Weartech-ICs & Semiconductors Archives - Page 39 of 41

Adaptable buck-boost converters deliver up to 2.5A in tiny packaging

Tue, Oct 01, 2019

A family of four high-efficiency, low-quiescent-current (IQ) buck-boost converters that feature tiny packaging with minimal external components for a small solution size is now available from Texas Instruments (TI).

The integrated TPS63802, TPS63805, TPS63806 and TPS63810 DC/DC non-inverting buck-boost converters offer wide input and output voltage ranges that scale to support multiple battery-driven applications, helping engineers simplify and accelerate their designs.

Each of the devices automatically selects buck, buck-boost or boost mode according to the operating conditions. Their complete solution size of 19.5 square mm to square mm 25 is a result of compact packaging, an advanced control topology requiring few external multilayer ceramic capacitors, and tiny 0.47-microH inductors.

The devices offer a 1.3-V to 5.5-V input and 1.8-V to 5.2-V output voltage range, to help engineers speed their designs and encourages reuse across multiple applications.

These DC/DC converters are the latest addition to TI’s low-IQ power-management portfolio, providing low 11- to 15-microA IQ for light-load efficiency while minimising power losses and extending run times in battery-driven applications such as portable electronic point-of-sale terminals, grid infrastructure metering devices, wireless sensors and handheld electronic devices.

The TPS63802 is a 2-A buck-boost converter with low 11-microA IQ consumption suitable for pulsed-load applications such as industrial Internet of Things devices. The TPS63805 is a 2-A buck-boost converter with a 22-microF output capacitor and 0.47-microH inductor resulting in a small solution size of 19.5 mm squared that meets the requirements of handheld industrial and personal electronics applications.

The new series also includes the TPS63806, a 2.5-A buck-boost converter with a focus on improved load-step regulation for applications with an aggressive load profile that require tight regulation, such as time-of-flight sensors in smartphones, cameras or augmented reality devices. And the

TPS63810 is a 2.5-A buck-boost converter with I2C interface for dynamic voltage scaling through either a two-wire interface or the VSEL pin, enabling the device to serve as a pre-regulator or voltage envelope tracker for systems found in smartphones, wireless hearing aids or headphones.

http://www.ti.com

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QuickLogic partners with Nuance Communications for voice recognition

Fri, Sep 13, 2019

Multi-core, voice-enabled SoCs, embedded FPGA IP, and endpoint AI provider, QuickLogic is partnering with conversational AI and ambient intelligence specialist, Nuance Communications, to deliver low power, wake word and voice command technology for power-sensitive applications, such as hearable and wearable devices.

Nuance’s voice recognition technology and QuickLogic’sEOS S3 voice and sensor processing platform will provide customers an end-to-end, reliable hardware and software voice recognition solution, says QuickLogic.

The low power Nuance voice recognition technology has been integrated with QuickLogic’s advanced EOS Voice and Sensor Processing SoC. The SoC’s architecture is claimed to enable the industry’s most advanced and compute intensive sensor processing capability at a fraction of the power consumption of competing technologies.

The Nuance technology provides the performance and low power consumption required for always-on wake word detection, and specifically supports the Alexa wake-word protocol. Technical enhancements enable it to improve voice recognition accuracy in difficult or noisy environments.

The integrated system supports always-on, always-listening fixed triggers, user defined triggers and phrases, and commands that can be accurately detected in silent to extremely noisy environments.

Scott Haylock, director of product marketing at QuickLogic, explains:”In response to customer demand, and the growing hearables market, we’ve augmented the EOS S3 OPEN Software Platform to include Nuance’s technology. This addition helps QuickLogic address the largest possible product mix of new and existing voice-controlled end-products.”

The EOS S3 platform with integrated Nuance voice processing is available now.

QuickLogic is a fabless semiconductor company that develops low power, multi-core semiconductor platforms and IP for artificial intelligence (AI), voice and sensor processing. It supplies embedded FPGA IP (eFPGA) for hardware acceleration and pre-processing, and heterogeneous multi-core SoCs that integrate eFPGA with other processors and peripherals. The Analytics Toolkit provides sensor algorithms using AI technology.

http://www.quicklogic.com

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Smartrac steps up security with NFC PRO tags

Fri, Sep 06, 2019

RFID technology and IoT specialist, Smartrac has launched the Pro series of NFC tags and inlays. The Circus Pro NFC tag, equipped with NXP’s NTAG 424 DNA IC, will be the first member of the new product series optimised for highly secure product authentication.

By embedding Circus, or subsequent Pro inlays or tags, into physical products, customers can turn products into secure digital platforms. Smartrac says they can deliver value during the product lifetime, from point of manufacture, through the supply chain, distribution channels, point of sales, customer use, to reselling and recycling. Secure product authentication protects against counterfeiting and diversions and also provide exclusive content and rewards for consumer engagement and customer loyalty programs.

“As the number of connected objects is expected to reach a record 40 billion by 2022, organisations of all sizes are seeking not just feature-rich, connectivity solutions but ones that can securely protect their brand, their products, and their customers,” said Philippe Dubois, vice president and general manager of IoT Security, Smart Mobility and Retail at NXP.

Smartrac’s Circus Pro inlays and tags with NXP’s NTAG 424 DNA ICs work with all NFC-enabled devices and support real-time tag and message authentication based on AES-128 encryption on attack-resistant certified silicon. The secure unique NFC (SUN) authentication enables authentic, integrity protected and confidential data exchanges between tags and servers. This high-end security IC offers enhanced privacy features and a sensitive on-chip data storage, says Smartrac, protected by a sophisticated three-pass mutual authentication scheme.

Future Pro features and options will include different security layers, allowing customers to enable secure product authentication for a range of applications. Smartrac will soon introduce further Pro versions of its popular NFC inlays and tags such as Bullseye and Midas, the company confirmed.

NFC-based secure product authentication can be achieved through a choice of verification services to comply with individual customer requirements. The secret keys cannot be copied or tampered and physical product authenticity can be proven once the Pro inlays and tags are irremovably embedded into or attached to the physical product.

Smartrac’s Circus Pro NFC inlays and tags with NTAG 424 DNA will become available in large quantities in Q3 2019 as wet inlays and the Circus Pro Flex wet inlays, which come with an additional protective layer for the IC and antenna connection area for enhanced durability.

http://www.smartrac-group.com

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Skyline RFID inlays and tags can be used on metal

Thu, Aug 08, 2019

Rain radio frequency identification (RFID) inlays can be used on metal surfaces for and have a reading range of 6m.

The Skyline Rain RFID inlays and tags have an optimised antenna and spacer-based design. A customised ultra high frequency (UHF) inlay is based on NXP’s UCODE 7xm IC with 448-bit EPC memory and extended user memory of 2kbits. The resulting transponder is then folded and applied around a synthetic spacer developed and provided by identytag of Bad Berleburg, Germany.

The advanced antenna design, the IC’s long read range and reliable operation in dense reader and noisy environments through high interference rejection, as well as optimised spacer material result in an on-metal read range in a compact tag, with a die-cut size of 54 x 25 x 1.8mm.

The inlay is permanently attached to the spacer and a layer of strong and resilient RA-33 adhesive is applied. According to Smartrac, this provides “excellent adhesion” to a range of surfaces. As a finished tag, Skyline’s surface is printable with thermal transfer printers.

The RFID tag can be used for tracking metallic assets, items and components in industrial environments such as automotive, mechanical engineering and aviation. Smartrac’s Skyline inlays and tags comply with VDA recommendations for the automotive industry and supported by the leading automation companies globally.

Smartrac and identytag completed initial product volumes and will be ramping up production in the second half of the year 2019.

Smartrac provides both ready-made and customised products. It makes products smart and enables businesses to digitise, identify, authenticate, track and complement products. Products are used in a wide array of applications such as animal identification, automation, automotive, brand protection, customer experience, industry, library and media management, logistics, retail and supply chain management.

Based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Smartac has research and development centres, production and a sales network, complemented by the IoT platform, Smart Cosmos. Smartrac embeds intelligence into physical products for an ecosystem of connected things. The company has also 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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Adaptable buck-boost converters deliver up to 2.5A in tiny packaging

QuickLogic partners with Nuance Communications for voice recognition

Smartrac steps up security with NFC PRO tags

Skyline RFID inlays and tags can be used on metal

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