Air quality sensor personalises ozone detection

Low power outdoor air quality sensors have been added to the ZMOD4510 sensor platform by Renesas. The sensors are supplied in an IP67-qualified waterproof package and have an artificial intelligence (AI) –based algorithm for low power, selective ozone measurements.

The enhanced ZMOD4510 is claimed to be the industry’s first fully calibrated, miniature digital OAQ sensor solution with selective ozone measurement capabilities. They are designed to offer visibility into the air quality in users’ immediate environments for a personalised experience.

The enhanced ZMOD4510 is based on Renesas’ new low power firmware and can detect specific ozone levels – without reporting on other pollutants. Power consumption is maintained at less than 200 microW. The selective measurement capability allows devices such as smart watches, phones, and smoke detectors to monitor for harmful ozone gases typically found outdoors but which can drift indoors through open windows and doors. Optimising the ZMOD4510 for very low power is key to enabling the longer life cycles required for these types of battery-powered devices.

“The enhanced ZMOD4510 gives manufacturers the selective high precision sensing, small size, and long battery life they need for battery-powered devices  that offer customers a convenient and customised view of their immediate air quality environment,” said Uwe Guenther, senior director, sensing solutions, IoT and infrastructure business unit at Renesas.

Renesas’ software-configurable ZMOD platform allows firmware updates in the field to enable new, application-specific capabilities, such as selective ozone detection.

The ZMOD4510’s ability to quantify selective ozone levels in concentrations as low as 20 parts per billion (ppb) coupled with its low power, small size and outstanding flexibility makes it suitable for mobile and wearable devices, as well as industrial applications such as wireless security cameras and parking meters.

The waterproof 3.0 x 3.0 x 0.9mm LGA package allows the sensor to operate in harsh and submersible environments. The IP67-rated sensor maintains accuracy and performance yet eliminates the need for expensive waterproofing systems.

The sensor is shipped fully calibrated in the hydrophobic and oleophobic package, and customers can apply a conformal coating on their circuitry rather than adding an external membrane to the module.

The ZMOD4510 is calibrated to the US Environmental Agency’s (EPA) Air Quality Index for measuring ozone, and is highly resistant to siloxanes, enabling exceptional reliability for use in harsh environments.

The enhanced ZMOD4510 platform is available now in both a standard and IP67-rated sensor package.

http://www.renesas.com

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Fusion Design platform enables first-pass silicon for Armv9-based SoCs

Multiple SoC tape-outs at early adopters of the Arm Cortex-X2, Cortex-A710, and Cortex-A510 CPUs based on Arm’s Armv9 architecture, Arm Mali-G710 GPUs and Arm DynamIQ Shared Unit-110, have been announced. They were achieved using Synopsys’ EDA and IP, including Fusion Design Verification Continuum and DesignWare Interface IP.

The latest SoCs, developed for high end consumer devices, use Armv9’s performance and power efficiency enhancements and jointly developed flows and methodologies targeting the latest 5nm, 4nm and 3nm process technologies.

The EDA tools and IP provide designers with the leading, SoC-centric, and power-first software-to-silicon solution, says Synopsys, to hasten the achievement of the maximum performance per Watt across various use cases, including specialised artificial intelligence (AI), digital signal processing (DSP) and virtual and augmented reality (XR) workloads which are expected to be broadly deployed in next generation consumer devices.

“Based on the Armv9 architecture, the Arm Total Compute solution is designed to deliver a step-change in compute performance and efficiency while providing the levels of native security and trust needed in an increasingly data-centric and connected world,” said Paul Williamson, senior vice president and general manager, Client Line of Business, Arm.

Designers creating Armv9-based SoCs for a range of markets, including smartphones, laptops, PCs, digital TVs, wearables, and augmented- and virtual-reality applications, select Synopsys’ portfolio of integrated digital, verification and interface IP solutions to achieve optimum differentiation and the fastest time-to-market, says the company.

“Data is becoming an ever-increasing and important currency in this knowledge-driven world, and its timely, efficient and secure processing is paramount in shaping a safe, information-leveraged future,” said Shankar Krishnamoorthy, general manager of the Digital Design Group at Synopsys. “Our broad portfolio of optimised design, verification, IP, software security and software quality solutions have been aggressively co-optimised with Arm to enable a new wave of high-value applications based on the Armv9 architecture, establishing the new benchmark for trustworthy, power-centric performance.”

According to Synopsys, the Fusion Design Platform delivers unprecedented full-flow quality-of-results and time-to-results. Fusion Technology redefines conventional EDA tool boundaries – test, synthesis, place-and-route, and signoff – by sharing common, best-in-class engines, enabling broad-flow optimisations and wide-ranging margin reduction for performance per Watt and time to results.

Early adopters of Arm’s Armv9 mobile solution are using Synopsys’ Verification Continuum Platform solutions optimised for Arm, including Virtualizer Development Kit (VDK) with Arm Fast Models for Cortex-X2, Cortex-A710, Cortex-A510 CPUs and Mali-G710 GPUs, VCS simulation, Verdi for hardware and software debug, Verification IP for the latest Arm AMBA interconnect, ZeBu Server and HAPS hardware to accelerate hardware-software development and power and performance validation to reduce time-to-market.

The DesignWare Interface IP portfolio provides the performance, power efficiency, security and real-time connectivity for Arm-based systems implementing the latest Cortex CPUs and Mali GPUs. Synopsys’ IP portfolio of controllers and PHYs supporting the latest protocols such as PCI Express, DDR, MIPI and USB, is optimised for the rapid development of Arm-based SoCs.

Synopsys QuickStart Implementation Kits (QiKs) include implementation scripts and reference guides and enable early adopters to accelerate time-to-market and achieve their demanding performance per Watt targets.

http://www.synopsys.com

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Nordic introduces first PMIC for tight spaces

Nordic Semiconductor’s first power management device is the nPM1100, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC). It combines a USB compatible Li-ion/Li-Po battery charger and DC/DC buck regulator in a compact WLCSP for space-constrained applications.

The low IQ PMIC for the company’s nRF52/nRF53 series SoCs and other compatible devices. The 400mA battery charger and 150mA DC/DC step down regulator is integrated with a USB-compatible input regulator with overvoltage protection in a WLCSP which measures 2.075 x 2.075mm. The PMIC ensures reliable power supply and stable operation for the nRF52 and nRF53 series multi-protocol SoCs and maximises the application battery life, says Nordic. It can be used as a generic PMIC for any application using rechargeable Lithium Ion or Lithium Polymer batteries.  Its form factor makes it suitable for wearables, connected medical devices, and other space-constrained applications.

The nPM1100’s battery charger can bypass the first regulator stage of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) applications based on nRF52 and nRF53 SoCs. In this configuration the buck regulator’s high efficiency reduces overall system power consumption while its 150mA current capability increases the current available for other system components from approximately 10 to 100mA.

The nPM1100 features a low quiescent current (IQ) of 700nA (typicall) which can be further reduced to 470nA in “ship mode” (i.e disabling the power output, removing the need for an external power switch), which minimises battery lifetime impact on products in transit. The power management solution takes up as little as 23mm2 of PCB area, including passive components (rising to 27mm2 when optimised for performance).

The nPM1100 input regulator draws its power from either a 4.1 to 6.6V USB input or from a 2.3 to 4.35V connected battery input. It can supply a 3.0 to 5.5V unregulated voltage to the application at up to 500mA output current. The PMIC supports USB standard downstream port (SDP), charging downstream port (CDP) and dedicated charger port (DCP) detection. The input regulator includes over-voltage protection for transient voltage spikes up to 20V.

The battery charger is JEITA-compliant and will charge the application’s Li-ion/Li-Po battery with a resistor-selectable charge current from 20 to 400mA and a selectable termination voltage of 4.1 or 4.2V. The charger includes battery thermal protection and automatic selection from three charging modes: automatic trickle, constant current and constant voltage. The charger also features a discharge current limitation.

The DC/DC buck voltage regulator runs at more than 90 per cent efficiency down to below 100 microA load current. It takes its power from the input system regulator and provides up to 150mA current at a selectable 1.8, 2.0, 2.7 or 3.0V regulated output voltage. The regulator features soft start up and automatic transition between hysteretic and pulse width modulation (PWM) modes. It also supports a forced PWM mode for clean power operation.

No configuration software is required as all settings are pin configurable. The PMIC is compatible with all devices designed to operate within the output voltages and supply currents the chip can deliver. The product’s operating temperature range is -40 to 85 degrees C.

Nordic also offers the nPM1100 evaluation kit with 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. It can be powered by USB via the on-board micro-USB port, from an external DC power supply through header pins or from battery power via the battery connectors on one of the headers.

http://www.nordicsemi.com

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Mali GPUs complement Armv9 CPUs

To complement a raft of Arm v9 CPUs, Arm has introduced GPUs for the architecture. The highest performing GPU, the Mali-G710 targets premium smartphones and Chromebooks, with 20 per cent performance improvements for compute intensive experiences, such as AAA high-fidelity gaming.

Mali-G710 also raises machine learning performance by 35 per cent, for tasks such as image enhancement for new camera and video modes.

There is also a sub-premium GPU, the Arm Mali-G610. This GPU has the same features as the Mali-G710 but at a lower price point.

Another introduction is the Arm Mali-G510, which has performance and low energy operation to extend battery life as well as machine learning for mid-range smartphones, premium smart TVs and set top boxes.

Finally, there is the Arm Mali-G310, claimed to deliver the highest performance at the smallest area cost. Mali-G310 now brings the Valhall architecture and high-quality graphics technologies to lower cost devices such as entry-level smartphones, augmented reality (AR) devices and wearables.

For more technical details on the new suite of Mali GPUs, visit our blog.

Arm believes that digital experiences have been shaped and defined by the premium smartphone, its software ecosystem and almost universal connectivity. This is now defining the standard for all consumer interactions.

Arm has introduced Total Compute, an holistic approach with IP to deliver richer gaming experiences with higher fidelity graphics and gameplay performance.

Arm’s Total Compute will also transform the way we interact, work and learn, says Dr Kevin Jou, CTO, MediaTek.  “Arm’s Total Compute solutions bring exciting new advances to the mobile landscape with more compute performance, increased system efficiency, and stronger security for future devices,” he said.

“Smart devices have become digital extensions of our lives that rely on performance, efficiency and security. With Arm’s Total Compute solution based on its latest Armv9 architecture and enhanced lead partnership, Samsung’s System LSI Business and Arm will open new possibilities for next-generation mobile platforms and we are excited about the transformation this will bring to the user experiences through our future technologies,” added Joonseok Kim, vice president of SoC design team, Samsung Electronics

“The new Armv9 based Total Compute solution with enhanced security features and increased performance will enable a more seamless immersive experience for the next-generation of smartphone and laptop devices using Arm technology, said” Eric Yu, head of hardware partnership at Zoom.

http://www.arm.com

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