Farnell builds IoT development framework with ON Semiconductor

To remove development obstacles and to accelerate IoT innovation, Farnell and ON Semiconductor have developed a development framework to simplify building IoT-enabled devices.

Farnell, an Avnet company, is now shipping a range of ON Semiconductor products to support the framework developed by the manufacturer and Avnet, to help OEMs more rapidly develop end-to-end IoT devices.

The IoTConnect framework simplifies the process of building IoT-enabled devices through rapid prototyping, says Farnell.

“Avnet, via Avnet Silica and EBV Elektronik in Europe, and ON Semiconductor are offering solutions to meet the changing needs of OEMs and their customers. By leveraging expertise across the Avnet organisation, and working closely with ON Semiconductor, we’re are to provide new ways to help OEMs stay competitive, maximize revenue potential, and design with the right technologies to create secure IoT solutions,” says Lou Lutostanski, vice president of IoT, Avnet.

The first supported product from ON Semiconductor is the RSL10 sensor development kit, suitable for applications such as industrial wearable devices, asset monitoring and smart sensing.  The development kit features what is claimed to be the industry’s lowest power flash-based Bluetooth Low Energy radio and an array of advanced environmental sensors, including an inertial sensor (three-axis accelerometer, three-axis gyroscope and a low power smart hub for motion sensing), a geomagnetic sensor and an ambient light sensor. The distributor offers the base version, the RSL10-SENSE-GEVK, and the RSL10-SENSE-DB-GEVK kit which has a debugger.

The ON Semiconductor range is available from Farnell in EMEA, Newark in North America and elememt14 in APAC.

ON Semiconductor supplies a portfolio of energy efficient, power management, analogue, sensors, logic, timing, connectivity, discrete, SoC and custom devices for customers in automotive, communications, computing, consumer, industrial, medical, aerospace and defence applications.

It has a network of manufacturing facilities, sales offices and design centres in key markets throughout North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific regions.

Farnell has over 80 years’ experience in the distribution of technology products and solutions for electronic system design, production, maintenance and repair. It uses this experience to support its broad customer base, from hobbyists to engineers, maintenance engineers and buyers, working with leading brands and start-ups to develop new products for market, and supporting the industry as it seeks to develop the current and next generation of engineers.

Farnell trades as Farnell in Europe, Newark in North America and element14 throughout Asia Pacific. It sells direct to consumers through a network of resellers and its CPC business in the UK.

Farnell is a business unit of Avnet, which has an extensive ecosystem that delivers design, product, marketing and supply chain expertise for customers at every stage of the product lifecycle.

http://www.farnell.com

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Glucose measuring wristband means non-stop monitoring

At this year’s CES, Quantum Operation will showcase what it claims is the world’s first glucose measuring wristband which enables non-stop monitoring.

The Tokyo-based healthcare IoT start-up explains that the non-invasive glucose monitor uses patented spectrum sensing technology which enables the monitoring sensor to accurately measure glucose in a person’s bloodstream through the skin while being worn around the wrist. The monitor eliminates the need for daily needle uses for diabetic patients, making it more convenient – and pain-free – for users.

The company will also highlight its oxygen saturation (SpO2) measuring sensor that can be worn around the wrist.

The non-invasive 24/7 monitoring relies on Quantum Operation’s core technologies that include spectrometer materials. One of which is designed to emit an optimal spectrum, and another that is highly responsive to target spectra. The wristbands also employ firmware that efficiently extracts targeted data by cancelling noise.

Quantum Operation explains that these technologies can be used to measure all types of vital signs, ranging from heart rate to electrocardiography (ECG). Patients’ conditions can be monitored remotely for convenience and enabling them to continue their normal daily activity as much as possible.

“Until now, sticking a need into your finger or arm has been the only available method for accurately measuring your glucose level,” said CEO Kazuma Kato. “Our wristband will change that, making the painful daily routine unnecessary for all diabetic patients.”

He added: “Our core technologies also enable healthcare businesses to compile accurate big data and provide better solutions for disease control and management. We are very excited to introduce these technologies at CES 2021.”

Quantum Operation is a Tokyo-based, healthcare IoT start up focused on making vital sign measurement as easy and painless as possible. It says its mission is to help people enjoy a healthier and longer lives. Its proprietary technologies are used to provide solutions for both patients and healthcare providers.

https://quantum-op.co.jp

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MCUs integrate peripherals for sensor-based IoT applications

Sensor-based IoT applications use a combination of analogue functionality and digital control capability to meet cost, size, performance and power parameters for efficiency. In response, Microchip has combined analogue peripherals and multi-voltage operation with inter-peripheral connections in its PIC18-Q41 and AVR DB MCU families. In addition to these attributes for increased system integration and reduced signal acquisition times, they offer the convenience and efficiency of operating in a single design environment, says Microchip.

The introduction bring s easy-to-use analogue capability to cost-effective PIC and AVR MCUs, says Greg Robinson,  so designers can meet the requirements of large-scale IoT systems,” said Greg Robinson, associate vice president of marketing for Microchip’s 8-bit microcontroller business unit. “With a unified, seamless development tool experience, designers can use these MCUs as a single-chip controller, or as an intelligent analogue signal conditioning component in a larger system,” he explained.

The PIC18-Q41 MCU has a configurable operational amplifier and ADC with computation and DACs for signal conditioning in space-constrained sensing and measuring applications such as IoT end nodes and industrial, medical devices, wearables, automotive and lighting systems. It is also well-suited for IoT and large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) at the edge, including predictive maintenance edge nodes in a smart factory, added Microchip. It is offered in compact 14- and 20-pin packages and can be used with Microchip’s 32-bit MCUs and other controllers that require analogue integration.

For mixed-signal IoT systems which often include multiple power domains, the AVR DB MCU integrates true bi-directional level shifters to reduce cost. Typical use examples are automotive, appliances, HVAC and liquid measurement applications. Microchip has added three configurable op amps, a 12-bit differential ADC, 10-bit DAC, three zero cross detectors and Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) enabling the AVR DB MCU to be used wherever analogue signal conditioning and processing functions are required.

The PIC18-Q41 and AVR DB MCU families are supported by Microchip’s MPLAB X integrated development environment (IDE), its MPLAB Code Configurator (MCC) and the MPLAB Mindi Analog Simulator. MCC is a free software plug-in that provides a graphical interface to configure peripherals and functions specific to an application.

The AVR DB is additionally supported by Atmel START, Atmel Studio and third-party tools such as IAR and the GCC C compiler.

The PIC18F16Q41 Curiosity Nano evaluation kit (EV26Q64A) and the AVR DB Curiosity Nano evaluation kit (EV35L43A) are also available with programming and debugging capabilities.

http://www.microchip.com

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Image sensor minimises distortion in machine vision and mixed reality applications

A combination of a high dynamic range and pixel design means that the AR0234CS CMOS global shutter image sensor by ON Semiconductor delivers image clarity at 120 frames per second.
The 2.3 Mpixel CMOS image sensor, with global shutter technology is designed for a variety of applications including machine vision cameras, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) headsets, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and barcode readers.

The AR0234CS captures 1080p video and single frames, up to 120 frames per second. It is claimed to have industry-leading shutter efficiency, to produce crisp and clear images by minimising frame-to-frame distortion in high speed scenes and reducing the motion artefacts that other image sensors experience.

The pixel architecture delivers high dynamic range to support lighting conditions from the darkness of night to bright sunlight. The low noise and improved low light response makes it suitable for applications spanning across consumer, commercial and industrial IoT. The extended operating temperature range makes it deployable in challenging outdoor conditions.

As manufacturers automate production, using vision-based systems, the need for quality image sensing is increasing, explains Gianluca Colli, vice president and general manager, Industrial and Consumer Sensor Division (ICSD) Group at ON Semiconductor. As a result, they are demanding optimum size, performance and power in image sensors, he continued.

The sensor also has programmable regions of interest with on-chip histogram, auto exposure control and 5 x 5 statistics engine, fully integrated strobe illumination control, a flexible row and column skip mode, along with horizontal and vertical mirroring, windowing and pixel binning.

Together with the AP1302 image signal processor (ISP), the AR0234CS delivers a comprehensive camera system that can be designed and developed quickly for fast time-to-market, says ON Semiconductor. System designers can access the DevSuite software to evaluate features and capabilities, configure and tune the sensor, and provide a ready-made output that is usable for further image processing.

The AR0234CS is offered in colour and mono variants, with 0 or 28 degree chief ray angle (CRA).

Samples and development hardware are available now through local ON Semiconductor sales support representatives and authorised distributors.

http://www.onsemi.com

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