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Bluetooth 5.0 for RE microcontroller uses SOTB for energy harvesting

Fri, Mar 26, 2021

The latest member of Renesas Electronics’ RE family of microcontroller is the RE01B, which has Bluetooth 5.0 support. The 32-bit low power microcontroller was developed using Renesas’ SOTB (Silicon on Thin Buried Oxide) process technology.

The Bluetooth-capable RE01B is suitable for energy harvesting systems and intelligent IoT devices that operate constantly at extremely low power levels without having to replace or recharge batteries. The RE01B microcontroller makes it easier to implement regular data management and firmware updates over Bluetooth while maintaining low power consumption, which extends the battery life.

The on-chip energy harvesting control circuit (rapid start up capacitor charging and secondary battery charge protection functionality) allows users to achieve battery-less Bluetooth communication. Energy harvesting and power storage can be directly connected to the RE01B.

The microcontroller is suitable for compact healthcare devices such as pulse oximeters and biomedical sensor patches, remote controls with voice recognition capabilities and smart meter modules. RE01B can also be used for IoT devices that require constant operation, period data collection and updates, such as devices for monitoring the elderly, children or assets in transit.

The RE01B is built around the Arm Cortex-M0+ core and Renesas’ proprietary SOTB process technology. It operates at a maximum operating frequency of 64MHz and achieves current consumption as low as 35 microA/MHz during operation and 600nA during standby; this is among the lowest in the industry for a Bluetooth-capable microcontroller, says Renesas. It can also be combined with Renesas’ ISL9123 ultra-low Iq DC/DC converter, configured as an external step-down regulator, to reduce current consumption during operation down to 15 microA/MHz to improve power efficiency.

It has 1.5Mbyte flash memory and 256Kbyte SRAM with Bluetooth functionality, suitable for over the air (OTA) firmware updating.

The RE01B is in a 64-pin QFN package measuring 8.0 x 8.0mm.

Security function include Trusted Secure IP and Renesas offers application programming interfaces (APIs) conforming to standard protocols, such as heart rate profile (HRP), environment sensing profile (ESP), and automation I/O profile (AIOP), in addition to Bluetooth 5.0 protocol stack.

Development tools for the RE family, include a QE for Bluetooth Low Energy, which generates programs for custom Bluetooth profiles that can then be integrated into the user’s own application programs, and a Bluetooth test tool suite, which provides a graphical user interface that allows users to perform initial wireless characteristics evaluations and Bluetooth functionality verification.

The RE01B is available now. The EB-RE01B evaluation kit from Tessera Technology is also available now.

http://www.renesas.com

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NuCurrent cuts loose by extending HF wireless charging

Fri, Mar 26, 2021

For product categories that are using RF and inductive charging, NuCurrent has launched NuEva (high frequency) HF development platform based on inductive resonant power transfer.

“There are a great number of product categories that aren’t well-served by RF and inductive charging,” said NuCurrent’s CEO, Jacob Babcock. “NuEva HF delivers power levels about 1,000 times higher than RF and it provides positioning flexibility about 100 times that of Qi,” he said. It can also charge multiple devices simultaneously.

The NuEva HF platform operates at 6.78MHz, the same frequency as the standard developed by the AirFuel Alliance. In addition to multi-device charging from a single transmitter, greater spatial freedom and positioning flexibility, the HF method of power transfer delivers high system efficiencies and uniform charging zones and up to 300W power.

“NuEva HF represents a generational leap forward for inductive resonant power transfer,” said Babcock. It is intended for a range of applications, from gaming and robotics to personal transportation and medical devices, using wireless power.

NuEva HF offers several patented and proprietary technologies developed by NuCurrent. Among these innovations is face “repeater” technology which extends charging surface areas using inexpensive passive electronics driven from a single power source.

There is also multi-layer, multi-turn (MLMT) antennae that increase efficiencies and lower thermals and a variety of methods for cost-effective EMI mitigation, said NuCurrent.

The in-band communications reduce system cost, compared to Bluetooth, claims NuCurrent and there are is added flexibility for siting, with options for power transfer through a variety of materials (e.g. metal, tissue).

NuCurrent supplies developers with wireless power technologies and product integration expertise. Core technologies span magnetics, software and systems simulation. The company has generated over 150 patents granted and pending globally. It also offers internal tools to enhance speed to market, improve product performance and mitigate major development risks. The company says that its systems integration expertise supports manufacturers of appliances, smartphones, wearables, hearables, consumer electronics, medical devices, robotics, IoT, sporting equipment and other emerging product categories.

NuCurrent solutions are based on inductive and inductive resonant wireless power transfer which offers convenience, safety, efficiency, and enhanced user experience.

http://www.nucurrent.com

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Mitsubishi extends SCADA to diversify IoT

Thu, Mar 18, 2021

Two additional types of software for system monitoring and process control have been announced by Mitsubishi Electric. Both Genesis64 releases will diversify IoT needs and cover a range of production and business intelligence monitoring and automation roles.

Complementing the existing MAPS SCADA software, the Genesis64 Basic SCADA is an entry-level software with essential functions for small production lines.

The Genesis64 Advanced Application Server is a full SCADA suite for large-scale monitoring of factories, buildings, and utilities. It can be used to create a serverless system using cloud computing, which will facilitate the construction of redundant, multi-location or other secure, large-scale systems. It can also be used to connect to wearable devices such as smart glasses and smart watches, as well as to support customers interested in introducing remote monitoring or giving work instructions remotely. The software can be operated by voice commands with the use of AI smart assistant speakers, which helps operators avoid touching the monitoring screen.

Mitsubishi Electric offers customers SCADA solutions provided by Iconics, a SCADA and IoT analysis software company acquired by Mitsubishi Electric in 2019. Customers will be able to benefit from the combination of Iconics’ software technology and Mitsubishi Electric’s Factory Automation technology spanning expanded software products and services from the edge to the cloud, for automation and process control.

Mitsubishi Electric manufactures electrical and electronic equipment used in information processing and communications, space development and satellite communications, consumer electronics, industrial technology, energy, transportation and building equipment.

Mitsubishi Electric Europe, Factory Automation EMEA has its European headquarters in Ratingen near Dusseldorf, Germany. It is a part of Mitsubishi Electric Europe, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Electric, Japan.

The role of Factory Automation EMEA is to manage sales, service and support across its network of local branches and distributors throughout the EMEA region.

Iconics is a global automation software provider producing industry 4.0, web-enabled OPC UA and BACnet certified visualisation, analytics, and mobile software solutions for any energy, manufacturing, industrial or building automation application. Iconics has announced the release of V10.96 of its automation software line-up, including Genesis64 HMI/SCADA and building automation suite, AnalytiX data analytics suite, Hyper Historian rapid data historian and tools, MobileHMI data mobility suite, and IoTWorX IoT connectivity suite.

http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/fa/

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ST extends STM32WB series with extra power-saving modes

Thu, Mar 11, 2021

Devices that combine entry-level features with extra power savings have been added to the STM32WB Bluetooth Low Energy microcontroller series.

The dual-core STM32WB15 and STM32WB10 Value Line pair an Arm Cortex-M4 processor, which runs the main application with a Cortex-M0+ for Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. ST explains that this ensure real-time performance from each. The radio stage has a 102dBm link budget to ensure reliable connections over long distances and integrates balun circuitry to save board space and reduce the bill of materials.

The STM32WB15 and STM32WB10 have a power saving mode that allows the radio to remain operational. They also have tailored peripherals and memory to suit cost-sensitive, power-conscious embedded applications including wearables, beacons, smart circuit breakers, trackers, IoT endpoints, and equipment for industrial automation.

There is a software development kit (SDK) for each microcontroller. This includes standardised radio protocol stacks and openness to proprietary protocols with a set of security mechanisms that ensure safe software updates for device integrity. There is also Proprietary Code Read-Out Protection (PCROP) to guard intellectual property.

The STM32WB series scales across package variants, offering options such as extended general purpose I/Os and pin-to-pin compatibility between similar packages of the portfolio. Customers can migrate designs between devices to take advantage of different features and memory densities.

The development ecosystem includes STM32Cube-certified radio stacks, software expansion packs and sample code, the STM32CubeMX configurator and initialisation code generator, the STM32CubeIDE development environment, a powerful STM32CubeMonitor-RF evaluation tool, and associated Nucleo hardware tools.

The STM32WB15 and STM32WB10 microcontrollers are in production now, offering various pin-compatible configurations in a QFN48 package.

http://www.st.com

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Bluetooth 5.0 for RE microcontroller uses SOTB for energy harvesting

NuCurrent cuts loose by extending HF wireless charging

Mitsubishi extends SCADA to diversify IoT

ST extends STM32WB series with extra power-saving modes

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