Buck-boost non-isolated DC/DC converters are rugged for AGVs 

Rugged, non-isolated DC/DC converters with a wide range input and outputs make up the RGC series by TDK-Lambda.

The 300W DC/DC converters have an input voltage of 9.0 to 53V and deliver output voltages that can be adjustable from 9.6 to 48V or 5.0 to 28V with output currents of up to 12.5A. 

The series is designed to be used in harsh environment applications including robotics, AGVs (automated guided vehicles), communications, COTS, industrial and portable battery-powered equipment.

They are supplied in a 1/16th brick form factor, measuring 38.1 x 49.5 x 13mm. The converters are encapsulated to provide a higher resistance to shock and vibration with qualification to MIL-STD-810G. The five-sided aluminium die cast housing with mounting tabs reduces radiated EMI and enables conduction cooling to a cold-plate for fanless operation, added TDK-Lambda.

The RGC models offer two voltage and current combinations to support operation from 12V, 18V, 24V, 36V and 48V batteries and power sources. The buck-boost topology allows the converter to maintain regulation even when the output voltage exceeds the input. When the converter is placed in standby using the remote on/off, the input current can be reduced to 0.25mA to conserve the battery charge. TDK-Lambda pointed out that wide input ranges simplify inventory management because one part number can cover multiple input and output voltages.

With efficiencies of up to 97 per cent, power losses are minimised allowing the products to operate in harsh environments with case temperatures of -40 to +115 degrees C. The basic feature models include an output voltage adjustment pin, negative logic remote on/off, remote sense, input under-voltage, over-current and thermal protection.

All models carry the CE and UKCA mark for the Low Voltage and RoHS Directives and are designed to the IEC/UL/CSA/EN 62368-1 safety standards. 

Evaluation boards are also available for quick and easy testing.

TDK was established in 1935 to commercialise ferrite, a key material in electronic and magnetic products. TDK‘s portfolio features passive components such as ceramic, aluminium electrolytic and film capacitors, as well as magnetics, high-frequency and piezo and protection devices. The product spectrum also includes sensors and sensor systems such as temperature and pressure, magnetic and MEMS sensors. In addition, TDK provides power supplies and energy devices and magnetic heads. The company’s product brands are TDK, Epcos, InvenSense, Micronas, Tronics and TDK-Lambda. 

TDK focuses on demanding markets in automotive, industrial and consumer electronics, and information and communication technology. The company has a network of design and manufacturing locations and sales offices in Asia, Europe, and in North and South America.

TDK-Lambda supplies power conversion products for industrial and medical equipment worldwide and has R&D, manufacturing, sales and service locations in five key geographic regions, namely Japan, EMEA, Americas, China and ASEAN.

https://www.emea.lambda.tdk.com 

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CAN FD can accelerate AI in 5G V2X and AIoT smart manufacturing applications

Capitalising on the growth in the V2X (vehicle to everything) market, Antzer Tech, a subsidiary of Innodisk, has introduced the CAN FD series featuring high speed transmission, large data capacity, and downward compatibility. It is suitable for customers worldwide in the fields of electric vehicle, self-driving cars, and unmanned systems using mass data.

CANbus has been indispensable for traditional telematics, explains Antzer. Not only does it simplify wiring, but it realises highly reliable communication without host computers. As more IoT and V2X applications emerge, however, data loading also increases which could result in latency. The GADN-FD7L0 and FARO-FD700 offer high speed performance, and CAN standard downward compatibility for a painless smart upgrade, said Antzer Tech.

The CAN FD solution by Antzer Tech addresses the limitation of data transmission speeds and increases the data payload capacity by eight times compared with the CANbus network. 

For example, in telematics systems, it collects multiple system data of power management, radar sensing, cameras and GPS non-stop. According to Antzer, the CAN FD can break through the limitations of CANbus and contribute to unmanned smart manufacturing and logistics systems, despite the complexity of data transmission in these sectors. 

In addition, the CAN FD features high fault tolerance and debugging capabilities to enhance data reliability.

For safety requirements, it complies with the industry-level wide-temperature standard and features GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and UDR / ADR  (untethered dead reckoning / automotive dead reckoning) functions to offer accurate positioning in tunnels, mountains, and other environments with unstable signals. This capability helps to increase transportation safety and optimise management as for unmanned telematics systems, said Antzer.

Innodisk provides flash memory, DRAM modules, and embedded peripheral products for industrial and enterprise applications. 

https://www.innodisk.com

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Cadence embraces AI with Virtuoso Studio

Generative AI technology features in the Virtuoso Studio to empower designers to push semiconductor and 3D-IC design boundaries by seamless integration, said Cadence Design Systems.

The new Cadence Virtuoso Studio is a custom design platform for custom analogue design, said the company. It features a reimagined infrastructure, manages design processes and allows more than a three-fold improvement in design throughput for today’s largest designs.

A new design space optimisation feature lets customers use AI algorithms to navigate competing specifications and aid in design centring, particularly after the process migration of a design. Customers can experience faster interactive editing in both the layout and schematic tools, thanks to optimised code and algorithms, while multi-threading accelerates rendering, connectivity extraction and design rule checks in parallel. The Cadence Spectre FMC analysis is integrated into Virtuoso Studio and provides a complete machine learning-based Monte Carlo variation to deliver a three-to-six-sigma yield with orders of magnitude speedup over brute force Monte Carlo analysis.

Virtuoso Studio addresses the challenges customers face with larger, more complex designs, with analysis and verification to ensure that design intent is maintained throughout the design cycle. This iteration features seamless integration with other Cadence tools, including the Cadence Spectre Simulation Platform, Cadence Allegro PCB Design and Cadence Pegasus Verification System. According to Cadence, it removes traditional barriers between different design domains and speeding design closure. Virtuoso Studio is integrated with AWR Microwave Office, Pegasus Design Rule Check (DRC) Solution and Layout Versus Schematic (LVS), all available from within the Virtuoso Layout Suite. These provide mmWave design and interactive signoff quality analysis during layout creation. Additionally, customers can access the Spectre Simulation Platform, including the Spectre X Simulator and Spectre FX Simulator, through Virtuoso Studio, which allows designers to analyse the industry’s largest analogue and mixed-signal designs.

The new Virtuoso Studio can be used for analogue, RFIC and mixed-signal designs. It allows design teams to leverage comprehensive planar and FinFET-based layout placement automation and new routing to improve engineering productivity.

It also offers scalable, cloud-ready solutions for occurrences when hundreds of simulations become thousands. The software is optimised for customers’ preferred cloud providers or ready for private cloud deployment.

To ease with the process migration for schematics and layouts, tools within the Virtuoso ADE Suite quickly re-centre and validate designs post-migration, to reduce time-to-market. Customers can use the AI-enabled tools to take existing IP and transform it for the next-generation designs.

It also allows the heterogeneous integration of 2.5D and 3D designs for advanced nodes, analogue / RF packaging / modules and photonics systems.

http://www.cadence.com

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DIN-rail embedded system caters for sustainable energy data collection 

Designed with scalability in mind, Axiomtek included storage, wireless module expansions and I/O interfaces in its ICO330 embedded system. The DIN-rail, fanless computer is powered by the Intel Atom x6212RE or x6414RE processor. 

The ICO330 has an extended operating temperature range of -40 to +70 degrees C and 9.0V to 36V DC wide power input or a choice of typical 12V / 24V. It is robust and acts as a cost-effective industrial IoT gateway for data collection and communication in the fields of sustainable energy, oil & gas, factory automation, intelligent agricultures and smart buildings.

“With the increasing adoption of connected IoT devices, OT [operating technology] environments are becoming more interconnected and integrated with IT [information technology] systems,” said Mark Lu, product manager of the Product PM division at Axiomtek. The ICO330 provides built-in isolated system design and modular mechanism design, addressing “80 per cent of the environmental requirements in the OT field, reducing the integration time for customers,” he added. It also minimises the cost and system size resulting in significant savings for customers,” he said. With regards to security, the ICO330 supports TPM 2.0 to comply with industry standards.

The IP40-rated ICO330 comes with one DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM with up to 32Gbyte of memory. One mSATA, one internal 2.5 inch SATA drive and onboard 8G eMMC are available to extend storage capacity. In addition, the IIoT gateway comes with an M.2 slot (USB 3.0/PCIe) for 5G connectivity and NVMe storage, a full-size Rev. 1.2 PCI Express Mini Card slot (USB/PCIe) for Wi-Fi/LTE module, and a half-size Rev. 1.2 PCI Express Mini Card slot (mSATA/USB) for wireless module and mSATA SSD.

The cost-conscious embedded system features rich I/O interfaces, including one HDMI, two USB 3.1, and five antenna openings. It also supports three 2.5GbE LAN ports for more Ethernet topology deployment. The modular I/O design affords users flexibility and full/slim configuration options. The ICO330 provides one isolated direct I/O and six isolated COM ports (RS-232/422/485) in the full type or customers can choose the slim model with two isolated COM ports. 

The industrial-grade DIN-rail embedded platform is compatible with Windows 10 IoT and Linux to provide an open standard operating system for software program development.

Axiomtek’s industrial-grade DIN-rail embedded system ICO330 will be available in May 2023. 

http://www.axiomtek.com

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