Smart Cities

Industrial flash memories extend temperature ranges for AIoT

Tue, Oct 19, 2021

Advantech is adopting Kioxia 112-layer flash BiCS5 in multiple series and form factors. The BiCS5 3D TLC SQFlash BiCS5 provides NAND chips with extended native temperature ranges for operation in extreme environments. They support use in applications that require ruggedised designs, adds the company.

The SQFlash BiCS5 provides 50 per cent faster flash speeds than previous NAND generation technology, says Advantech, and are suitable for high-resolution display applications such as gaming or medical displays and indoor/outdoor signage.

They deliver up to 8Tbyte capacity for 5G and Wi-Fi6 data transmission and AI analytical data storage used in edge computing, gaming, AI and smart manufacturing industries applications.

The devices also support SSD operation in wide temperature environments (-40 to 85 degrees C), making them suitable for energy sourcing facilities, automated factories and in-vehicle applications that require advanced reliability in harsh environments.

Advantech’s SQFlash series comprises a selection of security features with the wide coverage of a TCG-OPAL-compliant design. Flash Vault uses a password to secure the drive whilst hardware and firmware write protection prevents data replacement or removal. There is also crypto erase to enable full data sanitisation on the SQFlash.

The SQFlash BiCS5 product series will be available for early customer samples in October 2021. The BiCS5 NAND Flash will be implemented into more SQFlash series in 2022.

Founded in 1983, Advantech provides products and services. The company offers system integration, hardware, software, customer-centric design services, embedded systems, automation products, and global logistics support. It co-operates with partners in a range of diverse industries.

http://www.advantech.eu  

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Vector releases tool to test ADAS sensor functions

Mon, Oct 18, 2021

Version 6 of DYNA4, the tool for virtual test driving has been released by Vector. DYNA4 R6 expands the possibilities for testing ADAS functions with improvements in the environment sensor models and the visualisation of scenarios. There are also new functions of the simulation standards ASAM OSI for sensor data communication and the road network ASAM OpenDrive.

The release’s DYNA4, the simulation environment for virtual test driving, has enhanced 3D visualisation and camera image generation to address real-time, close-to-reality modelling of the environment. The simulation facilitates the consistent use of physical lighting parameters in driving scenarios. This enables developers to test camera-based control systems in challenging lighting situations such as backlighting or strongly varying light intensities. Camera images are generated with a high dynamic range (HDR) and can then be arranged as Bayer matrix. DYNA4 additionally provides ASAM OSI ground truth information. The object information detected through image processing can be directly validated based on this information. The same applies to other sensor technologies, such as lidar, ultrasound or radar.

DYNA4 is based on simulation standards and includes a variety of interfaces to maximise the possibilities when using the virtual test drives in an existing tool infrastructure. Based on the use of the ASAM OSI standard in DYNA4, object-based sensors can transmit information as OSI messages. Other applications receive these data to process them. For example, CANoe, where the data is used for remaining bus simulation in HIL mode and displayed in the scene window. ASAM OSI considerably reduces the effort required to set up and maintain the interfaces between the simulation and the sensors or engine control units (ECU) functions

Through optimisation of the model structure, version 6 is more user-friendly in the consistent use from MIL, SIL to HIL, says Vector. The company has also worked to make it easier to integrate controller components into the virtual test vehicle. Different variants and development versions of a controller component can be exchanged with each other while the model interface remains constant, without the need for any further model changes. Furthermore, flexible access to signal and control variables in the model has been simplified allowing the user to manipulate them dynamically during a test run.

http://www.vector.com

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Force rebalance MEMS accelerometer reduces weight in navigation systems

Fri, Oct 15, 2021

Designed for challenging environments, the Tronics AXO315 force-rebalance digital MEMS accelerometer withstands severe temperature and vibration conditions experience in industrial, land, rail, navy, oil and gas and construction applications, says TDK.

The one-axis, closed looped digital MEMS sensor has a ±14g range. The in-plane linear accelerometer achieves a one-year composite repeatability of 1mg, and a 600ppm composite scale factor repeatability over temperatures ranging from -55 to +105 degrees C and under 4g vibrations.

In addition to vibration rejection, it exhibits superior Allan variance characteristics, says TDK, with a basis instability of 4.0 microg, a velocity random walk of 0.006m per second per sq root h and a very low noise of 15 microg/ sq root Hz, for high resolution and low error.

Its performance is equivalent to the incumbent analogue quartz accelerometers and mechanical inclinometers, but at a fraction of their size, weight, and price, says TDK, resulting in a reduction in size, weight and cost of materials in servo inclinometers and dynamic inclinometers in industrial motion control units, as well as inertial measurement units (IMUs) and inertial navigation systems (INS) for GNSS-aided positioning, navigation of manned and unmanned ground vehicles and trains.

The AXO315 features a force-rebalance architecture, a 24-bit digital SPI in an SMD package. It is also claimed to outperform all commercially available MEMS sensors components and offers easier integration compared to analogue sensors.

It is supplied in lightweight 1.4g hermetic SMD J-lead ceramic package (12 x 12 x 5.0mm), enabling low-cost assembly and reliability on PCB, even in fast-changing temperature conditions.

The sensor can be evaluated with an Arduino-based evaluation kit that is specifically designed to provide developers with improved testing functionalities such as output reading and recording, recalibration and digital self-tests.

Both sensor and evaluation kit are available from Digi-Key, Mouser and Farnell and its affiliates Newark and Element 14.

 https://www.tronics.tdk.com

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RAA78815x transceivers lead the industry in EFT immunity, says Renesas

Fri, Oct 15, 2021

Claimed to have the industry’s highest electrical fast transient (EFT) immunity, the RAA78815x family of 5V RS-485/422 transceivers have been released by Renesas Electronics.

The differential transceivers deliver ±5000V EFT immunity and up to ±16,000V electrostatic discharge (ESD) immunity, making them suitable for a variety of industrial and automation applications.

There are six full and half duplex ruggedised devices in the series. All meet the RS-485 and RS-422 communication standards and can be used in industrial network, process control network, building automation, long-haul network, and security camera network applications.

The RAA78815x family are characterised by differential output voltage performance, says Renesas; for example 3.1V into the RS-485-required 54 Ohm load. The high speed transceivers also feature bus leakage currents of maximum 125 microA, representing a true 1/8 unit load to the RS-485 bus. Developers can connect up to 512 transceivers on the same bus without using repeaters and without compromising the RS-485 network standard’s 32-unit load maximum. As a result, the transceivers can lower implementation and downtime costs because a single network can support more nodes with lower likelihood of communications issues due to ESD and EFT over-voltage transients.

“EFT immunity is mission critical for devices operating in harsh industrial and automation environments, such as HVAC, factory, and smart grid equipment, where devices are frequently turned on and off or added and disconnected from the system” said Bobby Matinpour, vice president of the Standard Products Business Division at Renesas. “Featuring superior EFT immunity, output drive, and supply current levels, the RAA78815x family builds on 50 years’ experience in RS-485/422 transceiver design to deliver robust solutions for industrial and factory automation.”

The RAA78815x transceivers are available now in MSOP and SOIC packages with pin counts ranging from eight to 14. An evaluation board for the new transceiver family is also available.

https://www.renesas.com

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