Sector News

Nexperia introduces Energy Balance Calculator for enhanced battery life optimisation

Fri, Feb 09, 2024

Nexperia have announced the release of the Energy Balance Calculator. A powerful web-based tool designed to assist battery management engineers in maximising the battery life of their applications. The calculator facilitates the integration of Nexperia’s Energy Harvesting PMICs into their systems by providing engineers with precise data for informed decision-making.

At the core of Nexperia’s Energy Harvesting PMICs is the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm, enabling efficient energy harvest from the environment for various consumer electronics and IoT devices. To utilise these PMICs at their full potential, the calculator works with real-world technical parameters. It calculates the energy delivered to the load and the energy compensation. Thus, offering insights into potential battery life extension or achieving energy autonomy. Engineers can furthermore visualise system efficiency and precision through an efficiency curve provided by the tool.

“We are proud to introduce the Energy Balance Calculator, reaffirming our commitment to empowering engineers in enhancing system efficiency and combating battery waste. This tool allows engineers to make informed decisions ensuring optimal utilisation of our energy harvesting solution and extending the lifespan of electronic devices,” says Javed Ahmad, Senior Director of Product Management for IC Solutions at Nexperia.

Nexperia’s energy harvesting solutions system enable engineers to rethink their designs for wireless IoT nodes, wearables, smart tags, and electronic shelf labels to be more environmentally sustainable, economical energy harvesting from various ambient sources in applications consuming up to several milliwatts of power.

https://www.nexperia.com/energy-balance-calculator

Written by Annie Shinn

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Kontron announces KISS Rackmount PC in 1U format with high performance and energy efficiency

Fri, Feb 09, 2024

Kontron has announced the KISS 1U V4 ADL Rackmount PC, a compact member of the KISS product family for demanding industrial applications. The robust and space-saving 1U industrial computer scores with a motherboard developed and manufactured in Germany based on 12th/13th generation Intel Core processors and thus with more performance, increased reliability and better energy efficiency. This makes it particularly suitable for use in demanding industrial environments, as well as for high-end image processing and SCADA/MES applications, but also in person-related areas such as control technology and medical environments.

The powerful systems of the KISS V4 ADL series are based on Kontron motherboards with Intel Core i9/i7/i5/i3 processors of the 12th/13th generation with up to 24 cores. Two GbE ports, one with up to 2.5 Gb/s and eight external USB ports including USB-C ensure high data throughput and connectivity. Two DIMM sockets, each with up to 64 GB, provide sufficient RAM. Equipped with DDR5 UDIMM memory, a significant increase in performance is also achieved. A wide range of internal and hot-swappable external storage media enables customized systems for any application.

A particularly compact and powerful system is now available for the industrial automation, video surveillance and medical technology markets in particular, which opens up a new dimension in graphics applications with its four DisplayPort interfaces. Powerful power supply units are also available for AI and machine learning applications, allowing the installation of high-end GPU cards.

Like all members of the new KISS family, the KISS 1U V4 ADL also supports the highest security standards and allows real-time applications for control tasks in the control cabinet or data consolidation in the local cloud thanks to TSN features.

The entire KISS product family meets high requirements in extreme environments: Thanks to the effective cooling concept, the rackmount system can withstand ambient temperatures from 0 °C to +50 °C during 24/7 continuous operation. The high shock and vibration resistance also predestines the KISS V4 ADL series for robust industrial applications.

Customer-specific adaptations, such as individual front covers, can be implemented quickly and cost-effectively thanks to the modular concept, even for small and medium quantities.

https://www.kontron.com/en/products/kiss-1u-v4-adl/p183444

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u-blox introduces new LTE-M modules with integrated GNSS to boost industrial connectivity  

Wed, Feb 07, 2024

u-blox has announced two new LTE-M cellular module series, the SARA-R52 and LEXI-R52. These modules, designed for industrial applications, are based on the u-blox UBX-R52 cellular chip and are tailored for integrated and concurrent positioning and wireless communication needs. Typical IoT use cases include fixed and mobile applications such as metering and utility, asset tracking and monitoring, as well as healthcare.

A set of new features embedded within the u-blox UBX-R52 chip will allow users to dispense with additional components to design their products. SpotNow is a new positioning feature unique to u-blox, which provides position data with a 10 m accuracy within a couple of seconds. It is meant for occasional tracking applications such as recycling waste dumpsters, elderly trackers, or cleaning machines. The uCPU feature allows users to run their own software within the chip without using an external MCU. The uSCM (Smart Connection Manager), on the other hand, is designed for automatic connectivity management to achieve either best performance or lowest power consumption, for example when a connection is lost and needs to be re-established.

The new u-blox R52 series also introduces a new combo module designed to offer simultaneous GNSS and cellular connectivity – an important attribute for applications requiring continuous or cyclic tracking. The u-blox SARA-R520M10 combo module comes equipped with an integrated u-blox M10 GNSS receiver and ensures concurrent tracking with low-power consumption, better TTFF, and improved RF sensitivity. It is tailored for users who seek the simplicity of a pre-integrated cellular and GNSS solution.

Many LTE-M modules only offer an RF output power of 20-21 dBm, whereas the new R52 series offers 23 dBm, ensuring stable connectivity in challenging coverage conditions. The LEXI-R52 provides the same features as the SARA-R52, but in a smaller form factor (16 x 16 x 2 mm), ideal for ultra-small applications like wearables.

Samples are available now, with volume production scheduled for Q3 2024.

https://www.u-blox.com

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ZF launches a battery-free energy harvesting switch module.

Wed, Feb 07, 2024

ZF has announced a battery-free and wireless switch module which is based on ZF’s patented energy harvesting technology and the EnOcean protocol.

As a member of the EnOcean Alliance, ZF succeeded in fully certifying the switch module in accordance with the EnOcean RF standard which is especially designed for energy harvesting solutions.

The ZF switch module uses the RF frequency 868 MHz and operates energy self-sufficient i.e. batteries and wires are completely redundant. The energy for sending a RF protocol is generated by the actuation of a very compact inductive generator (20.1 x 7.3 x 14.3 mm).

The maintenance-free modules are compatible with various switch designs available on the market. As a wireless solution, these radio modules offer flexibility and design freedom in order to realise individual requirements.

Besides the switch module with EnOcean protocol, a module for KNX-RF is available in series production. Also customer-specific protocols are possible.

At Light+Building in Frankfurt from 3rd to 8th March 2024, ZF shows in hall 9.0, stand no. E21 various energy harvesting applications in the area of Smart Home & Smart Building.

For further information on the energy harvesting product range from ZF, please click here: https://switches-sensors.zf.com/energy-harvesting/

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