AI Technology Comau applies artificial intelligence to enhance EV manufacturing C omau has created an


innovative, in-line testing and quality control paradigm that optimises the construction and assembly of batteries. MI.RA/


Thermography is one of the newest solutions within Comau’s cutting-edge vision systems family of Machine Inspection Recognition Archetypes, named MI.RA.


Designed for industrial-scale battery manufacturing, MI.RA/Thermography uses thermal imaging and artificial intelligence to perform non-invasive automated assessment and control of welded joints, to ensure battery integrity and prevent waste. Its non-destructive testing methodology protects cycle times without changing the existing manufacturing layout. Battery packs are composed of a large number of individual battery cells that are structurally held and electrically connected by numerous welded joints. High electrical resistance, due to poor joint quality, can create high energy loss and heat generation, thus


increasing the joint temperature, provoking potential safety issues and reducing efficiency. By automatically assessing surface defects and the electrical resistance of each joint before final assembly, MI.RA/Thermography can save manufacturers time and costs.


Furthermore, the system doesn’t require an additional power source, as it is based on the in-line acquisition of thermal images that are immediately pre-processed, cropped and analyzed via a previously-acquired knowledge- base. After receiving a trigger from the laser welding robot, the system records the cooling phase and performs features-based analysis to fully assess the joint quality.


Benefits • In-line process monitoring and post-process quality check


• Test, measure and control welded joints quality without affecting cycle times or line layouts


• The fully-integrated solution uses IR cameras and artificial intelligence to assess each


XMOS launches software development kit for AIoT


X R


MOS has launched an all- new software development kit (SDK) for the artificial intelligence of things (AIoT). Incorporating TensorFlowLite for


Microcontroller development tools, the SDK is designed to harness xcore.ai’s versatility and make it easier for engineers to develop connected products that can sense, think, decide and act.


The kit equips developers with standardised tools and resources that they need to create devices that absorb contextual data from their environment, infer meaning from that data,


and translate the results into action. It includes: • AIoT tools: scripts, tools and libraries to convert TensorFlowLite for Microcontroller models into a format that targets accelerated operations on the xcore.ai platform


• FreeRTOS: libraries to support FreeRTOS operation on xcore.ai, providing a familiar, standard industry programming environment to work in


• Examples: examples showing a variety of operations based on bare-metal and FreeRTOS operation, including smart microphone sensing • Documentation: getting started guides, example


welded joint before the final assembly


• Improved accuracy of aesthetic defect detection, often exceeds that of visual inspection


• Real-time results are collected and used for analysis and re-training


“High-precision joining is vital in the assembly and integrity of a battery and the combined use of infrared vision and artificial intelligence enables Comau to non-


builds and execution walkthroughs, as well as access to XMOS’ open-source libraries of interfaces & signal processing algorithms These tools will enable developers to rapidly deploy custom or off-the-shelf AI models using a standard framework alongside all of the control, communications, signal and I/O processing required to create a complete and secure application solution.


“Our AIoT SDK enables developers to create intelligent endpoint-AI solutions for a huge variety of applications,” says Mark Lippett, CEO of XMOS. “The flexibility of the xcore.ai architecture enables our customers to create truly differentiated solutions using standard embedded software techniques like TensorFlowLite for MCU in a fraction of the time required using traditional hardware approaches.”


invasively identify esthetic, structural and electrical defects directly within the manufacturing process,” explains Giovanni Di Stefano, chief technology officer – electrification, at Comau. “In this way, we help our customers better meet the evolving requirements of the electrification market.” comau.com


“It’s great to see XMOS’s latest contributions to low-energy embedded machine learning and I’m pleased that TensorFlow Micro has been able to integrate,” commented Pete Warden, Technical Lead for the TensorFlow Mobile team at Google. “This combination will enable a lot of exciting applications in the future.”


Early access to the XMOS AIoT SDK will be available on the GitHub open source platform, designed to be used in conjunction with the xcore. ai Explorer Kit, which is available on limited release via xmos.ai. Future releases will include other xcore. ai hardware platforms, targeting specific use case applications. This includes a smart home platform – a small form-factor reference design with additional Wi-Fi capability, designed to demonstrate the capabilities of voice at the edge of networks and due to be released in early 2021. xmos.ai


Radiflow and Mitsubishi Electric UK partner on security for industrial automation markets


adiflow, a provider of cyber security solutions for industrial automation networks, has collaborated with Mitsubishi Electric UK to address the needs of IEC62443 cyber security


standards in the Critical Infrastructure and Industrial Automation markets.


Radiflow develops trusted industrial cyber security solutions for critical business operations that have been successfully deployed in over 4,000 sites by major utilities and industrial enterprises worldwide. The combination of the automation knowledge and tools of Mitsubishi Electric UK with the cyber security and IEC 62443 compliance skills of Radiflow,


34 December/January 2021


provides a holistic view of a client’s risk posture. Radiflow will also provide Mitsubishi Electric UK customers with a consultancy service for cyber security, which includes the provision of OT security risk assessments, provision of Radiflow intrusion detection software and general advice on alignment with IEC 62443-3.


In addition, the solution will help customers to support asset owners in satisfying the requirements of the NIS Directive along with due diligence in alignment with CPNI (Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure) best practice. Commenting on the announcement, David Bean, solutions manager for Mitsubishi


Components in Electronics


Electric UK says, “Our new collaboration with Radiflow provides expertise in the field of OT cyber security which compliments and broadens the services that we offer our customers through the Mitsubishi Electric UK System Service Operation. There is a growing demand for solutions that address the requirements of cyber security in the OT space and we are looking forward to delivering those solutions and building our relationship further with the team at Radiflow.” Ilan Barda, founder and CEO of Radiflow adds, “Radiflow sees huge value for OT organisations to have cyber security services and solutions aligned


with their automation systems. By combining the automation knowledge and tools of Mitsubishi with the OT cyber security skills and tools of Radiflow, we are able to provide a holistic view of an organisation’s OT risk posture.” In August, Radiflow launched Cyber Industrial Automated Risk Analysis (CIARA), the first fully automated tool for asset data collection, data-driven analysis and transparent risk metrics calculation including risk scoring per zone delivering best practice around risk modelling and management using the ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards. radiflow.com


www.cieonline.co.uk


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