Sensor development kit delivers AI/ML for smart industrial applications

AI tool developer, SensiML has teamed up with onsemi to deliver ML for autonomous sensor data processing and predictive modelling. SensiML develops AI tools for building intelligent IoT endpoints. Its analytics toolkit development software has been combined with the RSL10 sensor development kit from onsemi for edge sensing applications such as industrial process control and monitoring. SensiML can support AI functions in a small memory footprint, and the RSL10 provides advanced sensing and Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity for smart sensing without the need for cloud analytics of highly dynamic raw sensor data.

Claimed to have the industry’s lowest power Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity,  the RSL10 sensor development kit combines the RSL10 radio with a range of environmental and inertial motion sensors onto a tiny form factor board that interfaces with the SensiML Toolkit. Developers using the RSL10-based platform and the SensiML software together can add low latency local AI predictive algorithms to industrial wearables, robotics, process control, or predictive maintenance applications regardless of expertise in data science and AI. 

The auto-generated code enables smart sensing embedded endpoints that transform raw sensor data into critical insight events where they occur and can take appropriate action in real time. The smart endpoints reduce network traffic by communicating data only when it offers valuable insight.

“Cloud-based analytics add unwanted, non-deterministic latency, and are too slow, too remote and too unreliable for critical industrial processes,” said Dave Priscak, vice president of Applications Engineering at onsemi. 

“Other AutoML solutions for the edge rely only on neural network classification models with only rudimentary AutoML provisions, yielding suboptimal code for a given application,” adds Chris Rogers, SensiML’s CEO. The company’s AutoML model search includes neural networks with an array of classic ML algorithms, as well as segmenters, feature selection, and digital signal conditioning transforms, he explains.

The SensiML analytics toolkit is available now from SensiML and the RSL10 sensor development kit is available now from onsemi.

 http://www.sensiml.com

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Intelligent sensors automatically sense human presence

Three sensors, the PerSe Connect, PerSe Connect Pro and PerSe Control, have been released by Semtech.  They can be used in smartphones, laptops and wearables.

The PerSe sensors intelligently sense human presence near the mobile device and other consumer electronics, and enable advanced RF control when the user is in close proximity. The smart human sensing feature, low power and tiny footprint enable the sensors to be used in a range of wearable applications, such as gesture control and automation. 

Consumer electronics manufacturers can integrate the sensors for connectivity in 5G/Wi-Fi 6 with increased RF performance in smartphones and laptops, while also helping ensure compliance with the worldwide Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) regulations, explains Semtech. PerSe is claimed to provide best-in-class sensing and robust noise immunity allowing OEMs and ODMs to design devices with longer detection distance within a smaller sensor area.

The PerSe Connect sensor enhances connectivity for smartphones and laptops (5G Sub-6, 4G and Wi-Fi). They help optimise the RF power for best connectivity and help to maintain SAR compliance while delivering a fast wireless experience, says Semtech. 

The PerSe Connect Pro is designed for high band 5G mmWave devices in smartphones, laptops and tablets. It enables higher sensing distance to safely manage the increased RF exposure, confirms Semtech. 

The third model is PerSe Control which enables smarter control in wearables. It enables human detection, automatic on/off and start/stop response. It also delivers gesture control and response including smart assistant, noise cancellation activation and media player control.

“Smart sensors, such as the PerSe portfolio from Semtech, can differentiate between humans and inanimate objects, including handheld positions. This advanced sensing capability is essential for mobiles, wearables and 5G mmWave devices to deliver a superior user experience,” said Joe Hoffman, director, intelligent edge and sensor technologies research at SAR Insight. “Mobile, portable and wearable devices complicate the design window of performance, battery life and human RF absorption,” he added. 

http://www.semtech.com

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Alliance Memory offers 3V multiple I/O serial NOR Flash memory solutions 

Alliance Memory offers a new line of 3V multiple input/output serial NOR flash memory products designed to provide supply continuity for Micron Technology customers using discontinued N25Q series devices. Offering support for single, dual, and quad SPI modes, the AS25F series combines fast read performance up to 104MHz with fast program and erase times of 0.3ms and 40ms typical, respectively. 

Available in 8-pin SOP wide body (209mils) and 8L WSON (6x5mm) packages, the devices operate from a single 2.7V to 3.6V power supply over an industrial temperature range of -40 degrees C to +85 degrees C. The solutions offer typical erase/program currents of 20mA and maximum read currents of 25mA at 104MHz, and they are said by Alliance Memory to provide reliable, long-term performance with 100,000 program/erase cycles and 10-year data retention.

 AS25F series devices support uniform 4KB or 32KB or 64KB erase, offers an 8/16/32/64byte wrap-around burst read mode, and features program/erase suspend and resume. Advanced security features include block protection and 4K-bit secured OTP to protect content from hostile access and inadvertent programming and erasing.

 With their enhanced performance, the serial NOR flash memory products are designed to meet the demands of the computer, consumer, communications, IoT and mobile markets. The devices are suitable for use in, among others, chipsets for PCs, DVD and Blu-ray players, wireless LANs and cable modems, printers, set-top boxes, LCD displays, mobile and wearable devices, digital cameras, handheld GPS units and smart meters. 

Samples and production quantities of the 3V serial NOR flash memory products are available now, with lead times of 16 to 20 weeks. 

Alliance Memory is a global provider of critical and hard-to-find memory ICs for the communications, computing, consumer electronics, medical, automotive, and industrial markets. The company’s product range includes flash, DRAM, and SRAM memory ICs with commercial, industrial, and automotive operating temperature ranges and densities from 64Kb to 8Gb. Privately held, Alliance Memory maintains headquarters in Kirkland, Washington, and regional offices in Europe, Asia, Canada and South America. 

Go to http://www.alliancememory.com

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Updates add video to STMicroelectronics’ TouchGFX suite

The TouchGFX Version 4.18 from STMicroelectronics is for user-interface development with STM32 microcontrollers, adding video playback, enhanced tools for multi-developer collaboration, and support for new X-NUCLEO display kits.

By allowing playback of Motion-JPEG (MJPEG) video files, TouchGFX aids small devices such as home-automation products, wearables, medical devices and industrial sensors, allowing rich features such as instructional guides or entertaining startup and pause screens to enhance the user interface. Developers can use their own MJPEG files or choose from the sample movies provided. A new video widget in TouchGFX Designer, with properties including start, stop, repeat, and go-to-frame, simplifies prototyping and is added to the application by drag and drop, says ST.

TouchGFX 4.18 allows video decoding in either software or hardware. Hardware decoding is possible with STM32 MCUs that contain a suitable decoding peripheral, such as the STM32F769 and STM32H7B3. Software decoding is available on all series devices except the STM32G0 series. Various strategies for video buffering, including direct rendering to the frame buffer and double buffering, help optimise memory demand and performance.

Additional new features of TouchGFX 4.18 include enhanced support for collaborative working, using XML to store text data and translations. XML simplifies sharing and merging various elements of the project as multiple team members contribute. The features of previous TouchGFX versions are retained, including the partial frame buffer for low RAM use, ultra-efficient rendering that prevents tearing effects, and support for low-cost non-memory-mapped SPI Flash.

For an easy start to GUI development projects, TouchGFX 4.18 comes with examples showing how to use the new video capabilities and the necessary TouchGFX board setup for the STM32 Discovery boards.

ST has also updated and extended the selection of display shields that help developers get their user-interface projects running. The updated X-NUCLEO-GFX01M2 for Nucleo 64 boards has a 2.2” QVGA serial interface display and now supports the NUCLEO-WB55RG, making it easy to add a display to a Bluetooth application. A new X-NUCLEO-GFX02Z1 for Nucleo 144 has a high-speed parallel interface and QSPI Flash memory on-board, supporting among others the NUCLEO-U575ZI-Q Both are supported in TouchGFX 4.18.

Go to https://www.st.com/content/st_com/en/ecosystems/stm32-graphic-user-interface.html

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