Previously, it was necessary to select wireless LSIs for each country and develop devices for them. By supporting the 2.4GHz band available world-wide, a single device can be deployed globally. Additionally, in environments where communication at 2.4GHz is unstable, long-distance Sub-1GHz communication is available. For this reason, 2.4GHz and Sub-1GHz can be used as bridged communication depending on the application or the environment. The ML7421 can be used in radio stations compliant to ETSI EN 300 200, FCC PART15, and ARIB STD-T66, T67, T108 with several packet handling functions based on Wireless M-Bus and IEEE802.15.4g.

It has stable wireless characteristics even under changing environmental parameters such as voltage and temperature fluctuations, says the company. Fluctuations over temperature (-40 to +85 degrees C) are only 0.5dB in Tx output power and 1.0dB in Rx sensitivity. A DC/DC converter, high-efficiency class-E power amplifier and a high-speed radio wave check function allow the average current consumption to decrease by 15 per cent compared with conventional Lapis products, to lower system power consumption and prolong battery life.

Improving delta-sigma ADCs makes it possible to achieve flexible data rate demodulation up to 300kbits per second for global usage, while improving receiver sensitivity. As a result, the ML7421 is suitable for equipment used outdoors such as smart meters and various IoT sensors. These stable characteristics make it possible to extend long-range communication further with high power amplifier, adds the company.

https://www.lapis-semi.com

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Ultra-Wideband IC opens doors for hands-free car access

Thu, Nov 14, 2019

For hands-free smartphone car access, NXP, the BMW Group and Continental are working together to develop new automotive uses, based on NXP’s new automotive ultra wideband (UWB) IC.

The NXP NCJ29D5 is the first of a new generation of UWB ICs designed specifically for the demands of the global automotive industry. Together, with NXP connectivity and security solutions, such as Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC) and Secure Element (SE), it enables true secure hands-free smart access, says NXP, and supports standardisation in vehicle connectivity.

UWB provides precise, secure, real-time localisation capabilities, superior to other wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS, explains NXP. The technology is designed to give spatial awareness to UWB-equipped cars, mobiles and other smart devices, to enable cars to know exactly where the users are, for smartphone-based car access with the same level of convenience as key fobs. Users can open and start cars, while leaving their phones in their pockets or bags, and enjoy secure remote parking via smartphone. The UWB IC maximises protection against car theft through relay attacks.

The three partners and others are jointly working on UWB implementations through the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) and IEEE, and combining vehicle, mobile and consumer devices. Efforts for standardisation aim to enable a global standard for hands-free smart access and other automotive localisation, based on UWB.

Commenting on the ubiquity of smartphones, Dr Olaf Müller, head of development digital access functions, BMW Group, said: “We are convinced that the smartphone-based comfort access is just the beginning of a series of innovative vehicle-related UWB use cases.”

For Philippe Fournet-Fayat, director at Continental AG for car access systems: “To deliver new use cases, such as smartphone access and remote parking requires the ultra-precise real-time localisation capabilities of UWB.”

As well as smart access and remote parking, NXP’s automotive UWB targets short range radar, smartphone valet parking, electric vehicle charging, drive through payment and the car-as-a-key for seamlessly access garage door/parking.

http://www.nxp.com/UWB

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Graph Streaming Processor blazes a trail for AI computing

Thu, Nov 14, 2019

Start-up Blaize (formerly known as Thinci) has announced details of the first true Graph-Native silicon architecture and software built to process neural networks and enable AI applications.

The Blaize Graph Streaming Processor (GSP) architecture enables concurrent execution of multiple neural networks and workflows on a single system. It also supports a range of heterogeneous compute-intensive workloads, says Blaize.

According to Blaize, the computing architecture meets the demands and complexity of new computational workloads found in artificial intelligence (AI) applications in automotive, smart vision and enterprise computing segments.

The Blaize GSP architecture and Blaize Picasso software development platform blends dynamic data flow methods and graph computing models with fully programmable proprietary SoCs. This allows Blaize computing platforms to exploit the native graph structure inherent in neural network workloads all the way through runtime, explains the company. The massive efficiency multiplier is delivered via a data streaming mechanism, where non-computational data movement is minimised or eliminated. This gives Blaize systems the lowest possible latency, reduces memory requirements and reduces energy demand at the chip, board and system levels, claims the company.

Blaize GSP is claimed to be the first fully programmable processor architecture and software platform that is built from the ground up to be 100% graph-native. Its inherent graph-native structure means developers can build multiple neural networks and entire workflows for neural networks on a single architecture that can be applied to a multitude of markets and use cases. Blaize explains that it allows end-to-end applications to be built integrating non-neural network functions, such as image signal processing with neural network functions, all represented as graphs that are processed 10 to 100 times more efficiently than existing solutions. AI application developers can build entire applications faster, optimise these for edge deployment constraints and run them efficiently using automated data-streaming methods, the company adds.

http://www.blaize.com

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