Smart Cities

Rugged edge node has processing performance for smart cities

Fri, Nov 01, 2019

A rugged outdoor edge node from Aaeon, Atlas, is built to provide cities with flexible solutions for AI and edge computing. It has the Intel Movidius Myriad X for real-time processing for a range of smart city applications.

It is based on the compact Aaeon NanoCOM-APL board, featuring the Intel Atom x7, providing efficient computing with low power consumption. It is designed with an IP66-rated fanless chassis, for installation on any streetlight, making it easy to quickly set up and deploy, says the company. Connectivity is via Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, or even 4G/LTE for flexible communication within an edge network or with a central cloud server. The Aaeon Atlas also features built-in cameras and sensors for data collection and analysis.

An embedded Intel Movidius Myriad X vision processing unit (VPU) provides a low-power, high-performance solution for on-device AI inference. The Atlas is compatible with the Intel Distribution of OpenVINO toolkit, which includes optimisation and hardware acceleration to maximise the capabilities of the VPU

As an edge gateway, AEON Atlas can connect with up to 200 smart street lights, providing intelligent control. It has licence plate recognition AI inference to power applications such as smart street parking or detecting traffic violations or accidents. With traffic and congestion monitoring, Aaeon Atlas can optimise traffic signals in real time to help improve traffic flow. Aaeon Atlas can also anonymously detect pedestrians in crowd control and flow monitoring applications.

Established in 1992, Aaeon designs and manufactures professional intelligent IoT solutions. It provides industrial motherboards and systems, industrial displays, rugged tablets, embedded controllers, network appliances and related accessories, as well as integrated solutions. It also has the hardware and services for premier OEM/ODMs and system integrators worldwide. It is an Associate Member of the Intel Internet of Things Solutions Alliance and offers customised end-to-end services from initial product conceptualisation and board product development to mass manufacturing and after-sales service programs.

http://www.aaeon.com

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Evaluation kit supports energy harvesting embedded controller

Fri, Nov 01, 2019

For the development of battery maintenance-free IoT equipment, Renesas Electronics has introduced the RE family, which encompasses the company’s current and future line-up of energy harvesting embedded controllers. The RE Family is based on Renesas’ proprietary Silicon on Thin Buried Oxide (SOTB) process technology. SOTB is claimed to dramatically reduce power consumption in both active and standby states, eliminating the need for battery replacement or recharging.

Following the introduction of the RE01 microcontrollers, the first of the RE family, the RE01 Group evaluation kit is now available to allow users working with the RE01

Hiroto Nitta, senior vice president, Head of SoC Business, IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit at Renesas, said: “We hope this will accelerate the spread of IoT equipment powered by energy harvesting.”

The RE01 evaluation kit includes an evaluation board with an RE01 embedded controller, an interface for the energy harvesting device and a rechargeable battery interface. There is also an Arduino-compatible interface for easy expansion and evaluation of sensor boards and a Pmod connector to expand and evaluate wireless functionality. There is also a low power memory in pixel (MIP) LCD expansion board so that users can evaluate display functions faster. The kit also contains sample code and application notes that  serve as references for power management design that eliminates the need for battery maintenance, and driver software that supports CMSIS, Arm’s Cortex Microcontroller Software Interface Standard. Sample code for low power ADCs, digital filter and fast Fourier transform (FFT) routines, 2D graphics MIP LCD displays, and secure boot and secure firmware update functions for improved security are available.

The kit can be used to adopt energy harvesting based on RE01 Group devices at the system level and will accelerate the development of equipment that does not require battery maintenance.

IAR Embedded Workbench for Arm which can use the high efficiency IAR C/C++ compiler, and e2 studio (note 2) which can use the free GNU compiler are available as the developmental environment.

The RE01 evaluation kit is available now.

http://www.renesas.com

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Absolute pressure sensor delivers calibrated data for navigation

Fri, Nov 01, 2019

A compact MEMS-based absolute pressure sensor by Würth Elektronik eiSos measures 2.0 x 2.0 x 0.8mm. The Wsen-Pads measures pressure in the range between 26 and 126kPa. Its output data rate can be selected between one and 200Hz. The sensor contains an ASIC and a temperature sensor. This means the output values are already calibrated.

The Wsen-Pads absolute pressure sensor offers the possibility of preparing the measured data for various applications using integrated algorithms that can be activated in such a way that the programming workload for a connected controller is greatly reduced. The measured data can be read out via a standard I²C interface. The I²C interface is extended by an additional interrupt pin whose function can be modified by the user. An application example is using the pressure sensor as an altimeter. The high resolution means the sensor can provide information that enables the position of individual floors in buildings to be mapped for an indoor navigation system. Wsen-Pads is slim, making it suitable for mobile devices. The low power operation means it is possible to supply it with batteries or even energy via energy harvesting.

The piezo resistive sensor is specified for an industrial temperature range from -40 to +85 degrees C. Würth Elektronik also offers a tailored evaluation board.

The sensor is available from stock without a minimum order quantity.

Würth Elektronik eiSos is a manufacturer of electronic and electromechanical components for the electronics industry. The 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.

http://www.we-online.com

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White label NFC chip can be used on premium goods

Fri, Nov 01, 2019

Now available with a white label chip called Smartrac OTP, the Circus Pro NFC inlays or tags have been developed and manufactured by Smartrac as a cost-effective option for secure product authentication in premium consumer packaged goods (CPG), industrial components, retail, cosmetics and healthcare, as well as branded pharmaceutical products.

The Circus Pro NFC inlays or tags can be embedded into physical products or packaging to provide real-time tag and message authentication based on  cryptographic algorithms. The OTP IC generates one time password values based on hash-based message authentication codes as published by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF RFC 4226). To comply with an array of individual customer requirements, the chip supports a choice of digital verification services for secure product authentication and the delivery of exclusive digital content.

All Circus Pro inlays and tags enable customers to easily and securely verify product authenticity with their smartphones.

The Circus Pro range includes Circus Dura, Circus Flex, Circus On-Metal and Circus Tamper Loop NG inlays and tags. Smartrac’s Circus Pro NFC inlays and tags and Circus Pro Flex wet inlays with OTP ICs are available now.

Smartrac specialises in RFID products and IoT solutions, providing both ready-made and customised offerings. Its portfolio is used in animal identification, automation, automotive, brand protection, customer experience, industry, library and media management, logistics, retail and supply chain management.

Smartrac has global Research & Development Centers, production and sales network, and its IoT solutions platform Smart Cosmos. Smartrac received ARC Quality Certification from Auburn University’s RFID Lab for the design and manufacturing of its RFID inlays.

http://www.smartrac-group.com

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