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Two data lane ReDriver supports MIPI D-PHY 1.2 protocols

Wed, Nov 15, 2023

A low power, high performance MIPI D-PHY 1.2-compliant signal ReDriver by Diodes, the PI2MEQX2503, regenerates signals transmitted at data rates up to 2.5Gbits per second from cameras to displays. It is suitable for various applications, including laptops, tablets, mobile phones, IoT devices, commercial displays, augmented reality headsets, drones and robots.

It has a dual data lane equaliser and a single clock lane. The PI2MEQX2503 compensates for PCB, connector, cable and switching-related losses. This ReDriver enables optimum electrical performance from a CSI2 source to a DSI sink. It operates at up to 2.5Gbits per second to comply with the MIPI D-PHY 1.2 specification for camera images with increasing numbers of pixels.

The 120mW active-mode power consumption of the PI2MEQX2503 is more power efficient compared to a ReTimer, said Diodes. The low power (5mW), ultra low power (2mW) and shutdown (0.2mW) modes of operation offer further power savings, helping to extend battery life. It also has programmable receiver equalisation, output swing and pre-emphasis to compensate for channel loss with low latency over longer length traces while minimising power consumption.

For added robustness, the PI2MEQX2503 supports a -40 to +85 degrees C operating temperature range for industrial applications. The ReDriver is supplied in a small X1QFN-24 (XEA24) package measuring only 2.0 x 4.0mm.

Diodes is a Standard and Poor’s SmallCap 600 and Russell 3000 Index company, which delivers semiconductor products to companies in the automotive, industrial, computing, consumer electronics and communications markets. It leverages an expanded product portfolio of discrete, analogue and mixed-signal products and packaging technology to meet customers’ needs. The company has 32 sites worldwide, including engineering, testing, manufacturing, and customer service, to serve high volume, high growth markets.

http://www.diodes.com

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Vehicle simulation software natively supports OpenScenario 1.2

Fri, Nov 10, 2023

Release 8 of DYNA4, the simulation software for virtual test driving, has been released by Vector Informatik. The new scenario engine now natively supports the ASAM standard OpenSCENARIO 1.2 as input format for the description of complex test drive scenarios.

DYNA4 offers scenario-based testing of vehicle control functions with seamless integration of the ASAM standards OpenSCENARIO, OpenDRIVE and OSI. Extensively modelled scenario catalogues are consistently reused throughout the entire ECU development process and across various simulation execution environments.

The ASAM standard OpenSCENARIO defines a description format for modelling the dynamic part of driving scenarios for virtual test drives, for example, the manoeuvres of road users such as surrounding vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. The static part of a scenario, such as the underlying road network, is modelled based on the complementary OpenDRIVE standard. The new scenario engine of DYNA4 now offers the simulation of driving scenarios modelled in the OpenSCENARIO format. The standard describes a wide range of actions that can influence the behaviour of the entities involved in the scenario, as well as conditions that serve as trigger conditions for the initiation of actions. This allows traffic scenarios to be modelled with any degree of complexity. During the scenario execution DYNA4 allows flexible access to simulated model signals. For reading values to trigger conditions, or for writing values to perform signal manipulations, for example for a targeted fault injection.

The native support of ASAM standards in DYNA4 offers a maximum of consistent use of modelled scenarios throughout the entire ECU development process. This not only increases the efficiency of simulation-based function testing, but also ensures investment security when building comprehensive scenario catalogues, said DYNA4.

The physical models of DYNA4 or its scenario engine module can be integrated into other tool chains with ASAM standards. Interface problems when transmitting generated ground truth data or simulated sensor data are avoided by supporting the ASAM OSI format.

Another new feature in DYNA4 R8 is the direct injection of simulated camera images into an ADAS ECU. The virtual cameras available for this purpose in DYNA4 offer different distortion models for regular or fisheye lenses with a range of applicable image effects and configurable Bayer filter pattern, according to the CMOS used. For direct injection to an ECU, images generated via real-time simulation are sent via Ethernet to the Vector VX1161 multi base module. The module outputs them as serialised image streams via FPD-Link III or GMSL using the VX1161.51 streaming interface cards. The ADAS function code on the ECU processes the injected virtual camera images to perform its detection, fusion, tracking, and planning tasks. When the ECU outputs are received with the Vector VN network interfaces or the VT System cards, they can be fed back into the virtual DYNA4 vehicle model. This creates a hardware-in-the-loop test system for ADAS ECUs.

http://www.vector.com

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Infineon introduces PSoC Edge family for power-efficient machine learning

Thu, Nov 09, 2023

A new family of microcontrollers have been added to Infineon Technologies’ PSoC portfolio of Arm Cortex-based, high performance, low power, secured devices.
PSoC Edge is designed for next generation, responsive compute and control applications, featuring hardware-assisted machine learning (ML) acceleration. The microcontrollers enable end products to be more intelligent and intuitively usable, by lowering the barrier in human-machine interaction and adding contextual awareness to end applications, explained Infineon. At the same time, they provide robust privacy and safety protection through embedded Infineon Edge Protect technologies.
Microcontrollers in the new PSoC Edge portfolio offer a mix of scalable power and performance to support emerging AI/ML requirements, extensive HMI capabilities and security features required for next-generation applications. All supported with a deep ecosystem of software and tools, fit for task, said Steve Tateosian, senior vice president of microcontrollers for Infineon.
The PSoC Edge devices are based on Arm Cortex-M55, including Helium DSP support paired with Arm Ethos-U55 and Cortex-M33 paired with Infineon’s low power NNLite which is a proprietary hardware accelerator intended to accelerate the neural networks used in ML and AI applications. There is also support for always-on sensing and response which makes them suitable for advanced IoT and industrial segments such as smart home, security, wearables and robotics, said the company. The family of devices comes with non-volatile, on-chip RRAM as well as high speed, secured external memory support. The PSoC Edge family provides scalability for next-generation intelligent systems while enabling software reuse and portability, Infineon added.
The enhanced intelligence of the PSoC Edge family extends support for advanced graphics, voice, audio and vision-based applications to the existing PSoC portfolio. The new family enables easy migration of applications within the family, as well as an upgrade path from existing designs.
Developers can leverage the power of PSoC Edge for current and future design needs. There is also a strong ecosystem partners, comprehensive documentation and the ModusToolbox software, including integration with Imagimob Studio AI to accelerate time to market.
Infineon’s ModusToolbox software platform provides a collection of development tools, libraries, and embedded runtime assets for a flexible and comprehensive development experience for consumer IoT, industrial, smart home and wearable applications.
Imagimob Studio is an Edge AI development platform, integrated into ModusToolbox, and delivers end to end ML development, from data in to model deployed. There are starter projects and Imagimob’s Ready Models available all designed to support developer deploying ML models for the edge.
The PSoC Edge family is available for early access customers now.

http://www.infineon.com/psocedge

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High-speed gate driver IC save energy in miniature lidar applications

Thu, Nov 09, 2023

Energy saving and miniaturisation in lidar applications and data centres are possible with the BD2311NVX-LB gate driver IC, claimed Rohm Semiconductor. It is optimised for GaN devices and achieves gate drive speeds on the order of nanoseconds which is suitable for high speed GaN switching. This results in fast switching with a minimum gate input pulse width of 1.25 nanoseconds that contributes to smaller, more energy efficient, higher performance applications, said Rohm.
Improving power conversion efficiency while reducing the size of power supply units in server systems are priorities as the number of IoT devices continues to grow. At the same time, lidar which is used for monitoring industrial equipment and social infrastructure as well as vehicles, demands high-speed pulsed laser light to further increase recognition accuracy.
GaN devices are sensitive towards gate input overvoltage, Rohm has developed a method to suppress the gate voltage overshoots and has implemented it into this driver. The optimum GaN device can be selected by adjusting the gate resistance based on application requirements, explained Rohm. The BD2311NVX-LB gate driver has a gate overvoltage suppression feature and when used with Rohm’s EcoGaN products simplifies a design and enhances application reliability.
Professor Yue-Ming Hsin, from the Department of Electrical Engineering, National Central University, Taiwan, said: “GaN devices are expected to be materials that can demonstrate performance in the high-frequency range more than silicon. In power switching applications such as DC/DC and AC/DC converters, and in lidar applications, the performance of GaN devices can contribute to smaller, more energy-efficient, and higher performance applications,” he said.
A team from the National Taipei University of Technology and Chang Gung University are working together on the same project, testing Rohm BD2311NVX gate driver IC. The results showed that BD2311NVX had shorter rise time and lower ringing at 1MHz switching frequency for boost converters compared to other driver ICs. The reduced rise time of this driver IC will help maximise the reduction in switching losses, which is an advantage of GaN.
Target applications are lidar drive circuits in industrial equipment or infrastructure monitoring, DC/DC converter circuits in data centres and base stations, wireless charging for portable devices and Class D audio amplifiers.
The IC is available from online distributors, Farnell, DigiKey and Mouser. The IC will be offered at other online distributors as it becomes available.
Reference designs for lidar, 150V EcoGaN and high power laser diodes are now available on Rohm’s website.

https://www.rohm.com/

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Two data lane ReDriver supports MIPI D-PHY 1.2 protocols

Vehicle simulation software natively supports OpenScenario 1.2

Infineon introduces PSoC Edge family for power-efficient machine learning

High-speed gate driver IC save energy in miniature lidar applications

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