Advantech introduces a range of intelligent cellular routers for industrial IoT

Advantech’s smart cellular routers and gateways for industrial internet of things (IoT) and enhanced networking includes 5G, LTE, 3G HSPA+, UMTS, EDGE and GPRS. Built and optimised for critical infrastructure applications in the most challenging and remote locations and environments their simplified plug-and-play designs, with remote management enables users to quickly configure, deploy and customise any installation from anywhere over an IP network.

Deploying cellular routers effectively into industrial networks requires taking intelligence to the absolute edge. It needs hardware that is carrier-agile, cost-competitive and has the flexible configuration interfaces to fit M2M applications. More importantly than ever, a truly open development platform is needed to build application software, host applications, seamlessly manage network connectivity and securely administer the system.

The versatility of industrial 5G, 4G applications requires hardware that is fit for purpose. Advantech offers a selection of routers and gateways designed and built in the European Union with the right data speeds, the right interfaces and the rugged specifications required.

The line between a router and an embedded computer is blurring in many of the latest applications and, depending on the processing power required, an intelligent router is a significantly more cost-effective than an embedded computer, claimed the company. New data demands for IIoT or operations optimisation initiatives also open new questions as to where data is compiled, enriched, and processed.

Advantech’s range of cellular routers and gateways for IIoT and enhanced, flexible, effective and secure networking include: ICR-2000 / ICR-2400 / ICR-2500 4G entry-level routers LTE Cat.4 with 3G/2G fallback industrial popular port options up to 4× Ethernet 10/100; ICR-4453 ultra high-speed 5G router and powerful edge computing gateway 5G NR cellular connectivity, Sub-6GHz Quad-core CPU with 1 GB RAM 2× SIM, eSIM Ready, TPM 2.0 5× Gigabit Ethernet, SFP Connector RS232, RS485, CAN BUS, 2× DI, 2× DO, USB Host; and ICR-2700 Libratum / ICR-2800 successors of v2 platform next-generation of successful design LR77 v2 router platform.

With pre-built APIs in selected applications platforms and an open environment that supports app development in Java, Python, C/C++, Node-Red, Docker, Advantech claimed its routers provide more flexibility than any other router on the market. An online app library is accessible for downloads on apps already developed to enhance specific router functionality.

https://advantech.com/  

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Prophesee claims event-based vision sensor is world’s smallest 

Claimed to be the world’s smallest and most power efficient event-based vison sensor, the GenX320 brings intelligence, privacy and safety to consumer edge AI devices, claimed Prophesee.

The company’s latest event-based Metavision sensor has low power, low latency, high flexibility for efficient integration in AR/VR headsets, security and monitoring/detection systems, touchless displays, eye tracking features and always-on smart IoT devices, said the company. 

It is, said Prophesee, the industry’s first event-based vision sensor developed specifically for integration into low power edge AI vision devices. The fifth generation Metavision sensor is available in a tiny 3.0 x 4.0mm die size.   

The 320 x 320 6.3 micron pixel BSI stacked event-based vision sensor offers a tiny 1/5 inch optical format. It has been developed with a specific focus on the requirements of efficient integration of event sensing in energy-, compute- and size-constrained embedded at-the-edge vision systems. It enables robust, high-speed vision at ultra-low power and in challenging operating and lighting conditions, added the company.

Features of the GenX320 include low latency microsecond resolution timestamping of events with flexible data formatting. There are also on-chip intelligent power management modes reduce power consumption to as low as 36 microW and enable smart wake-on-events. Deep sleep and standby modes are also featured.

Ease of integration/interfacing with standard SoCs with multiple integrated event data pre-processing, filtering, and formatting functions minimises external processing overhead. In addition, MIPI or CPI data output interfaces offer low-latency connectivity to embedded processing platforms, including low power microcontrollers and modern neuromorphic processor architectures.

The GenX320 is AI-ready, with on-chip histogram output that is compatible with multiple AI accelerators. For security, sensor-level privacy is enabled via the event sensor’s inherent sparse frameless event data with inherent static scene removal.

There is also native compatibility with Prophesee Metavision Intelligence event-based vision software suite, which is available free of charge and is used by community of 10,000+ users.

The high speed eye-tracking allows for foveated rendering for seamless interaction in AR/VR/XR headsets. The low latency touch-free human machine interface is suitable for consumer devices (TVs, laptops, game consoles, smart home appliances and devices and smart displays. The event-based sensor is also suitable for smart presence detection and people counting in IoT cameras and other devices as well as for always-on area monitoring systems and fall detection cameras in homes and health facilities.

The GenX320 is available for purchase from Prophesee and its sales partners. It is supported by a complete range of development tools, including a comprehensive evaluation kit housing a chip on board (COB) GenX320 module, or a compact optical flex module. In addition, Prophesee is offering a range of adapter kits that enable seamless connectivity to a large range of embedded platforms, such as a STM32 MCU, enabling faster time-to-market.

Prophesee creates neuromorphic vision systems. It developed an event-based vision approach to machine vision which allows for significant reductions of power, latency and data processing requirements to reveal what was invisible to traditional frame-based sensors until now. Prophesee’s patented Metavision sensors and algorithms mimic how the human eye and brain work to dramatically improve efficiency in areas such as autonomous vehicles, industrial automation, IoT, mobile and AR/VR. Prophesee is based in Paris, with local offices in Grenoble, Shanghai, Tokyo and Silicon Valley.

http://www.prophesee.ai

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3D HAL-based position sensor has SENT interface

A Hall-effect sensor by TDK, the HAL 83927, is based on 3D HAL technology. The position sensor has a linear ratiometric analogue output with integrated wire break detection. It also has a SENT (single edge nibble transmission) interface with SENT protocol according to SAE J2716 rev. 4

It is also claimed to offer superior angular measurement and ISO 26262 compliant development to support safety critical automotive and industrial applications in a small SOIC8 surface mount package.

The HAL 83927 has been added to the company’s portfolio of Micronas direct angle, Hall-effect sensor family.  with the new HAL® 3927* sensor for automotive and industrial applications. 

Samples are available now with the start of production planned for Q1 2024.

The high resolution position sensor for position measurements. Its versatile programming characteristics and high accuracy mean that the HAL 3927 is suitable for linear movement measurements in transmissions, in clutch pedals, as an engine stroke sensor, for liquid level sensing, and for cylinder and valve position measurements, said TDK. 

It is also well suited for rotary position measurement in gear selectors, as a rotary selector with push function or in rear-axis. Its accurate integrated temperature sensor allows customers to replace other external temperature sensors if the application is using the SENT interface, explained TDK.

The HAL 3927 can measure horizontal and vertical magnetic-field components BX, BY and BZ. Based on the signals of two out of three magnetic field components, the device can measure 360 degrees angular range and linear movements. On-chip signal processing calculates one angle out of two orthogonal magnetic field components and converts this value into an output signal. In addition to the integral signal processing, the sensor features an arbitrary programmable output characteristic, e.g., for linearisation of the output signal via up to 33 setpoints (17 variable- or 33 fixed). Major characteristics like gain and offset, reference position, etc. can be adjusted to the magnetic circuitry by programming the non-volatile memory. 

This sensor is defined as ASIL B ready SEooC (safety element out of context) according to ISO 26262. It has a very low angular error of ±1.0 degrees at 30 mT amplitude with an end-of-shaft and off-axis 360 degrees angular measurement. 

The sensor’s operating temperature range of -40 to +160 degrees C makes it suitable for automotive applications.

https://www.micronas.tdk.com

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NXP reference platform puts two-wheelers in the picture

A combined digital instrument cluster and connectivity reference platform delivers high performance graphics and rich connectivity for an advanced two-wheeler user experience, said NXP Semiconductors.

It is designed for mass-market two-wheelers, including motorcycles, electric scooters and commuter bikes. It combines the i.MX RT1170 crossover microcontroller with AEC-Q100 Grade 3 qualification. This helps reduce system costs due to the highly integrated nature of the i.MX RT1170, which does not require expensive external memory or power management subsystems, said NXP. The NXP Wi-Fi and Bluetooth device drivers are pre-integrated into the MCUXpresso SDK (software development kit), along with display and GNSS, making it easy for developers to create their own twowheeler connected cluster. The dual-core i.MX RT1170 crossover MCU provides a wide range of interfaces for connecting peripherals, such as WLAN, Bluetooth, GPS, audio, displays, and camera sensors, plus a vector graphics accelerator. The i.MX RT1170 crossover MCU’s rich graphics capabilities are supported by NXP’s broad ecosystem of partners, including Altia, The QT Company, Embedded Wizard by TARA Solutions, and Crank.

The reference platform also includes the integrated AW611 a highly integrated dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth/Bluetooth Low Energy 5.2 single-chip solution with AEC-Q100 Grade 2 qualification. This high degree of integration enables efficient coexistence between internal radios, as well as with external radios, while helping to reduce system costs, said NXP.

The KW45 secure wireless access microcontroller delivers secure vehicle access and vehicle location services. Its three-core architecture integrates a 96MHz Arm Cortex-M33 application core, a dedicated Cortex-M3 radio core and an isolated EdgeLock secure enclave. It also integrates a Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3-compliant radio that supports up to 24 simultaneous secure connections.

Connected digital displays with rich graphics are essential to the safe operation of two-wheeler electric vehicles, which are rapidly gaining in popularity for transport around cities. The displays can provide critical information that allows drivers to compare navigation details to battery levels and health, as well as the location of charging points.

Telemetry in the field also provides OEMs with important information about usage and battery lifetimes.

NXP’s digital instrument cluster and connectivity reference platform is designed to allow OEMs to deliver these capabilities, while also enabling a wide variety of different connectivity use cases designed to improve the user experience, for example three-way Bluetooth pairing between the phone, scooter’s digital cluster, and headphones, rider and pillion music sharing or even location capabilities such as “find my bike” in a parking lot.

“Not only does the digital instrument cluster inform the driver of the state of their vehicle, it also represents the main way a driver can customise their vehicle to their preferences,” said Dan Loop, vice president and general manager, Automotive Edge, NXP. “NXP’s digital instrument cluster and connectivity platform enables consistent updates and customizations to support the latest safety, security and connectivity features, all in a platform that balances performance and wireless connectivity capabilities with cost considerations.”

The platform enables high-performance graphics and rich connectivity use cases such as hands-free calling, wireless pairing for smartphone projection, Bluetooth audio, over the air (OTA) updates, cloud connectivity, fleet management, secure vehicle access and vehicle location.

http://www.nxp.com

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