Sector News Archives - Page 489 of 607 - SmartCitiesElectronics.com

Microcontrollers have dual-core performance

Wed, Jun 05, 2019

Claimed to be the industry’s highest-performing Arm Cortex-M general-purpose microcontrollers, the STM32H7 devices combined dual-core operation with power-saving features and enhanced cyber protection, says STMicroelectronics.

The microcontrollers use a 480MHz version of the Cortex-M7, the highest performing member of the Cortex-M family and add a 240MHz Cortex-M4 core. The microcontrollers are based on ST’s smart architecture and have its efficient L1 cache and adaptive real-time ART Accelerator, to set new speed records at 1327 DMIPS and 3224 CoreMark executing from embedded Flash.

ST’s Chrom-ART Accelerator boosts graphics performance, while each core operates in its own power domain and can be turned off individually when not needed, to maximise power efficiency.

Developers can upgrade existing applications using the two cores, for example, adding a sophisticated user interface to a motor drive, formerly hosted on a single-core Cortex-M4, by migrating legacy code to the STM32H7 Cortex-M4 with the new graphics user interface (GUI) running on the Cortex-M7. Another example is to boost application performance by offloading intensive workloads such as neural networks, checksums, DSP filtering, or audio codecs.

The dual-core architecture also helps simplify code development and accelerate time to market in projects where user-interface code may be developed separately from real-time control or communication features.

STM32H7 microcontrollers have pre-installed keys and native secure services including Secure Firmware Install (SFI). SFI lets customers order standard products anywhere in the world and have the encrypted firmware delivered to an external programming company without exposing unencrypted code. Other protection includes built-in support for Secure Boot and Secure Firmware Update (SB-SFU) to protect over the air (OTA) upgrades and patches.

The STM32H7 microcontrollers have up to 2Mbyte flash and 1Mbyte SRAM on-chip to simplify the design of smart objects in industrial, consumer, and medical applications with real-time performance or artificial intelligence (AI) processing requirements. The Cortex-M7 level 1 cache and parallel and serial memory interfaces offer unlimited and fast access to external memory, adds ST.

The microcontrollers are also characterised by error code correction (ECC) for all flash and RAM to increase safety, multiple advanced 16-bit ADCs, external ambient-temperature range up to 125 degrees C allowing use in severe environments, an Ethernet controller and multiple FD-CAN controllers and ST’s high-resolution timer for generating precision waveforms.

STM32H7 dual-core microcontrollers are entering production and samples are available now.

http://www.st.com

> Read More

Quick-start software to develop embedded ADAS

Tue, Jun 04, 2019

Software has been developed specifically to use the hardware accelerators in Renesas Electronics’ R-Car V3H SoC for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) in automotive design.

To accelerate the development of ADAS, the Perception Quick Start software, based on the R-Car V3H SoC delivers reference software for camera obstacle detection (COD), lidar obstacle detection (LOD), and road feature detection (RFD), deemed as three key recognition areas for sensor-based Level 2+ autonomous vehicle systems.

The COD reference software uses convolutional neural network (CNN) IP, a computer vision engine (CV-E), and image rendering (IMR) technology to detect 2D objects such as cars, trucks, buses, and pedestrians. It achieves approximately 30 frames per second.

The LOD software uses CNN-IP and CV-E to detect 3D objects, including cars and trucks. The LOD achieves approximately 15 frames per second with 3D bounding boxes at 50m.

The RFD reference software uses CNN-IP, CV-E, IMR, and a versatile pipeline engine (IMP) to identify drivable free space, lanes (crossable and uncrossable), road boundaries, and distances to lanes and nearest objects to support NCAP 2020. The RFD achieves approximately 30 frames per second.

The R-Car V3H SoCs deliver a combination of high computer vision performance and artificial intelligence (AI) processing at low power levels, for automotive front cameras in Level 2+ autonomous vehicles. To advance recognition technology, Renesas designed the SoCs with dedicated hardware accelerators for key algorithms including convolutional neural networks, dense optical flow, stereo disparity, and object classification. The Perception software provides an end-to-end pipeline reference for developers working with these complex accelerators which are both cost-effective and power-efficient, thereby allowing customers to advance an application design even if they have limited experience at using the accelerators. The reference software covers input from sensor or recorded data, all stages of processing and display output on a screen.

“Specialised hardware accelerators play an essential role in achieving the computer vision performance and accuracy required in embedded ADAS and autonomy applications while still meeting stringent in-vehicle power consumption limits,” said Tim Grai, director or automotive advanced systems innovation department, Renesas. “However, the complexity of these accelerators can present a steep learning curve. With the Perception Quick Start software, we are able to offer a set of application software along with the underlying primitives to simplify the use of these complex accelerators needed to achieve embedded ADAS.”

Renesas will demonstrate the Perception software at TU-Automotive Detroit (Booth C190, 5-6 June, Novi, Michigan, USA).

http://www.renesas.com

> Read More

Accelerometers support CAN or RS-422 protocols

Tue, Jun 04, 2019

Accelerometers added to the Seiko Epson (Epson) portfolio can monitor the health of the wearer or buildings and infrastructure, as the company releases the M-A352 and the M-A552xxx accelerometers.

The M-A352 accelerometer is designed for infrastructure health monitoring. It provides the necessary noise performance of one micrG/√Hz or better (servo accelerometer class) for a stable supply and cost competitiveness, says Epson.

The M-A552AC1 and M-A552AR1 three-axis accelerometers boast the same performance as the M-A352 but are equipped with the controlled area network (CAN) and RS-422 interfaces, respectively. These interfaces are widely used in industrial applications. The M-A552AC1 and M-A552AR1 are housed in metal packages that provide IP67-equivalent protection against water and dust.

This level of protection against the elements enables the accelerometers to be used in a range of industrial applications that require long distances, stability and reliability, says Epson.

The accelerometers make it easy for developers to build multi-node (multi-point) measurement systems, synchronised measurement systems and other complex, sophisticated measurement systems. They are easy to install, connect, and use even outdoors and under other harsh environmental conditions, adds Epson, and can reduce customer system development times.

Samples of the new products will begin shipping in the summer of 2019, with volume production scheduled for the spring of 2020.

The MA-A552AC1 (CAN) and MA-A552AR1 (RS-422) accelerometers can be used in structure health monitoring to monitor buildings, bridges, tunnels, and steel towers for earthquake detection, environmental vibration measurement and industrial equipment monitoring. They can also be used in unmanned vehicles (e.g., terrestrial vehicles, undersea probes), and for the measurement of the vibration and path of industrial equipment and vehicles.

Epson Europe Electronics is a marketing, engineering and sales company and the European headquarters for electronic devices of Seiko Epson, Japan. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, since 1989, Epson Europe Electronics has 50 employees, European sales representatives and a Europe-wide network of distributors. Epson Europe Electronics provides value added services for semiconductors, sensors, sensing systems and timing devices for a variety of markets, including industrial, automotive, medical, and communications.

http://www.epson-electronics.de

> Read More

Proximity sensors have predictive maintenance features

Tue, Jun 04, 2019

Proximity sensors with IoT features for predictive maintenance have been announced by Omron. The company has released a total of 2,512 models of its DC three-wire E2E Next series proximity sensors.

The sensors are also claimed to have the longest sensing distances, at least twice that of Omron’s previous offerings. This allows for more spacious design, reduces the risk of contact and improves facility operation rates, due to the prevention of stoppage and downtime.

The sensors reduce the risks of sudden facility stoppages by two thirds and also detect warning signs of such stoppages and notify users via the network. They help improve facility operation rates by preventing unforeseen facility stoppages and reducing facility downtime, continues Omron.

Current proximity sensors characteristically have short sensing distances, which carries the risk, for example that equipment vibration may cause the sensor body to move too far away from or come in contact with the sensing object. Such incidents are said to account for approximately 20 per cent of facility stoppages.

The E2E Next series proximity sensors (DC three-wire models) are equipped with Omron’s own thermal distance control 2 and Prox3 hybrid circuitry technologies, which enable sensing distances that are at least twice as long as in previous models, and reduce risks of such facility stoppages by a factor of three. Distances between sensor bodies and sensing objects are constantly monitored, and users are notified via IO-Link communication if they become too great or too small. This allows users to identify warming signs of sudden facility stoppages and arrange timely maintenance.

Omron supplies control components and equipment, ranging from vision sensors and other input devices to various controllers and output devices such as servomotors, as well as a range of safety devices and industrial robots. Devices are combined via software.

Omron’s business fields range from industrial automation and electronic components to automotive electronic components, social infrastructure systems, healthcare, and environmental solutions.

Omron was established in 1933, and today has over 36,000 employees worldwide, in 117 countries.

http://www.omron.com/

> Read More

Microcontrollers have dual-core performance

Quick-start software to develop embedded ADAS

Accelerometers support CAN or RS-422 protocols

Proximity sensors have predictive maintenance features

About Smart Cities