Sensors & Transducers I Product News
Smartpulse IP gateway reference design for wireless sensor network
Dialog Semiconductor has announced a SmartPulse IP gateway reference design that will enable SmartPulse and other DECT ULE home automation wireless sensor/actuator products to be connected to the web for remote management via smartphones, laptops and tablet PCs. The reference design integrates the company’s SmartPulse SC14CVMDECT wireless base station device and SC14452 VoIP application host processor with 32Mb of flash memory, 16MB SDRAM, an Ethernet Phy and Ethernet transformer.
Measuring 60x100mm the reference board is supported by Dialog’s Rhea µClinux software development environment, which includes web servers, TCP/IP stack and an SSH server. Included with the reference design are two example sensor application boards; these automatically connect with the IP gateway reference design and enable the testing of web control systems for SmartPulse enabled products. Further simplifying the design process for new
wireless sensor network systems Dialog has also announced development kits for the complete family of SmartPulse DECT ULE sensors (SC14WSMDATA, SC14WSMDECT) and base
14-bit capacitive sensor conditioning IC raises bar on accuracy
station (SC14CVMDECT) devices. These kits include both devices and software, providing a simple way to create SmartPulse based systems such as wireless controlled door locks, smoke alarms, light switches, home appliances and personal security and health-care systems. Dialog’s low power wireless sensor network
devices are capable of running for up to 10 years on a single AAA battery pack; are certified for worldwide use; stream 232bit packet data in the 1870-1930MHz licensed DECT band; have a 300m range; are self-configuring and require no network planning.
Dialog Semiconductor |
www.dialog-semiconductor.com
ST and MTL unveil ultra-low-voltage SoC for wireless and implantable devices
STMicroelectronics and the Microsystems Technology Laboratories (MTL) of Massachusetts Institute of Technology have presented the results of an advance R&D project targeting a low- power microprocessor technology at this year’s European Solid-State Circuits Conference held in Helsinki, Finland. The voltage-scalable 32-bit microprocessor System-on-Chip (SoC) combines impressive peak performance with extreme energy efficiency to address applications with limited power budget and time-varying processing loads in the medical, wireless sensor networks and mobile fields. “This breakthrough technology can enable the development of an entirely new generation of microprocessors for wireless sensors and implantable medical devices, where minimised power consumption and long battery life are absolutely critical,” said Alessandro Cremonesi, Strategy and System Technology Group Vice President and Advanced System Technology General Manager, STMicroelectronics.” Our work with MIT aspires to play a key role in expanding the industry’s horizons in ultra-low-power technologies.” "MIT researchers and STMicroelectronics engineers worked together to develop and implement a number of architectural and circuit technique to reduce power consumption. The energy-efficient processor will enable a number
of exciting sensor network applications such as embedded bio-medical systems" said Prof. Anantha Chandrakasan, Department Head of EECS at MIT.
Implemented in ST’s 65 nm CMOS process,
the ST-MIT microprocessor SoC reduces power consumption to10.2 pJ/cycle at 0.54 V, while the SRAM memory cells can operate at 0.4 V. Memory-access power consumption is further reduced through the use of a small latch-based instruction and data caches at the first level of the hierarchy. Additional features that make this SoC a compact and self-contained system include on-chip ultra low power clock generation and analog-to-digital conversion, as well as a set of peripherals, such as timers and serial interfaces able to work at the minimum voltage supply. ST is a member of the Microsystems Industrial
Group (MIG) at MIT’s Microsystems Technology Laboratories (MTL), an exclusive industry consortium that supports MTL’s infrastructure and provides direction to its research and educational objectives in consultation with the faculty. ST has a long history in working with leading educational and research establishments around the world, combining industry experience and knowledge with academic research strengths and rich talent pool.
STMicroelectronics |
www.st.com
First automotive low light ambient light sensor for AEC-Q100 Grade 2 applications
Intersil Corporation has introduced an automotive qualified ambient light sensor that can measure incident light levels down to 0.01 lux with near human eye spectral response. The ISL76671 is the first low light ambient light sensor (ALS) to operate within the automotive temperature range of -40 degrees C to 105 degrees C, guaranteeing reliable performance without external temperature compensation. The sensor features internal temperature compensation, fast 30 millisecond response time and excellent infrared (IR) rejection. The ALS operates from a 1.8V to 3.0V supply with an ultra-low operating current of less than 4uA, and its voltage output can be connected directly to an ADC without buffering. Available in a small 2.1mm x 2.1mm package, the ISL76671 is suitable for light detection behind darkened glass and plastic bezels in a
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wide range of light-based control applications. The ultra-low light sensitivity (0.01 lux) enables excellent nighttime performance. (As a reference, the illumination from the full moon is typically from 0.25 to 1 lux, depending on location.)
Intersil |
www.intersil.com Components in Electronics
Cypress Semiconductor has unveiled the new CY8CMBR2016 device that will enable designers to implement capacitive matrix button systems of up to 4 x 4 buttons without having to write firmware or learn new software tools. A matrix system is a row and column array of buttons typically found in keypad applications in a variety of industrial applications. This is the latest addition to the CapSense Express capacitive touch-sensing controller line from Cypress that leverages the SmartSense Auto-tuning algorithm, which eliminates the requirement for system tuning and is the only solution that offers run- time environmental compensation. The device supports industry standard "keypad scan" and "truth table" host interface protocols, enabling customers to leverage their existing host processor firmware. It also features multi-touch, suitable for matrix applications that require simultaneous button presses to enter various user interface modes. The
CY8CMBR2016 operates over a 1.71 V to 5.5 V range which means it can be used for a wide range of regulated and unregulated battery applications, and a supply current in run mode as
low as 15 uA/button. It is targeted for applications such as security panels, card reader keypads, biometric scanner keypads, fire alarm control panels, thermostats, home appliances as well as any system requiring up to 16 individual CapSense buttons.
SmartSense Auto-tuning dynamically optimises the capacitive baseline and detection threshold for each button and adjusts for the optimal capacitance sensing range at power-up and during runtime as environmental conditions change, including temperature, humidity, and noise. Eliminating the need to tune is a significant advantage for large and small manufacturers alike, as it saves engineering time and yield loss that can occur with even slight variations in manufacturing tolerances. The device offers reliable operation in very harsh sensing conditions and ensures immunity to conducted and radiated noise. It also integrates a voltage regulator to address power supply noise as well as filters for any spurious noise.
Cypress Semiconductor |
www.cypress.com www.cieonline.co.uk
ZMD AG (ZMDI), a supplier of energy-efficient analogue and mixed-signal solutions, has expanded its family of capacitive sensor signal conditioning devices with the wide-dynamic- range ZSSC3123 integrated circuit (IC). The chip delivers 14-bit resolution and 0.25 % accuracy over a wide range of sensor capacitances and temperatures. Target applications include low power battery driven sensor applications, sensors for humidity, weight scales, load and compression sensing, as well as tension control. Capacitive sensors are often favoured for their small size and lower power consumption. The ZSSC3123, designed for low-power operation, complements these features and provides to designers an optimal solution for their system designs. The device is particularly suited for MEMS-based sensor elements, such as pressure sensors for hydraulic control systems, humidity sensors, and liquid level gauges. The ZSSC3123 connects to microcontrollers but can also be utilised in stand-alone designs for transducer and switch applications. The device features an operating current as low as 60uA over the entire voltage range of 2.3V to 5.5V. A built-in sleep mode lowers the current consumption to <1uA for temperatures up to 85°C.
The device can be configured to interface with capacitive sensors from 0.5 to 260 pF, with a sensitivity as low as 125 atto-Farads (aF) per digital bit. The part can be used in both single- and differential-input sensor configurations. The device offers a full 14-bit resolution for
compensation of sensor offset, sensitivity and temperature.
All calibration is digital and completed in one pass, eliminating the cost of laser trimming, and speeds up calibration of sensor modules in production. Programming and single-pass calibration of the capacitive sensor and the ZSSC3123 is accomplished through a standard PC environment using the ZSSC3123 kit and development tools. The kit includes a TSSOP14, development board, USB cable and calibration software.
At the standard supply voltage of 2.3 to 5.5 V, the device is accurate to 0.25 % over the -20 to +85°C range, and 0.5 % from -40 to +125°C. The ZSSC3123 part provides I2C and SPI interfaces as well as PDM or alarm outputs.
ZMD|
www.ZMDI.com
CapSense Express provides complete 4 x 4 matrix system for keypad applications
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