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Sensor tracks motion and orientation for IoT and metaverse

Fri, Jun 10, 2022

Sensor fusion for motion tracking, heading and orientation detection is provided by the FSP201 low power sensor hub microcontroller released by Ceva. It is designed for use in consumer robotics and smart devices which use motion tracking and orientation such as 3D audio headsets or XR (extended reality, or augmented, virtual and mixed reality) glasses. They can also be used in six-axis motion use cases across the IoT and the metaverse.

The FSP201 is based on Ceva’s proprietary MotionEngine sensor processing software and a low-power 32bit Arm Cortex M23 microcontroller. Manufacturers can choose from a pre-qualified list of external six-axis IMU (inertial measurement units) sensors (i.e. accelerometer plus gyroscope). These are from different sensor suppliers, thereby ensuring supply chain flexibility. The sensor options can be used to provide correction smoothing actions and auto-centring for example. The former corrects orientation drift slowly and transparently allowing head and body tracking by the user for an immersive XR or 3D audio experience, the latter dynamically recentres the soundstage in 3D audio applications based on a user’s gaze to maintain immersion in dynamic conditions and eliminate drift. Other options are sensors with tilt independent heading, which allows for proper heading output even when a robot’s driving surface is uneven, enabling rapid adjustment to obstacles or changes in flooring types and ones with inclination detection to provide three degrees of freedom robot orientation to detect surface issues that could cause the robot to become stuck or damaged.

Proprietary algorithms are able to monitor changes in sensor performance and temperature during live operation for dynamic calibration. Several low-cost MEMS sensors from leading suppliers are pre-qualified and have drivers pre-integrated to accelerate development and ensure supply chain flexibility, added Ceva.

The FSP201 is designed to be versatile, using I2C and UART interfaces for chip connectivity and can be placed directly on the target product’s main circuit board or designed into a separate module. It is also code-compatible with the BNO08X series of nine-axis sensor system in package (SiP) products.

The FSP201 and evaluation tools are available for immediate sampling via designated distributors.

https://www.ceva-dsp.com

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Sitara AM62 processors expand edge AI while cutting the power budget

Tue, Jun 07, 2022

Sitara AM62 processors have been released by Texas Instruments. The company said that they help expand edge artificial intelligence (AI) processing and the low power design enables support for dual-screen displays and small size human machine interface (HMI) applications.

According to Texas Instruments (TI), the next generation of HMI will bring new ways of interacting with machines, such as enabling gesture recognition to give commands in a noisy factory environment or enabling the control of machines by phones or tablets with a wireless connection. The AM62 processors bring analytics to edge devices at low power, including suspend states as low as 7mW. There is also no need to design for thermal considerations, said TI, which can give engineers flexibility to deploy new capabilities in size-constrained applications or industrial environments. Adding edge AI features to HMI applications, including machine vision, analytics and predictive maintenance, can advance HMI beyond a mere interface to enable human-machine interaction.

The AM62 processor starts at less than $5.00 to bring low-cost analytics to HMI devices with basic camera-based image processing and edge AI functions, such as detecting and recognising objects, said TI. AM62 processors also enable dual-screen, full HD displays and support for multiple operating systems, including Mainline Linux and Android operating systems. AM62 processors also support both wired and wireless connectivity interfaces.

Additionally, the AM62 processors can reduce power consumption in industrial applications by as much as 50 per cent compared to competing devices, said TI. They can thus enable an application powered by AA batteries to remain on for over 1,000 hours. This is possible, said TI, due to a simplified power architecture. The device features only two dedicated power rails and five power modes. Deep sleep mode at less than 5mW enables longer battery life, while an active power of less than 1.5W is made possible by a core voltage of 0.75V. Reducing system power consumption extends battery life and helps engineers meet design requirements for handheld or size-constrained devices. Achieving optimal power performance is further simplified with the new TPS65219, a companion PMIC specifically designed to meet AM62 processor power supply requirements, said TI.

There is a wide range of tools and resources for AM62 processors including multiple open-source software such as Mainline Linux, to simplify the application development process and help accelerate time to market. A hardware ecosystem includes a third-party evaluation module.

The AM625 and AM623 processors are now available in a 13 x 13mm, 425-pin ALW package. It is available directly from TI and authorised distributors.

TI will showcase the AM62 processors and demonstrate system-level solutions for edge AI and electric vehicle charging HMI applications in at Embedded World in Nuremberg, Germany (21 to 23 June 2022) at its stand in Hall 3A #215.

http://www.TI.com

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Radio wave ranging sensor is sensitive enough for gesture initiation

Mon, Jun 06, 2022

Radio wave ranging sensors announced by Socionext are able to detect minor movements in positional information for tracking. The SC1240 series radio wave ranging sensors use the 60GHz band and have a built-in signal processing circuit for detecting the position and movement of a person.

The sensor that complies with the global broadband 60GHz radio equipment standard. It is able to detect the position and movements of a person, said Socionext and its high precision sensing and built-in signal processing circuits use a 6.8GHz (57.1 ~ 63.9GHz) wide band to detect minor movements as positional information, enabling it to be used in advanced applications such as tracking human movements and operation by gestures.

The sensor has built-in range finding and angle calculating signal processing circuitry, believed to be the first in the industry. It is based on the company’s mmwave radio communication LSIs and 24GHz radio wave range finding sensors.

The integrated SC1240 series uses 3D position information without the need for high frequency or advanced signal processing technology, claimed Socionext. It includes multiple antennas, wireless circuitry, ADCs, FIFO memory, SPI (serial peripheral interface), a sequencer that flexibly changes the duty cycle and controls power consumption, and a signal processing circuit for distance measurement and angle calculation. It also provides an autonomous activation function. These features allow users to easily obtain the height and positional data on the X, Y and Z planes for precision sensing actions such as the detection of multiple people or gesture without contact.

Average power consumption is 0.72mW at 0.1 per cent duty cycle operation, reported Socionext. The sensor is supplied in an FC-BGA measuring 4.0 x 7.0 x 1.2mm.

Sample shipments are scheduled for Q2 2022, and mass production in Q1 2023.

Socionext supplies SoCs for use in automotive, data centre, networking and smart devices.

Socionext Inc. is headquartered in Yokohama, and has offices in Japan, Asia, the United States and Europe.

Socionext Europe has headquarters is in Frankfurt, Germany with offices in Munich, Germany and Maidenhead, UK. The Munich Design and Support Centre specialises in embedded graphic, hardware and software product development for the automotive sector. The Maidenhead office in the UK supports Socionext’s IP Development & Engineering Centre with a focus on high speed data conversion IP. Socionext Europe offers customers a range of custom SoCs.

http://www.socionext.com

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Charger IC is wireless power transfer-compatible

Tue, May 31, 2022

A multi-functional, compact charging IC for lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, the XC6810, supports wireless power transfer.

Available from Torex Semiconductor, the XC6810 series of charging ICs for Li-ion batteries are suitable for wearables, hearables or IoT devices. Functions include charge and discharge control as well as wireless power supply support.

Charging current is 1.0 to approximately 25mA, making it suitable for small Li-ion batteries. The ICs can provide a wide charging range of 3.8 to 4.4V.The XC6810 series are equipped with shutdown function to suppress battery discharge when stored or not in use as well as a wake-up function, activated using an external push button, to extend the life of batteries and devices.

In addition to the conventional LED-driven display, a terminal indicates the charging status, showing charging level by frequency. It also supports charging monitoring using a microcontroller.

The XC6810 is equipped with a battery voltage monitoring function, which can directly monitor the battery voltage through a microcontroller, or a low battery voltage notification function.

The wide input voltage range of 3.5 to 28V supports wireless power and energy harvester charging, confirmed Torex. For contact-type charging using a cradle, for example, one version has a terminal which modulates the power supply line for the charging status to be notified by two-wire communication. The charging status and charging control can be displayed through the cradle.

Torex Semiconductor provides CMOS power management ICs for battery powered and energy efficient applications. The company specialises in CMOS analogue technology, with LDO voltage regulators, voltage detectors and DC/DC converters in its product portfolio.

http://www.torexsemi.com

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Sensor tracks motion and orientation for IoT and metaverse

Sitara AM62 processors expand edge AI while cutting the power budget

Radio wave ranging sensor is sensitive enough for gesture initiation

Charger IC is wireless power transfer-compatible

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