Weartech-ICs & Semiconductors Archives - Page 29 of 41

Secure embedded controllers integrate AI/ML acceleration

Thu, Sep 02, 2021

Built to power the next generation, always-connected IoT products, Alif Semiconductor’s Ensemble and Crescendo families are power-efficient devices which integrate AI/ML acceleration, multi-layered security, LTE Cat-M1 and NB-IoT connectivity, GNSS positioning, and memory.

The Ensemble family scales from single Arm Cortex®-M55 microcontrollers to so-called fusion processors which blend up to two Cortex-M55 cores, up to two Cortex-A32 microprocessor cores capable of running high-level operating systems, and up to two Arm Ethos-U55 microNPUs for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) acceleration.

The Ensemble family devices contain an advanced secure enclave that provides device integrity protection, secure identity, strong root-of-trust and secure lifecycle management. They also have large on-chip SRAM and non-volatile memory, accelerated graphics, imaging, making them suitable for smart home automation, appliances, point of sale (PoS) terminals and robotics applications, said the company.

The Crescendo family offers the same functionality as the Ensemble family, with the addition of LTE Cat-M1 and NB-IoT cellular connectivity, optional iSIM for simplified subscriber management, integrated RF, power amplifiers, and a concurrent GNSS receiver. These capabilities make them well-suited for smart city, connected infrastructure, asset tracking, healthcare devices and wearable devices said the company, using a single chip to minimise size and weight.

To address the reliance on battery power in IoT devices, which can be challenging when there is a high requirement for local processing, AI/ML, and wireless communication, Alif Semiconductor has also introduced Autonomous Intelligent Power Management (aiPM) technology that allows fine-grained control of when resources in the chip are being powered. This results in low power operation, enabling intelligent devices to last longer on smaller batteries.

“The solution that Alif delivers fills a significant gap in the market,” said Jerome Schang, head of Microsoft Azure Edge Silicon devices strategy. “We are always on the lookout for the most efficient technology platforms for our Edge experiences, and the Ensemble and Crescendo families are very well aligned with our customers’ needs.”

Ensemble and Crescendo devices are sampling now to lead customers. They are supported by Alif Semiconductor’s software, development tools and kits. Production qualification will be complete in 1Q22.

https://www.alifsemi.com/

> Read More

Farnell extends Nordic Semiconductor offering with its first PMIC

Fri, Aug 20, 2021

The first power management IC (PMIC) from Nordic Semiconductor, the nPM1100, is now available from Farnell. Claimed to be the industry’s most compact PMIC, it is intended for wearable electronics, remote controls, personal medical devices and smart home sensors.

The nPM1100 can be used as a generic PMIC for any application using rechargeable Li-ion/Li-Po batteries, advised Farnell. PCB space requirements are as low as 23mm², makes it particularly well suited to be integrated into wearables, connected medical devices and projects which have limited space. No configuration software is required to operate as all settings are pin-configurable. It can be used to conserve energy in designs, and can charge small batteries while providing efficient power management in

The nPM1100-CAAA is a small form factor dedicated PMIC with a dual-mode configurable buck regulator and integrated battery charger. It is a complementary component to Nordic’s SoCs and also has over-voltage protection, low current mode and an operating range of -40 to +85 degrees C.

Farnell also offers the nPM1100 evaluation kit which does not require software to operate and is performance optimised for the PMIC with electrical connectors and physical interfaces for operation. It features switches for all selectable settings, buttons to enter and exit ship mode and connectors for batteries, USB and headers for all pins on the PMIC. The kit may be used with other development kits such as Nordic’s nRF5340-DK or it can be used to test the PMIC’s functionality with non-Nordic products. The kit also includes indicator LEDs for charge and error indication.

Nordic Semiconductor specialises in low power wireless technology with Bluetooth Low Energy solutions, complemented by ANT+, Bluetooth mesh, Thread, and Zigbee products.

Lee Turner, global head of semiconductors and single board computing at Farnell said: “We are pleased to expand our PMIC range with the latest products from Nordic Semiconductor. The . . . nPM1100 is an ideal solution to help our customers reduce energy consumption in their designs. The ability to charge small batteries and extend battery life while providing efficient power management within small, space constrained applications, such as wearables and connected medical devices, is now of critical importance.”

http://www.farnell.com

> Read More

Hand-held camera cube reference design brings AI to the edge

Wed, Jul 21, 2021

Artificial intelligence (AI) which was previously limited to expensive machines with large power budgets can now be embedded in space-constrained, power-powered edge devices. Maxim Integrated says its MAXREFDES178# camera cube executes low latency AI vision and hearing inferences on a coin cell power budget with reduced cost and size.

The MAXREFDES178# enables low power IoT devices to implement hearing and vision. It is based on the MAX78000 low power microcontroller with neural network accelerator for audio and video inferences. The system also contains the MAX32666 low power Bluetooth microcontroller and two MAX9867 audio codecs. The system is delivered in a compact form factor to show how AI applications, such as facial identification and keyword recognition, can be embedded in low power, cost sensitive applications such as wearables and IoT devices.

AI applications require intensive computations, which is usually performed in the cloud or in expensive, power-hungry processors: self driving cars is an example. Maxim says that its MAXREFDES178# camera cube demonstrates how AI can operate on a low power budget, enabling applications that are time- and safety-critical to run on even the smallest of batteries. The MAX78000’s AI accelerator slashes the power of AI inferences up to 1,000x for vision and hearing applications, compared to other embedded solutions, reports Maxim. The AI inferences running on the MAXREFDES178# also show dramatic latency improvements, running more than 100x faster than on an embedded microcontroller.

The compact form factor of the camera cube (1.6 x 1.7 x 1.5inch of 41 x 44 x 39mm) allows AI to be implemented in wearables and other space-constrained IoT applications. The MAX78000 is up to 50 per cent smaller than the next-smallest GPU-based processor, says Maxim, and does not require other components like memories or complex power supplies to implement cost-effective AI inferences.

The MAXREFDES178# and the MAX78000 is available now, together with the MAX32666GWPBT+T RF microcontroller and the MAX9867EWV+T stereo codec at Maxim Integrated’s website and authorised distributors.

http://www.maximintegrated.com

> Read More

Compact battery chargers are dedicated to charging in tight spaces

Wed, Jul 07, 2021

As wearable, medical and smart sensor products use streamlined power management for energy harvesting hardware, e-peas has developed a family of battery charger devices, dedicated to charging. The company’s existing power management ICs (PMICs) offer direct power delivery to the application, as well as the charging of energy storage elements (such as Li-Ion batteries or super capacitors), but the AEM10900, AEM10300 and AEM30300 are fully dedicated to the charging function. This allows them to be used where a simpler implementation can be used and where there are space or cost constraints.

The PMICs achieve zero quiescent current draw from the battery. In other words, if energy harvesting stops for a prolonged period of time, the energy stored into the battery will not be wasted supplying the PMIC.

Working in conjunction with a single-cell photovoltaic panel, the integrated AEM10900 PMIC boost converter is optimised for solar-based energy harvesting implementations. It has a fast maximum power point tracking (MPPT) functionality designed for objects in movement. This allows the device to get the most energy from the ambient illumination available, storing as much as possible. It also has a 250mV cold start capability, which means it can commence with charging the battery even when light intensities are very low. AEM10900 introduces an I²C interface to minimise the pin count and to offer a larger set of potential configurations. The PMIC includes battery thermal protection, a joule counter to let the user know the amount of energy harvested, and a shipping mode in which the battery cannot be charged. The AEM10900 is suitable for wearable consumer products and body-worn medical monitoring equipment.

The AEM10300 and AEM30300 PMICs both have built-in low power DC/DC converters supporting operation over an input voltage range of 100mV to 4.5V. Adaptive energy management permits these devices to automatically switch between boost, buck-boost and buck operational configurations as deemed appropriate. This ensures that optimal energy transfer is always maintained between the respective inputs and the storage element.

The AEM10900, AEM10300 and AEM30300 battery chargers PMICs only require three external components, advises e-peas, for energy harvesting to be added while keeping the bill of materials costs low and taking up very little board space.

Geoffroy Gosset, CEO and co-founder of e-peas said: “Following on from in-depth consultations with our customer base, it became clear that having compact solutions for charging only was going to be of real value.”

The AEM10300 and AEM30300 PMICs are supplied in a 28-pin QFN package format, measuring 4.0 x 4.0mm and the AEM10900 is available in either the 28-pin QFN package or a 16-pin WLCSP (with 2.0 x 2.0mm dimensions).

http://www.e-peas.com

> Read More

Secure embedded controllers integrate AI/ML acceleration

Farnell extends Nordic Semiconductor offering with its first PMIC

Hand-held camera cube reference design brings AI to the edge

Compact battery chargers are dedicated to charging in tight spaces

About Smart Cities