Wearable

Miniature wireless comms modules address low power edge devices

Wed, Mar 10, 2021

Miniature Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy modules from InnoPhase combne wireless connectivity and an integrated microcontroller for edge of network IoT devices that require low power and a direct-to-cloud connection.

The fabless semiconductor company has introduced the Talaria Two INP1012 and INP1013 modules for a range of products including smart home, smart industrial and smart health applications. The miniature modules are 40 per cent smaller than the original INP1010 and INP1011 modules, which introduced digital radio architecture and which claimed to provide the lowest power Wi-Fi connectivity in the industry.

The INP1012 includes an RF pin for routing the antenna signal onto a main PCB. This allows for independent antenna or antenna connector selection and solder pads. The INP1013 includes a ceramic chip-antenna mounted on the module and solder pads.

Typical smart IoT applications use a significant percentage of the overall system power for Wi-Fi connectivity – up to 75 per cent, explained InnoPhase, even while idly connected to the network. The INP1012 and INP1013 Talaria Two modules can increase the battery lifetime by months or years and require less space, claimed InnoPhase. The INP1012 module also has the capability to allow the user to select the antenna connection and placement. This makes it particularly suitable for industrial applications.

The INP1012 and INP1013 modules can be used in smart door locks, remote security cameras, connected sensors or other space-constrained products within home, commercial, industrial and health markets.

The INP1012 and INP1013 modules use the Talaria Two multi-protocol SoC, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy 5 for wireless data transfer, an embedded Arm Cortex-M3 for system control and user applications, there are also advanced security elements for device safeguards.

The modules can operate in standalone mode, in conjunction with an external microcontroller or in a hybrid mode where the system control and processing responsibilities are shared between the module and an external microcontroller.

The module can be connected to a single power supply and when general purpose I/Os are connected to the peripherals, the system is ready for use, said InnoPhase.

All modules will be certified with the Wi-Fi Alliance and Bluetooth SIG and include government body certifications such as FCC, IC (Canada) and CE/RED approval.

http://www.innophaseinc.com

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Measurement ICs double battery life and have highest accuracy, claims Maxim

Tue, Feb 23, 2021

Three ICs from Maxim Integrated allow designers to achieve double the battery life, while offering protection and what is claimed to be the highest accuracy for IoT, industrial and healthcare applications.

The trio are the MAX41400 instrumentation amplifier, the MAX40108 precision operational amplifier and the MAX31343 real time clock (RTC) with integrated MEMS oscillator.

IoT and battery-operated sensors require the development of systems that provide longer battery life while accurately measuring real world voltages, forces and pressures. Battery life is extended from the previous limit of 7.4 hours to 11.5 hours. Power budgets demand these sensors achieve precision on the first measurement, with little to no calibration. An added challenge is that for industrial and IoT applications, these sensors must withstand extreme physical conditions of temperature, humidity and mechanical abuse.

The MAX41400 instrumentation amplifier enhances sensor system accuracy by a factor of four, and extends battery life by 55 per cent compared to the closest competitive offering, claims Maxim. It provides low offset of 25 microV, low noise and programmable gain with only 65 microA current consumption.

The MAX40108 is claimed to be the lowest voltage precision operational amplifier in its class, operating with supplies as low as 0.9V. This low operational supply voltage is combined with a lower power consumption and 25.5 microA quiescent current which allows engineers to double sensor battery life, Maxim explains.

The MAX31343 I²C RTC with integrated MEMS oscillator provides timekeeping accuracy of ±5ppm; a figure “substantially better than the closest competitor”, according to Maxim. An integrated MEMS resonator also offers robust protection, i.e.  shock resistance of above 2900G and vibration resistance of above 50G to  eliminate crystal mechanical failures.   

All these products offer multiple and small form factor package choices.

The MAX41400 is available now, and an evaluation kit, the MAX41400EVKIT#, is also available.

The MAX40108 is available from the company and its authorised distributors, together with the MAX40108EVKIT# evaluation kit.

The MAX31343 and MAX31343SHLD# evaluation kit are also available.

http://www.maximintegrated.com

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Infineon secures contactless transactions with crypto controllers

Mon, Feb 22, 2021

As contactless payment, identity, ticketing and access operations gain traction, Infineon Technologies has developed the 40nm SLC36 / SLC37 security controller platforms. They are based on the high performance, energy efficient 32bit Arm SecurCore SC300 dual interface security chips and supplemented with a Solid Flash memory.

The 40nm technology enables internal clock frequencies of up to 100MHz, which is particularly crucial for short transaction times, says Infineon. The two security controller families have a range of dual interface and contactless modules, including traditional and inductive coupling technologies.

The 40nm technology platform complies with cryptological requirements for AES and ECC standards and is qualified for Secora solution, for payment, IoT and ID applications. Infineon adds that contactless transactions can be reliably secured and that transaction times can also be reduced. They also support the ISO14443 type A/B and ISO18092 (NFC) standards for contactless, and ISO7816, for contact-based interfaces

The crypto controllers support the implementation of sophisticated payment, ID, and multi-applications, including small form factor wearables, such as watches, rings, jewellery, and metal cards.

All products can be adapted to all regional requirements for regional market requirements.

Products of the 40nm SLC36 / SLC37 controller-based crypto platforms are available now. Certificates from EMVCo and BSI for CC are available.

http://www.infineon.com

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Renesas RF microcontrollers are supported by Segger

Mon, Feb 08, 2021

Development tools, embedded software and production tools for the entire Renesas RE microcontroller family are available from Segger Microcontroller.

According to the company, the support makes firmware development for the Arm-based Renesas RE microcontrollers fast and easy.

Segger’s Embedded Studio integrated development environment (IDE) includes an optimised run-time library and the company’s own compiler and linker to generate small and efficient application code.

The J-Link debug probe offers the fastest flash download, including an unlimited number of breakpoints in flash memory, claims the company.

Application software includes an RTOS and communication, security, GUI and IoT software designed in-house, specifically for embedded systems. Segger’s system verification tool, SystemView, reveals the true runtime behaviour of the application. On completion of development, Segger’s Flasher series of production programmers can be used for mass production.

Trial versions of the software are available. Segger’s technical team and ecosystem offer support throughout the development process.

The power efficient Renesas RE family microcontrollers, combined with the low resource usage of Segger software, minimises – and sometimes even removes  – the need to recharge or replace batteries. This efficiency is particularly useful for home and building automation, smart farming and factory applications as well as for a range of medical devices and wearable applications.

Segger Microcontroller has over 25 years’ experience in embedded computer systems, and produces software libraries, and offers software tools and hardware tools for development and production.

Its software libraries include communication, security, data compression and storage and user interface software.

The company’s range of software libraries and tools for embedded system development are optimised for the requirements imposed by resource-constrained embedded systems.

The company was founded by Rolf Segger in 1992. It is privately held and has a US office in the Boston area, branch operations in Silicon Valley and the UK, and distributors on most continents.

Segger software is not covered by an open-source or required-attribution license and can be integrated in any commercial or proprietary product, without the obligation to disclose the combined source.

http://www.segger.com

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