Wearable

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

> Read More

Barometric pressure sensor tracks at altitude

Wed, Apr 06, 2022

Precision and low power consumption are combined in the BMP581, said Bosch Sensortec. It is the company’s first capacitive barometric pressure sensor and the company claimed it raises the bar for accuracy and performance in mobile devices.

The BMP581 combines highest precision and low power consumption to enable fitness tracking, fall detection and indoor localisation in wearables, hearables or IoT devices. 

Commenting on accuracy of the BMP581, Bosch Sensortec’s CEO, Dr Stefan Finkbeiner, said: “It’s breathtakingly accurate: it can measure a barometric pressure fluctuation that’s equivalent to one-thousandth of the weight of a mosquito (7.6 μg).”

This level of accuracy enables the sensor to detect an altitude change of just a few centimetres. It can, therefore, monitor movement in fitness applications down to the level of individual pull-ups or push-ups, and can provide highly accurate location information for indoor localisation, navigation, and floor detection to provide key data for emergency call requirements (E-911).

The sensor can noticeably improve flight stability and landing accuracy in drones, and help detect water levels in household appliances to avoid flooding, added Bosch Sensortec.

It provides relative accuracy of +/-0.06 hPa and a typical absolute accuracy of +/-0.3 hPa. Full accuracy is available over a wide measurement range from 300 to 1100 hPa. The BMP581 has a typical temperature co-efficient offset (TCO) of just +/-0.5 Pa/K and low RMS noise of 0.08 Pa at 1000 hPa (typical). Long-term drift over 12 months is only +/-0.1 hPa.

Compared to the company’s previous generation of barometric pressure sensors, the  BMP390, the BMP581 draws 85 per cent less current, noise is 80 per cent lower, and TCO is reduced by 33 per cent.

Typical current consumption of just 1.3 microA at 1Hz “substantially extends battery life”, said Bosch Sensortec, while in deep standby mode, the sensor draws only 0.5 microA. The sensor provides an I2C, I3C and SPI (three-wire / four-wire) digital, serial interface.

The BMP581 is provided in a compact 10-pin LGA package shielded by a metal cover, measuring just 2.0 x 2.0 x 0.75mm3. 

The BMP581 is available now.

https://www.bosch-sensortec.com 

> Read More

Sensor tags detect temperature, moisture and liquid volume 

Fri, Apr 01, 2022

For use in a range of healthcare, industrial and IT applications, the Sense passive range of RFID devices by Omni-ID, are temperature, moisture sensing and liquid volume measurement devices that incorporate the Axzon Magnus M3D chip.

The Sense range consists of ceramic tags and printable on-metal and off-metal self-adhesive labels which can read live temperatures as low as -70 degrees C and up to +125 degrees C. They indicate the presence of moisture and measure the volume of liquids in containers. They are battery-less so do not require maintenance and are therefore suitable for monitoring the condition of assets in transit and storage.

They serve a broad range of use cases including monitoring the volume of liquids in glass vials for vaccine management systems, monitoring the temperature of machine components to enable predictive maintenance, cold chain management of foods and pharmaceuticals and monitoring the moisture levels and live temperature monitoring of servers in data centres.

The wireless devices accurately measure temperature to a tolerance of 0.5°C and offer read ranges between 1.75m and 5m, making them ideal for use in hazardous industrial environments where thermocouples would traditionally be used to monitor the current temperature of assets.

The tiny ceramic tags measure 15 x 15mm to monitor the condition of assets where space is limited, while on-metal and off-metal labels are designed to attach to assets with flatter surfaces.

The Omni-ID Sense passive range is made up of the Sense FIT 500, the Sense IQ 550P, the Sense IQ 175, the Sense IQ430 and the Sense IQ 200P.

The Sense FIT 500 is a small form ceramic tag for sensing temperature and moisture with a read range of up to 5. The Sense IQ 550P is a global frequency, printable off-metal label for sensing temperature, moisture and liquid fill level with a read range of up to 5.8m. The Sense IQ 175 is a US and EU dual frequency printable on-metal label for sensing temperature and moisture with a read range of up to 1.75m. The Sense IQ 430 is a dual frequency (US and EU) printable on-metal label designed for sensing temperature and moisture with a read range up to 4.3m and the Sense IQ 200P is an off-metal circular label for sensing temperature and moisture on non-metallic assets with a read range of up to 2m.

The Sense passive tags join the SenseIoT range of active tags which provide high-powered, long-range tracking and sensing via Bluetooth, LoRa, Quuppa and GPS.

http://www.omni-id.com

> Read More

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 

> Read More

About Smart Cities

This news story is brought to you by smartcitieselectronics.com, the specialist site dedicated to delivering information about what’s new in the Smart City Electronics industry, with daily news updates, new products and industry news. To stay up-to-date, register to receive our weekly newsletters and keep yourself informed on the latest technology news and new products from around the globe. Simply click this link to register here: Smart Cities Registration