Weartech-ICs & Semiconductors

FlightSense software makes gestures speak volumes

Tue, Apr 26, 2022

STMicroelectronics said it is now making gesture detection simpler and more affordable for mass-market applications with companion software for its VL53L5CX multi-zone ToF ranging sensor. The sensor, together with free engineering software, will enable touchless, gesture-based controls in simple, cost-conscious consumer and industrial applications. 

According to ST, gesture recognition with ToF sensors is a breakthrough technology that enables sophisticated interactions with a wide variety of devices instead of being confined to applications in high-end vehicles. 

Gesture-based interaction in a wide range of equipment, including kitchen appliances, thermostats, smart home and smart lighting controls, laptops, AR / VR headsets, tablets and smartphones are not only convenient, it can prevent infection from spreading through touch when using equipment such as vending and ticketing machines, elevator controls, and interactive signage.

Together, the sensor and software calculate in real-time the X / Y / Z coordinates of the hand, enabling hand tracking as well as recognition of gestures like tapping, swiping or level control.

Conventional gesture-recognition systems typically use more expensive and intrusive camera-based machine vision, but ST said its FlightSense technology and software allow designers to build systems with lower power consumption, and that work in the dark without needing external illumination, unlike vision-based systems  The lightweight gesture algorithm can run on a low power microcontroller and demands minimal system resources for it to be easily integrated in an existing application, said ST.

The STSW-IMG035 software package is specially designed for the VL53L5CX multi-zone direct time-of-flight (dToF) ranging sensor and can be used with all STM32 microcontrollers. 

The VL53L5CX is ST’s latest-generation ToF sensor, providing 64 zones with high-accuracy ranging up to 400cm with a wide, square-edged 63 degree-diagonal field of view.

The VL53L5CX sensor is in production now, in a 6.4 x 3.0 x 1.5mm 16-pin optical LGA package. The turnkey STSW-IMG035 gesture package includes resources including a GUI, example code and libraries. Associated software packages and hardware evaluation boards are available here. 

http://www.st.com

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Fast charging ICs offer highest charging efficiencies, says Halo Microelectronics 

Tue, Apr 26, 2022

Two fast charging ICs released by Halo Microelectronics use a dual-phase switched capacitor architecture for single cell battery applications.

The HL7138 and HL7139, fast charging ICs are claimed to offer the industry’s highest charging efficiencies, which enable faster and cooler battery charging operations in a PCB solution size that is up to 30 per cent smaller than the nearest competitor. The small form factor allows for more system level design flexibility, added Halo Microelectronics.

In addition to saving consumers time by fast charging, the ICs deliver cooler charging which means less energy is wasted, making the charging process environmentally friendly. The small size also provides designers more leeway to choose between thinner and lighter form factors or larger batteries for longer battery life, and whether to include more features or lower bill of material (BoM) costs.

Fast charging is one of the features which can differentiate a smartphone design in a saturated market. It is also one that consumers can relate to and understand the benefits, commented David Nam, CEO of Halo Microelectronics. “Halo Microelectronics has seen switched capacitor-based fast-charging architectures quickly extend from high-end to mid-level smartphones,” he said.

Halo Microelectronics develops analogue and power management ICs (PMICs) enabling energy-efficient smart systems. Its customers develop mobile, IoT and automotive systems.

https://halomicro.com

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Nowi unveil energy harvesting PMIC with a cold start feature

Fri, Apr 01, 2022

Dutch semiconductor company, Nowi, extends its energy harvesting and power management portfolio with the Diatom chipset. The 4.0 x 4.0mm Diatom (NH16D3045) is an energy harvesting PMIC, which has a wide power input range from micro W to mW and a fast MPPT (maximum power point tracking) for efficient energy harvesting.

It is designed to extract the power output of a wide range of energy harvesters to charge a variety of energy storage elements such as rechargeable batteries or supercapacitors. 

The cold start feature enables batteryless applications, which helps companies reduce maintenance costs, as well as a more sustainable and easier to use option, the company said.

Diatom caters to the need for increased integration in order to lower implementation cost, size and complexity whilst improving performance, added Nowi. It combines integrated energy harvesting and power management into a single product and has regulated output, over-voltage protection and USB charging. 

Diatom enables power autonomy in a variety of low power applications, from the smart home to industry 4.0 and retail applications. It can be used in IoT devices, electronic shelf labels (ESLs), to smart wearables such as smart bands, glasses, and consumer electronics like remote controls, tags. 

According to Nowi, Diatom perpetually powers devices with clean ambient energy, simplifies the design process and lowers the threshold to develop energy autonomous products. 

Simon van der Jagt, CEO at Nowi, said that the inductorless design and integrated power management functionalities will contribute to reduced implementation cost and area  required, and make new designs possible.

Semiconductor company, Nowi was founded in 2016, based in Delft, the Netherlands. It ha regional offices in the US and in Shanghai. 

Nowi has developed energy harvesting power management ICs (PMICs) that combine harvesting performance with small assembly footprint and low bill of materials (BoM) cost. 

http://www.nowi-energy.com 

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Ambiq increases security in power processor SoCs

Wed, Mar 16, 2022

Additions to the Apollo4 SoC family by Ambiq are the Apollo4 Plus and Apollo4 Blue Plus with Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity. They have robust security features, said the company, to better protect power-constrained IoT endpoint devices without compromising power efficiency.

The Apollo4 Plus is the fourth generation system processor built upon Ambiq’s proprietary Subthreshold Power-Optimized Technology (SPOT), enabling new features while reducing devices’ overall system power consumption to extend their battery life. Embedded with Mbytes of MRAM, SRAM, low power processors, solid software stacks and up to 192MHz operating frequency with TurboSPOT, the Apollo4 Plus enables more AI-capable operations, including data ingestion, pre-processing, inference and actuation. Apollo4 has a low power, end-to-end audio subsystem, to run compute complex algorithms needed for precise voice recognition and higher fidelity voice capability needed for voice calls. Its integrated GPU and display controller, coupled with fast and efficient memory access, offer manufacturers the ability to differentiate products with bigger and richer display user interfaces with vivid colours, high-resolution and smooth graphics. Ambiq’s Secure by Design features allow OEMs to secure products from the ground up when implementing SecureSPOT with tools to implement end-to-end security from the start of the design.

“The future of IoT is in the intelligence of things that stay on and connected 24/7,” said Dan Cermak, vice president of Architecture and Product Planning at Ambiq. “The latest product and feature additions to our Apollo4 SoC family demonstrate that battery-operated devices no longer have to compromise performance for power constraints.”  

Apollo4 Plus is now in mass production. The enhanced graphics display and greater voice capabilities serve as either an application processor or a coprocessor for battery-powered endpoint devices, said Ambiq. Target applications are smartwatches and smart bands, consumer medical devices, motion and tracking units and smart home devices.

Ambiq specialises in energy-efficient semiconductors for battery-powered IoT endpoint devices. Ambiq has helped leading manufacturers worldwide develop products that can operate for days, months, and sometimes years, on a battery, and even do away with the battery entirely by harvesting energy. 

Ambiq’s patented Subthreshold Power Optimized Technology (SPOT) platform has enhanced IoT endpoint devices by enabling a significant increase in compute power at reduced energy levels. The company says its goal is to bring artificial intelligence (AI) where it has never gone before in mobile and portable devices using Ambiq’s low power microcontrollers and SoCs. 

http://www.ambiq.com

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