Sector News

IAR Systems supports Si-Five RISC-V for automotive

Tue, Oct 18, 2022

Support for SiFive’s automotive products by IAR Systems continues with the IAR Embedded Workbench for RISC-V for the SiFive Automotive E6-A and S7-A series. These processors address automotive applications such as infotainment, connectivity and ADAS. 

The development toolchain helps embedded software developers make full use of the energy efficiency, simplicity, security and flexibility that RISC-V offers, said IAR Systems.

RISC-V uses a single instruction set architecture (ISA) across all product offerings which increases code portability and can contribute to reduced cost and time-to-market for automotive applications. The SiFive automotive processor families feature options that enable both area and performance optimisation for different integrity levels such as ASIL B, ASIL D or mixed criticalities with split-lock, in line with ISO26262. 

SiFive’s E6-A series is aimed at a variety of real-time, 32-bit applications, from system control to hardware security modules (HSMs) and safety islands, and of course standalone in microcontrollers. The S7-A series is a 64-bit, high-performance real-time core for SoCs with performant safety islands, requiring both low latency interrupt support and the same 64-bit memory space visibility as the main application CPUs.

IAR Embedded Workbench for RISC-V is a complete development toolchain including the IAR C/C++ Compiler and comprehensive debugger. Customers can generate compact-sized code for automotive applications because the tools come with a comprehensive safety offering. The functional safety edition of IAR Embedded Workbench for RISC-V is certified by TÜV SÜD according to the requirements of functional safety standards including ISO 26262 and IEC 61508. To ensure code quality for automotive applications, the seamlessly integrated C-STAT tool for static code analysis proves code alignment with industry standards like MISRA C:2012, MISRA C++:2008 and MISRA C:2004.

“IAR Systems is a proactive member of the RISC-V community. Our close relationship with SiFive enables us to provide support for their latest CPU IP”, said Anders Holmberg, CTO of IAR Systems. 

Customers using IAR Embedded Workbench for RISC-V benefit from IAR Systems’ guaranteed support for the sold version for the duration of the support contract, validated service packs, and regular reports of known deviations and problems. 

http://www.iar.com

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Nvidia’s Jetson Orin Nano to be integrated in edge computers by Impulse Embedded

Tue, Oct 18, 2022

Announced at this year’s GTC 2022 conference by Nvidia, the Jetson Orin Nano series will be available in Q1 2023 and will be integrated into a range of rugged edge computers from Impulse Embedded.

The Jetson Orin Nano module targets the growing demand for real-time processing capabilities in AI devices such as smart cameras, handheld devices, smart meters, and service robots, where integrators often require a lower power and a more cost-effective solution, said Impulse Embedded.

The Jetson Orin Nano offers up to 80x the AI performance of its predecessor, to boost on-device, low-latency processing without increasing power consumption or cost. 

Two versions, a 4Gbyte and an 8Gbyte model will be available, with LPDDR5 memory. The 4Gbyte version features a 512-core Nvidia Ampere GPU (graphics processing unit) with 16 Tensor cores. The 8Gbyte version features a 1024-core Nvidia Ampere GPU with 32 Tensor cores. Each version shares the same max GPU frequency of 625MHz, delivering 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS). 

Both versions of the Jetson Orin Nano will include a six-core Arm Cortex-A78AE CPU, Ampere architecture GPU, video decode engine, ISP, video image compositor, audio processing engine and video input block. 

The modules also feature high speed interfaces including up to seven-lanes of PCIe Gen3, three 10Gbits per second, USB3.2 Gen 2, eight lanes of MIPI CSI-2 camera ports and a range of supported sensor I/O.

The Jetson Orin Nano features the same 70 x 45mm 260-pin SODIMM footprint that is used in the Nano, TX2 NX, Xavier NX and Orin NX modules. This can reduce engineering costs when scaling up, said Impulse Embedded. 

The Jetson Orin Nano marks the first time that a single Nvidia GPU architecture (Ampere) will span the entire Jetson range, from the entry-level Orin Nano, through to AGX Orin.

Impulse Embedded offers support for customers developing an industrial AI computing solution. The company said it can create reliable, repeatable and robust systems to help reduce customer’s costs and development time. It has a team of in-house engineers and specialists, all with decades of experience, to deliver fully deployable embedded edge AI computing.

http://www.impulse-embedded.co.uk

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Two temperature alarms expand Timestrip neo 

Tue, Oct 18, 2022

Timestrip has expanded its neo family with the Freeze Alarm and the Room Temp indicator. The Freeze Alarm is designed for products that are sensitive to freezing, and provides a visible alert if the ambient temperature drops below 0 degrees C for 30 minutes and shows a further alert at 60 minutes. The Room Temp indicator monitors the range 15 to 25 degrees C, and alerts at one hour.

The Fridge Alarm reacts at three temperatures and at five time intervals. All the products check temperatures around two times a minute. 

Target applications are healthcare including vaccines and pharmaceuticals, as well as foodstuffs, paint, adhesives and chemicals. Serial numbers on every product provide for traceability in quality control systems.

Timestrip neo is a range of single-use temperature and time indicators that are inexpensive. They are more accurate than liquid indicators, the electronic indicators have been specially developed to combine ease of use with a very small and light form factor. All Timestrip neo indicators are suitable for pack level monitoring with both time and multiple temperature settings.

“The Timestrip neo platform technology can cover a very wide range of user needs”, said Gabriel McGlynn, chairman of Timestrip. The Freeze Alarm and Room Temperature indicators join the existing Fridge Alarm and all are held in stock for rapid despatch.

Other configurations of time and temperature are available to order for quantities as low as 20,000 units.

Timestrip designs and manufactures time and temperature indicators. The company works in partnership with global brands, leading OEMs and product designers. Timestrip Enabled products drive changes in supply chain standard operating procedures and consumer behaviour, which in turn leads to greater product safety, product authenticity, regulatory compliance and reduced wastage. 

Timestrip indicators are capable of monitoring time from one hour to two years, and temperatures from -20 to 53 degrees C. In addition to a core product range, a research and development team develops new products for bespoke applications, replacing the need for expensive and unstable electronic components.

The products are low cost, making them suitable for a wide range of monitoring applications in many sectors including food, pharmaceutical and healthcare.

Timestrip’s customers include 3M, Tesco, Parker Hannifin, Siemens and Febreze. It won a UK NHS Innovations Award and was identified in the ‘Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2019’ by Scientific American magazine. 

http://www.timestrip.com

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Compact whip antennas are suitable for IoT devices

Mon, Oct 17, 2022

Linx Technologies, now part of TE Connectivity, has introduced four compact whip-style antennas designed for Sub-1GHz and low power, wide area (LPWA) applications including LoRaWAN, the IoT, remote controls, sensing and monitoring, smart home networking and ISM band applications.

The ANT-915-NUB and ANT-868-NUB variations are rugged monopole antennas with a length of less than 20mm. Each may be used with metallic and non-metallic enclosures and connects using an SMA plug (male pin) or RP-SMA plug (female socket) connector.

They are compact, convenient and a lower cost option, said Ricky Stuby, vice president of product management at Linx Technologies. These attributes make them suitable for loT devices, he added.

The NUB antennas are available now via Linx Technologies’ distributor and manufacturer representative networks. 

Linx Technologies manufactures wireless components including antennas, RF connectors and cables, RF modules, and remote controls. The company is part of 

TE Connectivity, which offers a broad range of connectivity and sensor solutions, proven in the harshest environments, for use in transportation, industrial applications, medical technology, energy, data communications and the home. The company has customers in approximately 140 countries.

http://www.linxtechnologies.com 

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