Smart Cities

Omron extends NXR-Series IO-Link for industry 4.0

Thu, Feb 18, 2021

Omron has expanded its NXR-Series IO-Link controller and IO-Link I/O hubs, with IO-Link bi-directional controller and digital I/O capabilities to bring intelligence to manufacturing production lines. The controller and hubs use Maxim Integrated’s MAX14819A dual IO-Link controller and MAX14827A IO-Link device, with MAX14912 and MAX14915 digital output devices.

Omron’s NXR-Series allow continuous diagnostics and monitoring of the health and status of manufacturing equipment at production sites. IO-Link’s bi-directional links bring intelligence to sensors and actuators, enabling equipment to adapt to product changes on-the-fly and make decisions in real time.

Omron has added the first remote digital output IO-Link I/O hub (NXR-CD166C-IL2 module), extending the use of IO-Link beyond sensors, says Maxim Integrated.

Omron analysed unnecessary and inefficient work in production processes and developed the NXR Series which is equipped with functions to save time and lower a production line’s downtime. The company has achieved a 90 per cent reduction in set up and commissioning times by using the NXR IO-Link controller (NXR-ILM08C-EIT) and IO-Link I/O hub (NXR-[]D166C-IL2). The IO-Link controller and I/O hub products also reduce downtime by leveraging the smart diagnostics capability to gather real time operational information across the manufacturing line, adds Maxim. The devices are also built for reliability with inherent wire-break diagnostic and robust protection technologies.

IO-Link is the first standardised I/O technology worldwide (IEC 61131-9) for communication with sensors and actuators. The point-to-point communication is based on the long established three-wire sensor and actuator connection using existing cables.

Maxim Integrated has a broad portfolio of high performance semiconductors, combined with tools and support, to deliver analogue solutions including efficient power, precision measurement, reliable connectivity and robust protection along with intelligent processing. Designers in application areas such as automotive, communications, consumer, data centre, healthcare, industrial and IoT are Maxim’s customer base.

http://www.maximintegrated.com

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Smart motor controller is based on Infineon’s SoI technology

Wed, Feb 17, 2021

The IMD110 SmartDriver smart motor controller family combines the iMotion motion control engine (MCE) with a three-phase gate driver. The integrated gate driver is based on Infineon Technologies’ silicon on insulator (SoI) technology. Supplied in a compact package, the gate driver can drive a wide variety of MOSFETs and IGBTs in variable speed drives, says Infineon Technologies. The family uses the MCE 2.0, which provides a ready-to-use motor and, optionally, power factor correction (PFC) control. The MCE can be applied to control the motor, allowing customers to focus on ther system design.

MCE 2.0 implements efficient field-oriented control (FOC) in sensorless or Hall- based motor inverters. The wide operating voltage of the SOI gate driver addresses battery and mains powered motors and is claimed to deliver “market-leading robustness and reliability”. An integrated voltage regulator enables several supply schemes and reduces the bill of materials (BoM).

The IMD110 devices are pre-certified for applications requiring functional safety according to UL/IEC 60730 (Class B). Typical applications are motors in home appliances as well as fans and pumps.

The IMD110 devices are in mass production now. They are supplied in LQFP-40 packages which are pin-compatible with LQFP-48 packages.

Infineon also offers two control boards for the iMotion Modular Application Design Kit (MADK). The iMotion MADK (pictured) is a modular development platform providing a wide range of control and power board options for motor drive applications up to 1kW.

http://www.infineon.com

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Segger announces Embedded Studio for M1, Apple’s Arm-based SoC

Tue, Feb 16, 2021

Shortly after Apple announced its first Arm-based SoC, the Apple M1, Segger released a version of its Embedded Studio cross-platform integrated development environment (IDE) for Arm/Cortex and RISC-V.

The Apple M1 SoC is designed specifically for Mac use. It can execute applications for Intel x86-based CPUs using Apple’s Rosetta 2 translator, although applications built specifically for the M1 core execute much faster and use less power.

To optimise the speed and performance potential of a natively compiled application, Segger has created a build of Embedded Studio for M1. There are now two macOS packages available, one for the Intel x86-64 and one for the Apple M1.

“The Embedded Studio build for the Apple M1 is truly cutting-edge,” says Ivo Geilenbrügge, Segger’s managing director. “This is the first commercial embedded system IDE optimised for the M1,” he confirmed.

Segger Microcontroller has over 28 years of experience in embedded computer systems, producing software libraries, and offering a full set of hardware tools (for development and production) and software tools.

Segger provides an RTOS and a complete spectrum of software libraries including communication, security, data compression and storage, user interface software and more.

Segger’s professional software libraries and tools for embedded system development are designed for resource-constrained embedded systems. Sesoftware is not covered by an open-source or required-attribution license and can be integrated in any commercial or proprietary product, without the obligation to disclose the combined source

Segger was founded by Rolf Segger in 1992. The privately held company has a US office in the Boston area and branch operations in Silicon Valley and the UK, with distributors on most continents.

http://www.segger.com

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IQD updates IQRB-1 rubidium oscillator for smart synchronisation

Tue, Feb 16, 2021

The IQRB-1 rubidium oscillator was introduced eight years ago and has been used in synchronisation systems across the world. After elaborate testing, IQD has compiled a comprehensive handbook summarising an extensive range of tests and results, for customers. The standard and customised tests were performed at the IQD test and design facilities in the UK. IQD is a subsidiary of the Würth Elektronik eiSos Group.

Connectivity of people, machines, applications and devices rely on accurate timing for smooth operation. IQD’s IQRB-1 contributes accuracy in the short term and long term stability for the worldwide timing infrastructure, says the company. It is suitable as a frequency and timing reference, for example for communication base stations, broadcasting or industrial equipment.

In addition to the IQRB-1, IQD’s rubidium oscillator portfolio includes recent additions, the ICPT-1 and the IQRB-4.

IQD has over 40 years’ experience in the manufacture of frequency products. It is part of the Würth Elektronik eiSos Group, the European manufacturer of passive components. IQD has active customers in over 80 countries, and claims to offer one of the most comprehensive frequency product ranges available, from low cost commercial grade products to those used in high reliability industrial and automotive applications including quartz crystals, clock oscillators, AEC-Q200 crystals and oscillators, VCXOs, TCXOs, OCVCSOs  and OCXOs, GPS disciplined OCXOs and rubidium oscillators.

Würth Elektronik eiSos Group is a manufacturer of electronic and electromechanical components for the electronics industry. The technology company is one of the largest European manufacturers of passive components and is active in 50 countries. Production sites in Europe, Asia and North America supply a growing number of customers worldwide.

The product range includes EMC components, inductors, transformers, RF components, varistors, capacitors, resistors, quartz crystals, oscillators, power modules, wireless power transfer, LEDs, sensors, connectors, power supply elements, switches, push-buttons, connection technology, fuse holders and solutions for wireless data transmission.

Catalogues components are available from stock without minimum order quantity, and the company offers free samples and extensive support through technical sales staff and selection tools.

Würth Elektronik is part of the Würth Group, the specialist in assembly and fastening technology.

http://www.we-online.com

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