Sector News

Absolute pressure sensor delivers calibrated data for navigation

Fri, Nov 01, 2019

A compact MEMS-based absolute pressure sensor by Würth Elektronik eiSos measures 2.0 x 2.0 x 0.8mm. The Wsen-Pads measures pressure in the range between 26 and 126kPa. Its output data rate can be selected between one and 200Hz. The sensor contains an ASIC and a temperature sensor. This means the output values are already calibrated.

The Wsen-Pads absolute pressure sensor offers the possibility of preparing the measured data for various applications using integrated algorithms that can be activated in such a way that the programming workload for a connected controller is greatly reduced. The measured data can be read out via a standard I²C interface. The I²C interface is extended by an additional interrupt pin whose function can be modified by the user. An application example is using the pressure sensor as an altimeter. The high resolution means the sensor can provide information that enables the position of individual floors in buildings to be mapped for an indoor navigation system. Wsen-Pads is slim, making it suitable for mobile devices. The low power operation means it is possible to supply it with batteries or even energy via energy harvesting.

The piezo resistive sensor is specified for an industrial temperature range from -40 to +85 degrees C. Würth Elektronik also offers a tailored evaluation board.

The sensor is available from stock without a minimum order quantity.

Würth Elektronik eiSos is a manufacturer of electronic and electromechanical components for the electronics industry. The company is one of the largest European manufacturers of passive components and is active in 50 countries. Production sites in Europe, Asia and North America supply a growing number of customers worldwide.

The product range includes EMC components, inductors, transformers, RF components, varistors, capacitors, resistors, quartz crystals, oscillators, power modules, wireless power transfer, LEDs, sensors, connectors, power supply elements, switches, push-buttons, connection technology, fuse holders and solutions for wireless data transmission.

http://www.we-online.com

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White label NFC chip can be used on premium goods

Fri, Nov 01, 2019

Now available with a white label chip called Smartrac OTP, the Circus Pro NFC inlays or tags have been developed and manufactured by Smartrac as a cost-effective option for secure product authentication in premium consumer packaged goods (CPG), industrial components, retail, cosmetics and healthcare, as well as branded pharmaceutical products.

The Circus Pro NFC inlays or tags can be embedded into physical products or packaging to provide real-time tag and message authentication based on  cryptographic algorithms. The OTP IC generates one time password values based on hash-based message authentication codes as published by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF RFC 4226). To comply with an array of individual customer requirements, the chip supports a choice of digital verification services for secure product authentication and the delivery of exclusive digital content.

All Circus Pro inlays and tags enable customers to easily and securely verify product authenticity with their smartphones.

The Circus Pro range includes Circus Dura, Circus Flex, Circus On-Metal and Circus Tamper Loop NG inlays and tags. Smartrac’s Circus Pro NFC inlays and tags and Circus Pro Flex wet inlays with OTP ICs are available now.

Smartrac specialises in RFID products and IoT solutions, providing both ready-made and customised offerings. Its portfolio is used in animal identification, automation, automotive, brand protection, customer experience, industry, library and media management, logistics, retail and supply chain management.

Smartrac has global Research & Development Centers, production and sales network, and its IoT solutions platform Smart Cosmos. Smartrac received ARC Quality Certification from Auburn University’s RFID Lab for the design and manufacturing of its RFID inlays.

http://www.smartrac-group.com

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Bluetooth low energy module from u-blox includes direction finding

Thu, Oct 31, 2019

Features such as direction finding, long range and operation up to +105 degrees C make up the u-blox NINA-B4 series of standalone modules. They are designed for indoor positioning applications and for deployments in harsh environments.

The u-blox NINA-B4 Bluetooth low energy modules are based on Nordic Semiconductor’s recently announced nRF52833 chip. The module enables Bluetooth long range, Bluetooth mesh, and Bluetooth direction finding for applications in the connected industry, smart homes, buildings, and cities, asset tracking, and healthcare.

Bluetooth’s new direction finding feature, part of the Bluetooth v5.1 specification, brings the benefits of high precision positioning to indoor applications, says u-blox. NINA-B4 is the first u-blox module designed to act as both a transmitter and a receiver in angle of arrival (AoA) and angle of departure (AoD) direction finding and indoor positioning applications.

In AoA-based implementations, stationary beacons equipped with multi-antenna arrays determine the angle of arrival of signals emitted by a tracking device to pinpoint the tracker’s location with sub-meter level accuracy. When AoD is used, the tracking device triangulates its position by calculating the angle of departure of signals from the stationary Bluetooth beacons’ multi-antenna arrays.

The NINA-B4 enables wireless mesh networks for robust communication between large numbers of connected devices. The networks relay messages from node to node and, by simplifying the control of groups of devices, can be used in smart lighting systems in cities and buildings. These applications also further benefit from the module’s enhanced operating temperature range (up to +105 degrees C).

Bluetooth long range is also a feature for the NINA-B4 series, making it suitable for deployments in harsh environments, e.g. to enable wirelessly connected and configurable equipment. Long range not only increases the distance that Bluetooth signals can travel in undisturbed environments, it also makes communications more robust and reliable in unfavourable ones, such as in production plants or on factory floors.

The NINA-B4 series is supplied with u-blox u‑connect software. It provides an interface to configure the required connectivity to integrate Bluetooth into new and existing products.

There is also a powerful Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller with an open CPU architecture. This allows customers to run their own applications right on the module. Supporting Zigbee and Thread, the first members of the NINA-B4 family have an internal PCB antenna, or alternatively, are supplied with a U.FL connector for an external antenna of choice.

Samples of the NINA-B4 will be available in December.

http://www.u-blox.com

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Winbond exploits HyperRAM for AIoT

Thu, Oct 31, 2019

The artificial intelligence of things (AIoT) will consist of  automotive electronics, industrial 4.0, and smart home applications, new IoT edge devices and human-machine interface devices, all of which will require new functionality in terms of size, power consumption, and performance.  New microcontrollers are being developed to meet these demands with higher performance and lower power consumption and with new RAM options to improve that of the existing SDRAM and pSRAM available.

HyperRAM supports the HyperBus interface and Winbond Electronics offers 32, 64 and 128Mbit devices. Hans Liao, technology manager of DRAMs at Winbond, explained that the computing power, data processing and image display functions of traditional MCUs are limited and that the new IoT devices often have touch panel as image control interface, or require stronger edge computing functions for image processing and speech recognition, requiring higher performance, lower power microcontrollers.

Winbond’s 64Mbit HyperRAM consumes 90 microW at 1.8V, which is about half of a DRAM of the same capacity, claims the company. The power consumption of HyperRAM is only 45 microW at 1.8V in hybrid sleep mode – as opposed to the standby mode of an SDRAM. A low power SDRAM has a larger form factor than HyperRAM, says Winbond.

In addition, HyperRAM has only 13 signal pins, which can greatly simplify the PCB layout design.  It also means that when designing end products, developers can use microcontrollers with more pin-out for other purposes or use microcontrollers with fewer pins for cost-effectiveness.

Simplifying control interface is another feature of HyperRAM.  Based on pSRAM architecture, HyperRAM is a self-refresh RAM.  It can automatically return to standby mode. This means system memory is easier to use, and the development of firmware and drivers is also simplified, says Winbond.

Winbond’s HyperRAM is based on a 38nm process node, which will continue to move toward 25nm, confirms Winbond.

Winbond’s entry to the HyperRAM camp makes it the third supplier, in addition to Cypress and ISSI. Its 32Mbit device has entered mass production, the 64 and 128Mbit are expected to enter mass production in 4Q19 and 1Q20 respectively.  Products of 24BGA (automotive grade), 49BGA and KGD are available.  The size of 24BGA is 6.0 x 8.0mm2, while the 49BGA is only 4.0 x 4.0mm2, which targets the consumer wearable market.

http://www.Winbond.com

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