IoT

Pressure sensor is sensitive for extended temperatures

Tue, May 14, 2019

A ceramic port is included in the design of the Bourns Model BPS140 pressure sensor to enhance its compatibility with certain harsh media, explains the company.

The pressure sensor is added to Bourns’environmental sensors. It is based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, which provides extremely accurate condition readings in a miniature package size. Designed to deliver high sensitivity/accuracy and long-term reliability, the BPS140 pressure sensors offer extended temperature capability and certain harsh media compatibility.

Model BPS140 is robust with a structure that is capable of handling high pressure ranges (15 to 500 PSI) even at high temperatures. This rugged structure is combined with rear pressure measurement that minimises the number of media-sensitive wetted materials. The purpose of this sensing design is to ensure the measured media only touches the back of the measurement element, explains Bourns.

The structure enhances sensor accuracy because all electronic components and other sensitive surfaces are isolated from the media, explains Bourns. In addition, by reducing the number of wetted materials,  the media sensitivity of the sensor is effectively decreased, adds the company.

Bourns’ latest sensor family offers stable performance over the product’s lifespan, and the ability to work with a wide range of pressures offering a total error band of 2.5 per cent full scale over a temperature range of –40 to +150 degrees C (six sigma process), and a lifetime drift of 0.5 per cent full scale. These features make the BPS140 pressure sensor particularly suitable for a range of industrial, energy, heavy equipment, building and home control and medium/low risk medical designs.

Bourns¨ Model BPS140 pressure sensors are available now, and are RoHS** compliant. Bourns also offers port configuration and calibration customisation.

Bourns manufactures and supplies position and speed sensors, circuit protection solutions, magnetic components, microelectronic modules, panel controls and resistive products.

The company is headquartered in Riverside, California, USA, and serves a broad range of markets, including automotive, industrial, consumer, communications, medical (low/medium risk), audio and various other

http://www.bourns.com

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GNSS module boasts decimetre level accuracy

Fri, May 03, 2019

Continuous lane accurate positioning is afforded by the ZED-F9K global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and dead-reckoning module for urban environments. According to u-blox, it improves positioning performance x10 over standard precision technology.   

The multi-band GNSS module has built-in inertial sensors. The module combines GNSS receiver technology, signal processing algorithms, and correction services to deliver down to decimeter-level accuracy within seconds, says u-blox. This addresses the evolving needs of advanced driver assisted systems (ADAS) and automated driving markets.

The ZED-F9K high precision dead reckoning module builds on the u‑blox F9 technology. Compatibility with modern GNSS correction services improves positioning accuracy by compensating ionospheric and other errors. The multi-band, multi-constellation real time kinematics (RTK) receiver module receives GNSS signals from all orbiting GNSS constellations. A greater number of visible satellites improves positioning in partially obstructed conditions, while increased satellite signal diversity delivers faster convergence times when signals are interrupted to improve navigation.

Inertial sensors integrated into the module constantly monitor changes in the moving vehicle’s trajectory and deliver lane accurate positioning when satellite signals are partially or completely obstructed, for example when the vehicle is in covered parking areas, tunnels, urban canyons, or wooded areas. When satellite signals become available again, the module combines inertial sensor data with GNSS signals to deliver fast convergence times and high availability of the decimeter-level solution.

The ZED‑F9K’s accuracy and low latency means it also applies to automotive OEMs and Tier 1s developing vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems.

Samples will be available upon request by July 2019.

http://www.u-blox.com

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Keysight and Calterah collaborate for connected-car supply chain

Fri, May 03, 2019

Keysight Technologies has announced a collaboration with China’s automotive millimeter wave radar chipset design house, Calterah, to support the design, verification, test and launch of an automotive millimeter wave radar chipset that will drive development of the connected car supply chain.

Calterah released the ALPS family of chips which integrates high-speed ADCs, complete radar signal processing baseband and high-performance CPU core. During design and verification of this chip, Keysight supported Calterah with the company’s E8740A automotive radar signal analysis and generation instrument (pictured) solution for77GHz radar signal receiving and transmission characterisation, radar target simulation, and testing the basic radio frequency parameters of the chip.

Qitao Pan, general manager of the Automotive and Energy Solutions Group at Keysight Technologies China, said: “Keysight has delivered mature and complete testing solutions for key technologies such as millimeter wave radar, automotive Ethernet, automotive wireless interconnect and [vehicle to everything] V2X”

“ALPS is an SoC and its chip architecture and performance parameters are far superior to previous generations, ” said Dr. Wang Dian, chief mmW scientist at Calterah. “Keysight’s measurement solution covers the entire range from digital to analog to RF, ensuring the functionality and performance of each sub-module of ALPS,” he added.

Calterah Semiconductor provides 77GHz CMOS mmWave radar sensor ICs for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), security screening and imaging and the smart home. In 2017, the company mass-produced the first generation of 77GHz and 79GHzCMOS mmWave radar transceiver IC.

Keysight Technologies is focused on optimising networks and bringing electronic products to market faster and at a lower cost with offerings from design simulation, to prototype validation, to manufacturing test, to optimisation in networks and cloud environments. Customers span the worldwide communications ecosystem, aerospace and defence, automotive, energy, semiconductor and general electronics end markets.

http://www.keysight.com

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Arrow and IBM aim to reinvent Airport operations with new IoT solution

Mon, Apr 29, 2019

The Smart Airport Asset Management Solution, co-created with IBM, enables airport operators to improve the performance of escalators, moving walkways, baggage handling systems and potable water cabinets

Arrow Electronics has announced that it has launched the Smart Airport Asset Management Solution, an innovative IoT solution co-created with IBM.

Based on an Arrow-designed and sourced set of IoT sensors and gateways, the IBM Watson® IoT Platform, and IBM Maximo® Enterprise Asset Management software, the solution will provide airport operators with improved operational insights that optimise equipment maintenance to avoid downtime and improve the traveller experience.

“Over seven billion passengers fly every year, so creating smart airports is smart business,” said Aiden Mitchell, vice president of IoT for Arrow. “This solution we have developed with our suppliers will help improve the customer experience and demonstrates the model that IBM and Arrow are implementing across the relationships at the heart of IoT.”

The Smart Airport Asset Management Solution collects data such as temperature, vibration and motor fluid levels from sensors on motors and other moving parts in escalators, moving walkways and baggage handling systems. Additionally, sensors on potable water cabinets measure temperature, open/closed door, water flow and leakage to determine if the cabinet is functional. The solution resolves frequent operational challenges that most negatively impact travellers according to an Airport Service Quality report from the Airport Council International.

Data is collected from the sensors connected to wireless gateways, and then consolidated and analysed on the IBM Watson IoT Platform. The industry-leading IBM Maximo® portfolio creates a more efficient asset management process using the collected data to drive workflows, resource allocation, and provides analytics to assess the health of assets to guide scheduled and unscheduled maintenance.

“Harnessing data and analytics, this end-to-end IoT solution enables airports to improve the performance of key assets that directly impact customer experience,” said Adriana Robinson, vice president, IBM Watson IoT. “This will allow maintenance teams to predict airport facility equipment failure and create proactive maintenance workflows.”

The solution is available through Arrow, its business partners, and IBM.

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