Sensors and Data Encryption, Two Aspects of Electronics That Used to Be Two Worlds Apart and That Are Now Often Tightly Integrated, One Relying on the Other

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e-skin beats human touch

Swedish startup beats e-Ink on low-power Special Focus: Power Sources

european business press November 2011 Electronic Engineering Times Europe1

181231_8-3_Mill_EENE_EU_Snipe.indd 1 12/14/18 3:59 PM 181231_QualR_EENE_EU.indd 1 12/14/18 3:53 PM CONTENTS JANUARY 2019

Dear readers, www.eenewseurope.com

January 2019 The Consumer Electronics Show has just closed its doors in Las Vegas, yet the show has opened the mind of many designers, some returning home with new electronics europe News News ideas and possibly new companies to be founded. All the electronic devices unveiled at CES share in common the need for a cheap power source and a lot of research goes into making power sources more sustainable. While lithium-ion batteries are commercially mature, their long-term viability is often questioned and new battery chemistries are being investigated for their simpler material sourcing, lower cost and sometime increased energy density. Energy harvesting is another feature that is more and more often inte- e-skin beats human touch grated into wearables but also at grid-level. Our Power Sources feature will give you a market insight and reviews some of the latest findings. Other topics covered in our January edition are Sensors and Data Encryption, two aspects of electronics that used to be two worlds apart and that are now often tightly integrated, one relying on the other. Swedish startup beats e-Ink on low-power With this first edition of 2019, let me wish you all an excellent year and plenty Special Focus: Power Sources of new business opportunities, whether you are designing the future for a european business press startup or working for a well-established company.

November 2011 Electronic Engineering Times Europe

Julien Happich 181231_8-3_Mill_EENE_EU_Snipe.indd 1

Editor in Chief 12/14/18 3:59 PM

4 - 50: OPINION 32 - 39: POWER SOURCES At the tipping point of a new energy era Uncommon Market: In 2035, the world will be on an accelerated path to RRAM-based TCAMs reduce greenhouse gas viable for neuromorphic emissions and eventually processors become carbon neutral by 2050. Bart Onsia, expert Last word: The Era of Connected Cars and business development manager at imec and 6 - 21: NEWS & TECHNOLOGY EnergyVille, talks about the outlook for solar energy generation and storage. Taiwanese startup to fuel 5G era with 2228ppi AMOLED displays 40 - 43: BIOMETRICS & DATA ENCRYPTION Frictionless banking: the future – or fool’s gold? AimBrain promises to capture any user data – voice, face, Founded in 2016 with a vision to enable the oncom- behavioural or otherwise – in ing high-bandwidth 5G era and the delivery of ultra- a bank’s secure environ- high resolution content, Taiwanese startup INT Tech ment, and convert it to a has developed a proprietary glass-based deposition non-reversible mathematical construct for passive process to deliver red/green/blue AMOLED displays behavioural authentication and real-time security risk at pixel densities of 2228ppi. assessment. 22 - 31: SENSORS 46: READER OFFER & SIGNAL CONDITIONING This month, Microchip Technology is giving away Lab-on-skin chip analyses five MGC3140 Emerald sweat even at rest Development Kits, worth Researchers from EPFL’s Nanolab $199 each, for eeNews have devised a lab-on-chip that Europe’s readers to win. integrates differently functionalized ion-sensitive FETs (ISFET) with 49: DISTRIBUTION CORNER specially designed microfluidics able to passively pump minute amounts of sweat to be analysed out of the wearer’s skin, even when the subject is at rest.

eeNews Europe www.eenewseurope.com January 2019 News 3 UNCOMMON MARKET Control of Anything, From CEA-Leti proves RRAM-based TCAMs Anywhere with Peace of Mind viable for neuromorphic processors Build Smart, Connected and Secure Designs By Julien Happich n a joint paper titled “In-depth Characterization of Resistive applications requiring many read/write cycles, trading speed for Memory-Based Ternary Content Addressable Memories”, better search/read endurance and better search margin could researchers from French research institute CEA-Leti and from be sufficient to retain network configuration data in a multi-core theI Institute of Neuroinformatics at the University of Zurich and neuromorphic chip where long match times (from few tens to ETH Zurich have proven the viability of resistive-RAM (RRAM) hundreds of μs) are required to be compatible with spike length. for network packet routing in multicore neuromorphic circuits. In the paper presented at IEDM 2018, the researchers detail a compact RRAM layout that can be directly integrated in the Back End Of Line of a 130nm CMOS process, on top of the fourth metal layer, slashing silicon area by a factor of 8 compared to the implementation of conventional 16-transistor Ternary Content-Addressable Memories (TCAM).

TCAM circuits provide a way to search large data sets using masks that indicate ranges, making these circuits useful for complex routing and big data applications, where an exact match is rarely necessary. With TCAMs, stored information can be searched by its content, as opposed to classic memory systems in which a memory cell’s stored information is retrieved by its physical address. This shortens search times dramatically, but due to their relatively cumbersome architecture (16 CMOS transistors), TCAMs’ storage capacity is often limited to tens of Mbs in standard memory structures in order SEM cross section of the integrated TiN/HfO2 /Ti/TiN RRAM. Both HfO2 and Ti to save up valuable silicon real estate. layers are only 10nm thick.

By replacing the SRAM cells with resistive-RAM (RRAM) in So to improve the search margin and search/read endurance, TCAM circuits, the researchers reduced the number of required the researchers adopted strong RRAM programming conditions, transistors to two (2T), and to two RRAMs (2R). In addition, low search voltage and a limited word length. This came at the they were able to fabricate the RRAMs on top of the transistors, expense of lower performance in terms of longer search laten- which further reduced the required silicon real estate (hence the cies and lower write endurance, but as the authors emphasized 8x shrink). in their conclusion, multi-core neuromorphic computing archi- But coming up with an innovative architecture was not tectures would not be affected by these problems and could enough, as reliability issues were looming and such RRAMs greatly benefit from the RRAM’s high density. may not be suitable for every application. What the authors In such an application, search operations are frequent, but explain is that circuit reliability is strongly dependent on the write operations are few and idle times are long, taking full ad- ratio between the ON and OFF states of the memory cells, and vantage from the zero standby power consumption of RRAMs RRAM-based TCAMs have a relatively low ON/OFF ratio (from while not being affected by the longer search latencies and 10 to 100) with respect to the 16-transistor structure with an lower write endurance. ON/OFF ratio about 105, and RRAMs also suffer from a limited One example cited in the paper is the NeuRAM3 DYNAP-SEL endurance with respect to CMOS transistors. neuromorphic chip (EU H2020 Project running until 2019) whose processing cores comprise multiple TCAM cells per neuron to To identify the right trade-offs and overcome these challeng- implement memory-optimized source-address routing schemes. es, the researchers clarified the link between RRAM electrical These TCAM cells are typically small and are only programmed properties and TCAM performance with extensive characteriza- at network configuration time. www.microchip.com/SmartConnectedSecure tions of a fabricated RRAM-based circuit. The limited endurance can be overcome by either decreasing the voltage applied “Assuming many future neuromorphic computing architec- during each search, or increasing the power used to program tures will have thousands of cores, the non-volatility feature of the TCAM cells beforehand. The research showed a trade-off the proposed TCAM circuits will provide an additional crucial exists between TCAM performance (search speed) and TCAM benefit, since users will have to upload all the configuration bits reliability (match/mismatch detection and search/read endur- only the first time the network is configured,” explains Denys ance). R.B. Ly, a Ph.D. student at Leti and lead author of the paper. While a performance reduction in order to increase endur- “Users will also be able to skip this potentially time-consum- ance could be a critical limiting factor in standard TCAM-based ing process every time the chip is reset or power-cycled.”

The Microchip name and logo and the Microchip logo are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their registered owners. © 2018 Microchip Technology Inc. All rights reserved. DS00002758A. MEC2220Eng08/18 4 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com An Excellent Duet! © eiSos

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WE-MCRI WE-CPIB HV WE-EHPI WE-TDC WE-CFWI WE-DCT NEWS & TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW Taiwanese startup to fuel 5G era with 2228ppi AMOLED displays By Julien Happich

The 326ppi iPhone 6 display, the 572ppi Samsung S8 and the 2228ppi UHPD all magnified side by side (circular insets are comparison through VR optics).

ounded in 2016 with a vision to enable the oncoming larger field-of-view in VR applications, which eliminates any high-bandwidth 5G era and the delivery of ultra-high reso- screen door effect while increasing image sharpness at the lution content, Taiwanese startup INT Tech has developed same. Fa proprietary glass-based deposition process to deliver red/ The company is currently developing a 2.17” 4K resolution green/blue AMOLED displays at pixel densities above 2200ppi. display to prove its capabilities. Talking about light-field dis- The asset-light company has developed a broad patent plays, Chu firmly believes that only the adoption of 5G together portfolio around what it markets as the UHPD platform (for with next-gen GPUs will make it possible to process and broad- Ultra-High Pixel-Density). The former CEO of Chinese AMOLED cast dedicated content. display manufacturer EverDisplay Optronics (EDO), INT Tech’s “Just designing the ICs to drive light-field displays is a tre- chairman and CEO David Chu founded the company two years mendous challenge, but now you don’t have to worry about the ago after identifying 5G and high resolution content as the driv- display’s front plane and backplane” the CEO noted. ing forces for tomorrow’s display technologies. “We are in good relation with various companies working While feature phones came with 3G and smartphones on light-field displays and we work closely with VR headset followed with 4G, the high bandwidth supported by 5G will manufacturers but we can’t disclose who they are as all of this drive up content resolution, calling for much higher resolution is done under NDA” said Chu, talking about OEM partners. displays than what’s available today, commented the CEO when As a derivative to its ultra-high pixel density capabilities, INT interviewed by eeNews Europe. Tech is also introducing a second platform dubbed Smart Pixel According to Chu, current technology is limiting pixel den- and IC (SPIC) that supports the integration of multiple sensors sity and the quality of AR and VR applications that could be on the same backplane as the display. supported by 5G, possibly including data-intensive light-field The thinking is that if 5G takes too long to deliver on its displays. promise, and depending on the extra functions you want to in- “When 5G arrives, people will no longer be satisfied with 2D images and video”, he says.

Although the CEO stated his company was not in a position yet to disclose anything specific about the actual deposition process, he highlighted some of its benefits: the use of readily available and cheap glass substrates (including flexible ones) instead of costly silicon-based substrates as it is the case for other micro-displays. “We are not using white OLEDs together with colour filters but truly RGB OLEDs” he added, achieving better light output efficiencies from a thinner display stack. According to INT Tech’s literature, the sub-micron thin film transistor (TFT) process it developed supports smaller pixel sizes while enabling a much larger aperture ratio, and the technology can be deployed in flat panel fabs. On one slide, Chu presented close-up photos of the 326ppi iPhone 6 display, the 572ppi Samsung S8 and the 2228ppi UHPD side-by-side. Because the higher pixel density glass-based displays can be INT Tech’s 2.17” 4K AMOLED prototype display. made much larger than silicon-based OLEDs, they provide a

6 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW

tegrate, INT Tech could trade some of its re- the cover glass into a thin foldable display. dundant pixels for light sensors to be used This approach marketed as O’flex (for in 4G products. One example given by Chu Origami Flexible Electronics) uses the same was that out of a 2228ppi pixel resolution, a proprietary deposition process. Chu claims panel could be designed to allocate 600ppi that while other companies have demon- for the actual emissive display, 500ppi for strated flexible displays, there is still a lot of fingerprint sensing and 150ppi for touch improvements to be made and this repre- detection while still having plenty of pixel sents a substantial business opportunity for resources. Other functions suggested by the INT Tech. startup include eye tracking, ambient light Questioned about the emergence of detection and proximity sensing, all using microLED displays, Chu does not see them the same backplane as the display, basically going mainstream due to their uncompeti- here at virtually no extra cost. tive cost/performance ratio compared to Although AR and VR are obvious markets UHPD displays which he hopes will eventu- for INT Tech’ UHPD platform, the CEO ally proliferate. expects the ultra-high resolution displays to INT Tech is on track to be listed on the bring significant benefits to developers of INT Tech chairman and CEO David Chu. Taiwanese market, but because the liquidity robotic surgical systems, military and indus- is very limited there for the emerging stock trial HMDs as well as other head-worn display applications. market, the startup will seek investors to raise a first round of On Chu’s next horizon, the company is working on taking its funding in the first quarter of 2019. The company is also seeking technology beyond near-eye display applications, moving to partners to create joint ventures for particular product develop- larger substrates to offer all of its embedded sensor functional- ments, such as UltraDisplay formed back in 2017 with AMOLED ities on full screen sizes. driver IC manufacturer UltraChip. Another long term goal of the startup is to integrate all of the Since then, UltraDisplay has become an AMOLED driver IC above functionalities together with a polarizer, micro-lenses and design house for major AMOLED manufacturers. What will drive electromobility in 2019 By Nick Flaherty esign house ByteSnap in the UK has released a set of to do during charging - be it drinking coffee, watching TV or predictions for electric vehicles over the coming year. shopping. The acquisition by Shell and BP of EV charger suppli- The company designed electric charging posts for the ers is part of this strategy. LondonD Olympics and earlier this year started work on a two- year collaborative project called VIGIL (Vehicle-to-Grid Intelli- 4. Tighter regulation around charger quality gent Control). It sees a number of key trends in the UK for 2019. 2019 will also see greater regulation of chargers with more quality and feature standards placed upon them. Chargers will 1. Electric vehicle battery sizes ultimately be required to allow load-control, ensuring the Grid are getting smaller can cope with high demand. Although EVs with larger batteries and longer range As batteries drop in price get the headlines, Bytesnap counter-intuitively pre- through higher volume production dicts an increasing market for EVs with small batteries and higher energy densities each for the foreseeable future, primarily for urban driving. year, so the simplicity of EVs will This comes from an analysis of the trips. The aver- drive cost reductions in all areas age trip distance in the UK is 7.04 miles; an average and an obvious example is the commuting journey is 11.2 miles and an average car batteries themselves. A smaller drives 6500 to 7500 miles. This means that in reality battery means a lighter car, which an urban electric car only needs a range of 45 miles. results in additional cost savings As the number of charge points increases, the require- in the car chassis, brakes, charg- ment for BEVs to support a whole day’s journey will ing tech, motor power etc. Small reduce by a factor of 2 or so, meaning that an urban EV range capacity EVs will reduce the rate of churn in charging technol- of 23 miles will become the norm. ogy and will make it easier to balance out charging demand. For example, an average 11.2 mile journey would require 2.5KWh or 2. Subsidies to step down a gear 21 minutes to charge at a domestic level of 7KW. Governments have been subsidising electric vehicle sale prices Autonomous electric taxis will need most of the same char- to stimulate the market. Bytesnap sees an easing back of acteristics of these urban BEVs – for example, when such a taxi theses government subsidies as demand for EVs continues to is booked, the user will provide the intended route and thus a wildly outstrip supply. This is already happening in the US. small battery BEV will be directed to the user. In addition, there will be a large market for autonomous two person taxis, which 3. Fast chargers to forge ahead because of additional weight reductions makes small battery Look forward to petrol stations becoming “energy supply sta- BEVs even more viable. tions” as they install fast chargers alongside their petrol pumps. However Bytesnap is not predicting that all EVs will be like This also means they have to provide something for the drivers this, but more for second cars or autonomous taxis. www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe January 2019 News 7 NEWS & TECHNOLOGY ELECTROMOBILITY Electric and digital: Audi sketches its technological future News By Christoph Hammerschmidt ar manufacturer Audi wants to accelerate its reorienta- years. In 2025, the car manufacturer plans to offer around 20 tion towards promising technologies. The company electrified models, about half of which will be purely electric.

presented a plan to invest around €14 billion by 2023. In Research into CO2-neutral fuels also remains a component of theC medium term, group-wide drive architectures are to ensure Audi’s roadmap, the spokesman explained. However, he de- economies of scale. clined to elaborate what significance these technologies would The figures include capital expenditure on property, plant have in the future. and equipment as well as spendings on At the same time as electrifying the research and development in the areas drive system, Audi wants to push ahead of electric vehicles, digital technology with the digitization of its vehicles and and automation of driving. Just recently, plants. The company also plans to expand Audi’s parent company Volkswagen its business model with new digital ser- announced an investment program vices - such as “functions on demand”. worth 44 billion euros - for largely the This, in turn, would require the software same reasons as Audi today. However, installed to be able to be updated via the the figures for Volkswagen and Audi air interface (OTA updates) - a technology cannot be added together - the money that Audi is researching, but about which for Audi’s investment program is already the company is keeping quiet. included in the VW announcement. Nor will the establishment According to the plan presented, the share of funds for future of an own battery production facility - which market observers topics in total expenditure should increase significantly over the consider essential to the success of the strategy - take place at course of the planning period. One reason for this is the deci- Audi itself. Instead, the vehicle manufacturer will rely on the par- sion to scale electromobility in the second half of the planning ent company, a company spokesman explained. Only recently, horizon on the basis of cross-brand architectures with high Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess announced that the company is Group synergies. To this end, Audi is working with Porsche to considering a participation in a battery cell production facility. develop the premium electrification architecture (PPE) for large Starting with the e-tron, Audi’s first all-electric SUV, the electric cars; the modular electric drive system (MEB) is being company plans to launch numerous electric cars in the coming developed together with Volkswagen. Daimler orders battery cells for e-cars for € 20 billion By Christoph Hammerschmidt tep by step, carmakers are getting serious with the network. In future, this network will comprise eight factories on switch to electric drive. Now Daimler is already setting three continents. The first factory in Kamenz (Saxony, Germany) the course and buying battery cells in large quantities: At is already in series production, the second factory in Kamenz leastS 20 billion euros will Daimler spend on this by 2030. will start series production at the beginning of 2019. Two further In the next three years, Daimler plans to launch 130 electri- factories will be built in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim, one at the Sin- fied model variants via its Mercedes Cars passenger car arm delfingen site (both in Baden-Württemberg, Germany) and one - and this does not even include the each at the Beijing (China), Bang- electric trucks and buses that are kok (Thailand) and Tuscaloosa currently being designed in the vehicle (USA) sites. The company regards manufacturer’s development labora- the local production of batteries tories. “After investing billions in the as an important success factor in development of the electric fleet and its electrical offensive; at the same the expansion of our global battery time, this is regarded as the deci- network, we are now taking the next sive building block for flexibly and step: With the purchase of battery efficiently meeting the worldwide cells for more than 20 billion euros, we demand for electric vehicles. are consistently driving the change to The carmaker also intends to the electric future of our company,” keep the competencies for the explained Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche in a press release. technological evaluation of lithium-ion cells and their optimiza- In addition, the company is investing 10 billion euros in the tion in-house; corresponding capacities are currently being built News News MW expansion of the Mercedes-Benz Cars electric fleet and a fur- up or planned. Daimler also intends to conduct research into RF - Microwave ther billion euros in the global battery production network within post-lithium technologies. Embedded its global production network. By 2022, Mercedes-Benz Cars intends to offer at least one The battery cells are to come from unspecified suppliers in variant with electric drive for its entire product portfolio, from the Asia and Europe; these companies also plan to expand in the Subcompact Smart to the SUV. The range of drive technologies european USA as an important market for electric mobility, according to will extend from 48V technology to plug-in hybrids (PHEVs); business press News N ews News News the press release. The further processing of the purchased cells more than ten models with battery electric drive or fuel cells are into battery systems will take place in Daimler’s own production planned.

8 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com

House Ad eeNews Automotive 2017.indd 1 8/05/18 13:28 Control of Anything, From Anywhere with Peace of Mind Build Smart, Connected and Secure Designs

www.microchip.com/SmartConnectedSecure

The Microchip name and logo and the Microchip logo are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their registered owners. © 2018 Microchip Technology Inc. All rights reserved. DS00002758A. MEC2220Eng08/18 NEWS & TECHNOLOGY ELECTROMOBILITY Battery platform enables self-driving electric pickup By Nick Flaherty

US startup has developed a self-driving electric pickup go further, regardless of terrain or temperature. Adaptive control and SUV on a new battery and motor platform. “We’re algorithms learn driver behaviour, optimizing user-specific launching Rivian with two vehicles that reimagine the battery management for maximizing battery life, reliability and Apickup and SUV segments,” said RJ Scaringe, founder and second-life reusability. Three battery sizes are planned with the CEO of Rivian. 180 kWh and 135 kWh available at launch and a 105 kWh being “I started Rivian to deliver products that the world didn’t made available within six months of launch. already have – to redefine expectations through the application The battery is designed for fast charging with charging rates of technology and innovation. Starting with a clean sheet, we of up to 160kW. This enables approximately 200 miles of range have spent years developing the technology to deliver the ideal to be added in 30 minutes of charging. In addition to DC fast- vehicle for active customers. This means having great driving charging, an 11kW onboard charger facilitates rapid charging at dynamics on any surface on- or off-road, providing cargo solu- a Level 2 charger. tions to easily store any type of gear whether it’s a surf board The system operates on a high-speed Ethernet backbone or a fishing rod and, very importantly, being capable of driv- that enables robust security. This platform supports granular ing long distances on a single charge. From the inside out, Riv- ian has developed its vehicles with adventurers at the core of every design and engineering decision. The R1T [pickup] and R1S [SUV] are the result of all this work and we are excited to finally introduce these products to the world.” The California startup has a development centre in London, UK, working on a platform to efficiently package the battery pack, drive units, suspension, braking and thermal system all below the height of the wheel. This delivers a low center of gravity that supports the vehicle’s agility and stability. Added to this is a suspension architecture with unequal over-the-air updates of vehicle software to add features and length double wishbone suspension in the front and a multi-link functions and improve performance. All Rivian vehicles connect suspension in the rear. The suspension features dynamic roll to a cloud-ecosystem for data exchange and processing, en- control and adaptive dampers along with ride-height adjustable abling machine learning and data science services. The digital air-suspension – allowing the suspension to be adjusted for any experience extends beyond the vehicle into the cloud ecosys- condition whether its highway comfort, on-road performance or tem and mobile/web applications and provides a consistent and off-road capability. seamless interface for vehicle status and control. Maps, music, Rivian’s quad-motor system delivers 147kW and precise navigation and several on-board features complete the digital torque control to each wheel, enabling active torque vectoring experience. The digital user interface strongly reflects adven- with 3,500 Nm of grounded torque per wheel (14,000 Nm of ture, outdoors and exploration – the experience is immersive torque for the full vehicle). This allows the R1T and R1S to reach and natural whether it’s being used in a connected urban setting 60 mph in 3 seconds and 100 mph in less than 7 seconds. or well off the beaten path. “The beauty and elegance of our quad-motor setup isn’t just The R1T will launch with multiple sensors including camera, about brute power, this architecture provides instantaneous lidar, radar, ultrasonic and a high precision GPS coupled with torque with extremely precise control at each wheel, which is high definition maps. This hardware enables “Level 3” (hands- completely game-changing from a dynamics perspective both off wheel and eyes off road) autonomy for highway operation. on- and off-road,” said Mark Vinnels, Executive Director of Engi- Beyond the highway Level 3, the vehicle will have a range of neering and Programs . self-driving features. Rivian has development centres in Plym- The battery packs for the RiT come in 105kW, 135kW and outh, MI, San Jose, CA, Irvine, CA, and London, UK as well as a 180kW versions for a range of 230+, 300+ and 400 miles re- 2.6 million square foot manufacturing plant in Normal, IL. spectively. The packs use tough underbody protection and an Deliveries of the R1T begin in late 2020 and the R1S begin at advanced cooling system to give occupants the confidence to the start of 2021.

10 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com ELECTROMOBILITY

Prototype 450kW fast charger opens in Germany By Nick Flaherty

demonstration 450kW fast charger has been opened ing station, as would happen with a conventional cable gland. in Germany with prototype chargers in vehicles. The In the present instance this would impair the cooling flow and industrial companies involved in the FastCharge project therefore cooling efficiency. This problem was solved by Phoe- Aopened the prototype of a charging station with a capacity of up nix Contact by means of a specially developed wall duct with to 450 kW in Jettingen-Scheppach, Bavaria. This can provide defined interfaces for power transmission, communication and 100km of range in three minutes or 15 minutes for a full charge cooling as well as integrated tension relief. (10-80 % State of Charge). Depending on the model, the new ultra-fast charging station The €7.8m project is led BMW with Allego, Phoenix Contact can be used for vehicles fitted with both 400 V and 800 V bat- E-Mobilit, Porsche and Siemens and is coordinated by NOW, tery systems. Its charging capacity automatically adapts to the the National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology. maximum permitted charging capacity on the vehicle side. The station can be used free of charge right away and is suitable for electric models of all brands with the Type 2 version of the Combined Charging System (CCS), providing three times the capacity of current fast chargers. Siemens energy supply system being used in the project enables researchers to test the limits of the fast-charging capacity demonstrated by vehicle batteries. It can already handle higher volt- ages of up to 920 volts – the level anticipated in future electrically powered vehicles. The system integrates both the high-power electronics for the charging connections as well as the communication interface to the electric vehicles. This charge controller ensures the output is automatically adapted so that different electric cars can be charged using a single infrastructure. The time saved as a result of the increased charging capaci- The system’s flexible, modular architecture permits several ties is demonstrated in the example of the BMW i3 research vehicles to be charged at the same time and can be used for vehicle with a net capacity of 57 kWh. This can be achieved on fleet charging solutions as well as charging along highways. In the vehicle side by means of a specially developed high-voltage order to link the system to the public power grid in Jettingen- battery combined with an intelligent charging strategy. The latter Scheppach as part of the project, a charging container was includes precise preconditioning of the storage temperature set up with two charging connections: one with 450 kW and a at the start of charging, temperature management during the second with 175 kW. charging operation itself and a perfectly coordinated charging The Allego charging station prototypes now presented use capacity profile over time. the European Type 2 version of the well-established Combined The charging operation is carried out via a novel multi-volt- Charging System (CCS) charging connectors. This standard age network on the vehicle side using a high-voltage DC-DC has already proved successful in numerous electrically powered converter, converting the 800 V input voltage of the charg- vehicles and is widely used internationally. In order to meet the ing station to the lower 400 V system voltage of the research demands of fast charging at high capacity, cooled HPC (High vehicle. The HV DC-DC system also gives the vehicle reverse Power Charging) cables made by Phoenix Contact are used, compatibility, allowing it to be charged at both old and future which are fully CCS compatible. The cooling fluid is an environ- charging stations. A key factor in ensuring reliable operation is ment-friendly mixture of water and glycol, allowing the cooling secure communication between the vehicle and the charging circuit to be half-open. This makes maintenance comparatively station. straightforward as compared to hermetically sealed systems A Porsche research vehicle with a net battery capacity of that use oil, e.g. in terms of refilling the cooling fluid. approx. 90 kWh achieves a charging capacity of more than 400 One challenge was ensuring that the cooling hoses in the kW, thereby allowing charging times of less than three minutes charging line were not squeezed when connected to the charg- for the first 100 km of range. www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe January 2019 News 11 NEWS & TECHNOLOGY PROCESS

Atomic layer etching yields 2.5nm wide FinFETs By Julien Happich ombining thermal Atomic Layer Etching (ALE) process These methods also expose material to air, where oxidization steps with Atomic Layer Deposition, a joint team of causes additional defects that hinder performance. researchers from MIT and the University of Colorado In 2016, the University of Colorado team invented thermal haveC reached record transistor feature sizes, demonstrating 3D ALE, a technique that closely resembles ALD and relies on a InGaAs FinFETs with a fin’s width of only chemical reaction called “ligand exchange.” In this 2.5nm, less than half the size of today’s process, an ion in one compound called a ligand smallest commercial models. — which binds to metal atoms — gets replaced Presenting their results in a paper titled by a ligand in a different compound. When the “First Transistor Demonstration of Thermal chemicals are purged away, the reaction causes Atomic Layer Etching: InGaAs FinFETs with the replacement ligands to strip away individual sub-5 nm Fin-width Featuring in-situ ALE- atoms from the surface. ALD” at IEEE’s International Electron Devices In this new work, the researchers modified Meeting last week, the researchers used an thermal ALE to work on a semiconductor material, improved thermal ALE process to fabricate using the same reactor reserved for ALD. They InGaAs-based III-V heterostructures. They used an alloyed semiconductor material, called reported that this was not only the first time indium gallium arsenide (or InGaAs), which is seen thermal ALE was used to fabricate transis- as faster, more efficient alternative to silicon. tors, they were also able to integrate this The researchers exposed the material to process with atomic layer deposition in a single vacuum cham- hydrogen fluoride, the compound used for the original thermal ber. ALE work, which forms an atomic layer of metal fluoride on Combining the two processes in-situ, they designed self- the surface. Then, they poured in an organic compound called aligned In0.53Ga0.47As n-channel FinFETs with fins as narrow as dimethylaluminum chloride (DMAC). The ligand-exchange 2.5nm, a gate length of 60nm and characterized with a trans- process occurs on the metal fluoride layer. When the DMAC is conductance gm of 0.85mS/um at Vds of 0.5V. For FinFETs purged, individual atoms follow. designed with larger fins up to 18nm and the same gate length, The technique is repeated over hundreds of cycles. In a they achieved a transconductance gm of 1.9mS/um at Vds of separate reactor, the researchers then deposited the “gate,” the 0.5V. metallic element that controls the transistors to switch on or off. In all, the authors claim the new transistors exhibited an In experiments, the researchers removed just 0.02 nanome- average 60% gm improvement over devices fabricated through ters from the material’s surface at a time. conventional techniques, suggesting that a very high-quality “You’re kind of peeling an onion, layer by layer,” explained MOS interface could be obtained by in-situ ALE-ALD. first author Wenjie Lu, a graduate student in MIT’s Microsystems Traditional ALE techniques use plasma with highly energetic Technology Laboratories (MTL). “In each cycle, we can etch ions that strip away individual atoms on the material’s surface. away just 2 percent of a nanometer of a material. That gives us But these cause surface damage. super high accuracy and careful control of the process.” Intel proposes spin-orbit magnetics for CMOS replacement By Peter Clarke esearchers from Intel Corp. and the CMOS. MESO devices will also pack University of California, Berkeley five times more logic operations into have reported on a logic device that the same area as CMOS, the article usesR magnetic materials to form logic and states. It is widely expected that as memory devices that could be more energy CMOS becomes harder to scale there efficient than CMOS. may be revolutionary jumps to the Reporting in the journal Nature, the adoption of alternative technologies researchers have described a magneto- in the spintronic or quantum comput- electric spin-orbit (MESO) logic device made ing domains. using the multiferroic material bismuth- “As CMOS develops into its iron-oxide (BiFeO3). A MESO device uses maturity, we will basically have very up-and-down magnetic spins in a multiferroic material to store powerful technology options that see us through. In some ways, binary information and conduct logic operations. this could continue computing improvements for another whole The bismuth-iron-oxide material is both magnetic and ferro- generation of people,” said lead author Sasikanth Manipatruni, electric and these properties are linked so that by manipulating in a statement. Manipatruni leads hardware development for the the electric field, you can change the magnetic state. The latest MESO project at Intel’s components research group in Hills- refinement is the use of the spin-orbit effect to allow the state of boro, Oregon. the MESO to be read out efficiently. Ramamoorthy Ramesh, a UC Berkeley professor of materi- MESO logic could lower active voltage by a factor of five to als science, engineering and physics and a senior author of the about 100mV and energy by a factor of 10 to 30, compared to paper, first created multiferroic materials in 2001.

12 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com MEMORY

MRAM beats SRAM in close-to-logic caches By Peter Clarke esearch institute IMEC has pre- IMEC performed a design-technology co- sented a paper that shows that optimization (DTCO) to define the requirements at the 5nm node spin-transfer and specifications for STT-MRAM cells at the torqueR magnetoresistive random access 5nm node and concluded that a high-perfor- memory (STT-MRAM) can provide energy mance STT-MRAM bit cell with the MRAM savings compared with static RAM for pitch being twice the contacted gate pitch of cache memories. This is on top of the 45nm is the preferred solution for last-level advantages of non-volatility and reduced caches at 5nm. In a second step, a high- die area. performance STT-MRAM cell was fabricated IMEC works with core commercial on 300mm Si wafers and the characteristics of partners in semiconductor research and the magnetic tunnel junction were measured is presenting a number of papers at the experimentally. Energy comparison between SRAM International Electron Devices Meeting An examination of the energy profile for both and STT-MRAM by cache size. STT- (IEDM) in San Francisco, California, this SRAM and STT-MRAM showed the research- week. MRAM becomes more energy efficient ers that there are two cross-over points that For the paper on 5nm embed- compared to SRAM at 0.4MB for read, impact system energy consumption: when ded MRAM IMEC performed a design and 5MB for write operations. Source: STT-MRAM read and write energy becomes analysis using a silicon-verified compact IMEC. lower than that of SRAM at 0.4Mbytes an model of a pMTJ made to be compatible 5Mbytes. This is due to the exponential with the 5nm node. The pMTJ has nominal access latency of increase of SRAM standby power with increasing memory less than 2.5ns and less than 7.1ns for read and write opera- capacity. The researchers conclude that at the 5nm node and tions, respectively. The analysis shows that STT-MRAM meets cache capacities of less than 12Mbytes STT-MRAM is beneficial numerous requirements for level-one through level-three caches regardless of read-write asymmetry and irrespective application in high-performance computing and offers significant energy profile. The latency of the STT-MRAM is also sufficient to meet gains over SRAM for both read and write accesses. It meets the requirements of the last-level caches in the high-perfor- target clock frequencies of more than 100MHz while occupying mance computing domain, which operate around 100MHz clock 43.3 percent of the area of the SRAM macro. frequency, according to imec.

ST samples embedded phase change memory for automotive applications By Christoph Hammerschmidt t the semiconductor technology conference IEDM2018, ST’s technology ensures firmware and data retention during chip manufacturer STMicroelectronics (ST) presented ar- reflow soldering with its high temperatures and radiation resis- chitecture and performance benchmarks for automotive tance, providing additional data security. Amicrocontrollers (MCUs) with embedded phase-change memory At the International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) 2018 on (ePCM). December 4 in San Francisco, ST presented an update to the The PCM memory technology offers advantages over con- architecture and performance of a 16 MBit ePCM array for an ventional non-volatile memory technologies in terms of boot automotive MCU based on 28 nm FD-SOI technology. time, performance and overwrite capability. “With ST’s process, design, technology and In vehicle systems, ePCM enables faster and application know-how, we have developed an more complex computing processes. innovative recipe that makes ST the very first ST’s ePCM-based devices are currently be- company to combine this non-volatile memory ing sampled for Alpha customers, while field with 28 nm FD-SOI technology to create trials to automotive application requirements powerful and low-power automotive micro- are expected in 2020, as well as full technol- controllers,” said Marco Monti, president of ogy qualification. The MCUs, which will be the STMicroelectronics’ Automotive and Discrete world’s first to be equipped with ePCM, target Group. powertrain systems, advanced fused gate- The Phase-Change Memory, which is pro- ways, safety and driving assistance applica- duced with an alloy of germanium, antimony tions, and vehicle electrification. and tellurium, uses rapid, heat-controlled switching of the mate- As automotive applications become more demanding, pro- rial between amorphous and crystalline states. These states, cessing power, power consumption, and memory requirements which correspond to logical states 0 and 1, can be distin- demand new architectures for automotive MCUs. Key require- guished electrically by a high resistance in the amorphous state ments include the need for more embedded memory as the (logical 0) and a low resistance in the crystalline state (logical complexity and scope of firmware dramatically increases. 1). While flash-based memories also require at least one byte or ePCM provides a solution to these chip and system level sector erase cycle before programming can be performed, PCM challenges and meets automotive requirements for AEC-Q100 technology also allows individual bits to be changed, simplifying Grade 0 with operating temperatures up to +165°C. In addition, the software handling of data storage. www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe January 2019 News 13 NEWS & TECHNOLOGY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ™

Machine learning for safety-critical functions? Kalray says yes By Christoph Hammerschmidt ith a massive parallel processing architecture (up to eeNews Europe: What makes your architecture different from 288 cores), startup company Kalray (Grenoble, France) those of established market players, such as Nvidia? design solutions claims superior performance for compute-intensive Cordova: Along to the massive parallel approach, we also use real-timeW tasks, in particular for Artificial Intelligence applica- on-chip memory. Thus, all relevant data are located in close tions. In an exclusive interview with eeNews Europe, Stéphane proximity to the compute units. This eliminates long data paths Cordova, Vice President of Kalray’s Embedded Business unit, with long signal propagation delays and losses of clock cycles. … with 2025/2032 Coin Cell Holders explains why these processors are beneficial in automotive The entire neural network resides on chip. In the data exchange environments. between processors and memory – all on- eeNews Europe: What makes your ar- chip – we have data transfer bandwidths of chitecture different from other multicore 600 gigabytes per second. approaches? Competing architectures rely on external Stéphane Cordova: The high computing memory – for every memory access they performance makes our manycore architec- need to go outside the chip. ture particularly suited for real-time applica- Thus, for them, memory access takes much tions where the results need to be provided more time. In addition, we have extra co- within a predictable time span. This is the processors dedicated to machine learning. case in some data center applications, but This combination yields very high perfor- also in the first place in embedded systems mance and very low power consumption with stringent requirements such as autono- at the same time. Another factor is that our mous vehicles. competitors have a big legacy – installed eeNews: Safety-critical systems must meet base, ecosystem, and existing software - the stringent requirements of ISO 26262 that prevents them from quick changes. which, among others, mandate determinis- Rewriting these applications would be a tic behavior in terms of timing. However, machine learning and nightmare. determinism do not go well together. eeNews Europe: As a startup, you may have the advantage of Cordova: True, determinism and machine learning are difficult being more agile and flexible, but the products of your competi- to reconcile. But one does not have to have very sophisticated tors are probably more mature. Vibra-Fit THM Holder Auto-In/EZ-Out SMT Holder Auto-In SMT Holder machine learning algorithms for basic safety. The point is redun- Cordova: We have ten years of experience; our products are dancy. And, by the way, there is already a new safety standard now in their third generation. Our products are mature enough under discussion that will be put in place in autonomous cars to go into cars within the next years. Our processor is based on top of the ISO 26262 requirements – it is called SOTIF – on our own patented core design. In terms of software, they “Safety of The Intended Functionality”. This standard will take are programmed in standard C++; existing applications can be these aspects into account. ported to our architecture almost for free. Embedded flash memory hosts machine learning By Peter Clarke naflash Inc. (San Jose, Calif.) is a startup company that The chip features multi-level non-volatile weight storage, and has developed a test chip to demonstrate analog neuro- single-cycle current integration and spike generation and can computing taking place inside logic-compatible embed- contain 320 neurons. The weights were tuned using a program- dedA flash memory. verify sequence, allowing 68 individual cell The company was formed in 2017 by currents to be summed up simultaneously. Sang-Soo Lee, a former vice president of Authors report that to their knowledge that analog design at SuVolta Inc., and oth- is the highest number yet reported. ers. A paper on its approach prepared with The 68 parallel-row design supports Vibra-Fit/EZ-Out THM Holder Vibra-Fit SMT Holder Auto-In/Ultra-Low SMT Holder researchers from the University of Min- 22,000 multi-level synapses and these e- nesota has been presented at the Interna- flash based synapses are non-volatile and tional Electron Devices Meeting being held therefore consume zero standby power and in San Francisco. The paper is titled: “A support instant on/off operation. It’s what’s on the InsIde that counts 68 parallel row access neuromorphic core The test-chip was used for hand-written ® with 22K multi-level synapses based on single digit recognition at which it achieved logic-compatible embedded flash memory 91.8 percent accuracy, close to the 93.8 eleC t R oniC s C o R P. technology.” percent accuracy of a software model with the same number of The paper discusses a spiking neuromorphic core utilizing weight levels. The paper states that the maximum throughput of logic-compatible embedded flash technology for storing multi- the core is 1.28G pixels/s and the average power consumption European Headquarters: www.keyelco.com • 33 (1) 46 36 82 49 • 33 (1) 46 36 81 57 level synaptic weights demonstrated in a 65nm standard CMOS of a single neuron circuit is 15.9 µwatts. process. The memory supports reading of 5 levels, equivalent to The company has announced that patent applications have 2.3 bits. been filed in US and other countries.

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Vibra-Fit THM Holder Auto-In/EZ-Out SMT Holder Auto-In SMT Holder

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Printed origami antenna unfolds and tunes to different frequencies By Julien Happich rinting precise silver-based patterns on a type expanded,” noted Glaucio Paulino, the of foldable origami called Miura-Ori, research- Raymond Allen Jones Chair of Engi- ers from the Georgia Institute of Technology neering and a professor in the Georgia Pdemonstrated frequency selective paper-based Tech School of Civil and Environmental antennas that could be tuned continuously as the Engineering. “A spatial filter made in this origami shape was expanded or contracted. fashion can achieve similar versatility, The research detailed in the paper “Continuous- changing which frequency it blocks as range tunable multi-layer frequency selective the filter is compressed or expanded.” surfaces using origami and inkjet-printing” published Because the Miura-Ori formation is flat when fully extended and quite com- in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sci- Silver dipoles are arranged across the ences shows that forming dipole elements across a pact when fully compressed, the struc- folds of a Miuri-Ori pattern to enable foldable origami pattern using a simple inkjet-type tures could be used by antenna systems printer yielded radio frequency filters whose adjust- frequency blocking. (Credit: Rob Felt) that need to stay in compact spaces until able dimensions would continuously change their deployed, such as those used in space characteristics, blocking different signals throughout a large range applications. Additionally, the single plane along which the objects of frequencies. expand could provide advantages, such as using less energy, over The researchers also found that while a single-layer Miura-Ori- antenna systems that require multiple physical steps to deploy. shaped filter only blocked a narrow band of frequencies, multiple “A device based on Miura-Ori could both deploy and be re- layers of the filters could be stacked to achieve a wider band of tuned to a broad range of frequencies as compared to traditional blocked frequencies. frequency selective surfaces, which typically use electronic com- “The dipoles were placed along the fold lines so that when the ponents to adjust the frequency rather than a physical change,” origami was compressed, the dipoles bend and become closer to- added Abdullah Nauroze, a Georgia Tech graduate student who gether, which causes their resonant frequency to shift higher along worked on the project. “Such devices could be good candidates the spectrum,” explained Manos Tentzeris, the Ken Byers Profes- to be used as reflectarrays for the next generation of cubesats or sor in Flexible Electronics in the Georgia Tech School of Electrical other space communications devices.” and Computer Engineering. There were also physical advantages to using origami. Such tunable filters could have a variety of uses, from antenna “The Miura-Ori pattern exhibits remarkable mechanical proper- systems capable of adapting in real-time to ambient conditions to ties, despite being assembled from sheets barely thicker than a the next generation of electromagnetic cloaking systems that could tenth of a millimeter,” explained Larissa Novelino, a Georgia Tech be reconfigured on the fly to reflect or absorb different frequencies. graduate student who worked on the project. “Those properties “The Miura-Ori pattern has an infinite number of possible posi- could make light-weight yet strong structures that could be easily tions along its range of extension from fully compressed to fully transported.” Amazon deploys ARM-based Graviton processor By Peter Clarke mazon has announced it is now running its cloud The Graviton design has come out of Israeli design house services on ARM-based Graviton processors designed Annapurna Labs. Annapurna, founded in 2011, was acquired in-house claiming it can provide cost savings of up 45 before it had produced any products, by Amazon in January Apercent for “scale-out” services. 2015 for a sum reported to be in the range $350 million to $370 The AWS Graviton processor is based on 64bit Neoverse million. In 2016 it had its own line of ARM-based processors. cores, Amazon said without providing further detail of the hard- Graviton is Amazon’s first use of in-house designed processors ware. ARM’s Drew Henry senior vice president in its cloud platform with Annapurna’s previous and general manager, Infrastructure Line of Busi- range being used in home gateway and Wi-Fi ness, said that Graviton is based on the Cosmos router products from Netgear, QNAP Systems 16nm processor platform. and Synology. According to reports the Graviton is based on “I’ve been interested in ARM server pro- the Cortex-A72 64bit core operated at clock fre- cessors for more than a decade so its super quencies up to 2.3GHz. What is not clear is how exciting to see the AWS Graviton finally public, many cores are included per physical chip. it’s going to be exciting to see what customers The Cortex-A72 is a relatively mature design do with the new A1 instances, and I’m already that would have typically been designed to looking forward to follow-on offerings as we target 16nm manufacturing processes. Serv- continue to listen to customers and enhance ers based on Intel and AMD processors are the world’s broadest cloud computing instance expected to be faster in terms of performance selection,” said James Hamilton, vice presi- but home-designed ARM SoCs may provide Amazon with the dent and distinguished engineer, in a blog. “There is much performance-per-dollar advantage quoted by Amazon. And more coming both in ARM-based instance offerings and, more there is the possibility of using the Cortex-A76 in 10nm. broadly, across the entire Amazon EC2 family.

16 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com PROCESS

Thermoelectric cooling becomes fit for microtechnology By Christoph Hammerschmidt ith increasing clock frequency, the cooling of mi- grated into the established chip production processes. All this crochips becomes more and more a challenge for has so far proved to be very difficult, so that a broad application developers. An ideal cooling device would be best ap- of microthermoelectric components has not yet taken place. pliedW to the chip itself. Scientists have Now there is a new promising now succeeded in miniaturizing and advance from researchers at the improving thermoelectric components Leibniz Institute for Solid State and so that they can be integrated into Materials Research Dresden (IFW). microchips. The researchers speak They introduced an important innova- of a decisive step towards the broad tion into the deposition process of application of thermoelectric compo- the thermoelectric bismuth tellurium nents in microtechnology. compound. An additional gold elec- Thermoelectric materials can trolyte bath immediately after depo- convert heat into electrical energy or, sition forms a protective gold layer conversely, can be used as environ- on the thermoelectric elements. This mentally friendly cooling elements. interface considerably reduces the In many industrial processes, energy resistance between the thermoelectric loss occurs in the form of waste heat, material and the contact layer, which which can be converted into electrical energy by thermoelectric has a very positive effect on efficiency and functional stabil- generators. This also provides an additional power source in ity in endurance tests. The microthermoelectric components these systems. Another particularly attractive area of application produced in this way have very fast reaction times of only one for thermoelectric materials is the cooling of microelectronic millisecond and a high reliability of more than 10 million cycles components, for example in processors or in heat management and over 30 days of stable cooling performance. In the opinion in organ implants. To achieve this, thermoelectric generators of the researchers involved, the improvement of these param- must be compatible with modern microelectronic systems. In eters represents a decisive step towards the broad application addition, the manufacturing process must be able to be inte- of thermoelectric components.

Lithium cathodes from mining waste boosts Europe battery production By Nick Flaherty

new process that generates lithium from mining waste and it is not far from the Zinnwald deposit mined by Deutsche is being used to build batteries from materials mined in Lithium. “All of these deposits have similar characteristics, Germany. The work in Sadisdorf, Germany, is using a making them difficult, if not impossible, to commercialise using Aproprietary technology from Lithium Australia called SiLeach to conventional lithium processing technology,” said Griffin. make cathodes for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The ability to bypass lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide The process recovers lithium from mining waste without a as battery precursors provides potential to significantly reduce heating process, generating the cost of making tri-lithium phosphate (Li3PO4) batteries and boosts that can be used for the direct the sustainability of production of cathode powders, global lithium sup- especially for lithium-iron-phos- plies. phate (LFP) cells without having “The remarkable to produce high-purity lithium outcome is a credit hydroxide or lithium carbonate. to our development The first demonstration uses team,” said Griffin. lithium micas recovered from mine waste in the Kalgoorlie re- “The most notable aspect of this achievement is its simplic- gion of Australia, which is used by recently acquired subsidiary ity, and ability to streamline the processes and cost required VSPC to produce the cathode material and coin cells (above). to produce LIB cathode materials. The broader application to These cells were tested under a range of charge and discharge lithium brine exploitation provides enormous potential for that conditions, achieving equivalent performance to VSPC’s cath- part of the lithium industry, by removing the cost intensive route ode powders based on lithium carbonate. to lithium hydroxide – the direct use of lithium phosphate to The material is similar to that mined at Sadisdorf in Saxony, produce cathode powders may do that.” opening up a European source of lithium cathodes for batteries. “Our previous testing demonstrates that SiLeach can unlock “We are in the backyard of the most rapidly expanding con- the potential of Sadisdorf as a true polymetallic operation, sumption of lithium outside China, with most European vehicle recovering lithium from the residues of conventional tin concen- manufacturers announcing their plans to go electric,” said tration processes,” he said. “The size of the Sadisdorf resource Adrian Griffin, managing director of Lithium Australia.” is already significant, with the potential to feed a 25,000 tonnes Sadisdorf is processing lithium from tin ores that are similar per annum lithium carbonate plant for 10 years. Further explora- to those of the nearby Cinovec deposit in the Czech Republic tion is likely to expand the resource significantly.“ www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe January 2019 News 17 NEWS & TECHNOLOGY STEM EDUCATION Addressing the digital skills gap with computational thinking By Jonathan Smith

t is estimated that 65 percent of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely newI job types that don’t currently exist. Un- fortunately, in most parts of the world, the skills that are needed to survive this new working economy are not currently taught in schools, with subject-based knowledge still the priority. Nevertheless, we are seeing a growing awareness in education of the need for the current curriculum to change to equip young people for the future. This has led to a new focus on what children are being taught and the approaches that should be taken when teaching them.

The evidence to support this change is there - the “Future of Jobs” report by the World Economic Forum, published in 2018, states that the skills deemed important for school leavers entering the workforce are already changing con- The challenge for today’s educators is to help schoolchildren siderably and 35% of skills valued in 2005 will have changed by prepare for the new working economy, in turn, helping to pre- 2020. Creativity, critical thinking and complex problem solving vent a major skills gap in the workforce of the future. are increasingly sought after, over and above traditional subject- based knowledge. This reflects a change in job type, already In some parts of the world such as Finland, educators are happening in the market and driven by the pace of development moving away from imparting knowledge on a subject basis to in intelligent buildings, smart cities and the Internet of Things teach and develop skills that specifically relate to logical think- which are creating new roles and jobs for current and future ing, problem solving and computational thinking. Children and school leavers. young people are being encouraged to work collaboratively, to identify a problem, to break it down into manageable parts and Jeannette Wing, head of the Computer Science Department to generate workable and effective solutions that apply to real- at Carnegie Mellon University in the USA, sees computational world scenarios. thinking as the key. Jeanette believes that computational thinking should be added to every child’s analytical ability, enabling them to formulate and solve problems, design systems, and understand human behaviour using concepts that are fundamental to computer science. In the UK this has been recognised, and the Department for Education has mandated that some level of computational thinking be taught at all grades from nursery to college, exposing every schoolchild to computational concepts so that it becomes second nature to em- brace the approach in whatever discipline they operate in moving forward. Making the change we need is mission critical. Computational thinking is an essential part of addressing this growing digital skills gap that exists across the globe and many economists, business leaders, politicians and other key figures have highlighted how organisations are already changing the way they identify talent and develop their workforce of the future.

Jonathan Smith is Head of Education at Premier Farnell and Farnell element14 - www.farnell.com

18 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com STEM EDUCATION

platforms such as the BBC micro:bit, Raspberry Pi and Arduino, it provides students with a way to develop these competencies in a highly creative and collaborative way. In short, physical computing allows children and students to venture into the real world with complex problem solving based around technology, also helping to break the cycle of ‘ready-made’ technology’ and taking them from being mere consumers of technology to becoming creative thinkers capable of developing brand new dynamic solutions.

With physical computing students learn that not all solutions to problems are readily available and that they must and can develop something unique themselves. Physical computing provides a piece of the jigsaw puzzle of problem solving – others pieces could be to physically create a working model or create a business case for a particular solution – but physical computing is key to allowing children to solve problems related to their own environments. It also allows teachers to engage students with real world solutions, enhancing a range of key skills.

The process of using a basic educational ‘computer’ to create something new enables students to learn about the physical hardware, interact with software, and learn about how they can influence their environment rather than just observing. Stu- dents can work on elements that form the basis of the Internet of Things, they can connect devices and carry out meaningful analysis, and experience shows that they become genuinely Of course, the skills gap issue should not only be seen solely enthused when they create something themselves that has a in terms of the digital economy. While globally the digital skills practical application in the real world. The essential and impor- gap has attracted headline figures, in recent years there has tant output of this learning is the development of computational been an increased focus on the more general issue of devel- thinking skills through the way they have approached the prob- oping problem solving and creativity skills across the entire lem they have been tasked to solve. workforce and not just those people who want to work in the Students have considered: what is the problem? how can it technology sector. be solved? and how can the solution be executed? And most importantly – what went wrong and how do I improve it? This Ironically, the increased availability and acceptability of ad- approach takes students away from pure computer science and vanced technology could be accused of creating a generation moves them into the realm of real-world applications that could that is incapable of solving problems on their own. A reliance on relate to sports technology, biology, geography, mathematics smartphones, google, voice assistants, and ‘apps for every- and much more. thing’ has created a generation reliant on these ready-made tools. Something must be done. Today there are a range of platforms and projects available that help develop computational thinking skills and develop as The role of physical computing they progress from pre-school to post-university. A range of As the Development Distributor, Premier Farnell is committed to boards, coding environments, accessories and projects can be supporting the development of the next generation of engineer- used to support learning, helps students build skills and devel- ing and, in turn, the future of the industry, but we believe this op their understanding. Educational resources are now tailored requires far more than creating a generation of coders. We with teachers and students in mind and contain a road map that believe that a crucial piece of the computational thinking jigsaw range from first steps for pre-school through to complex techni- is physical computing – allowing interaction with systems or cal solutions for professional development. For example, Key objects from the physical world using programming. We want Stage 3 children could learn to programme with a BBC micro:bit to see powerful, yet easy to use, tools placed into the hands of and then apply the device in a more advanced way to program students from very early ages to teach them key skills and open a robot as they work through secondary school. their minds to the potential opportunities of a career not just in electronics but crucial for all jobs in the future, thus ensuring Premier Farnell is working closely with many countries on na- that a generation of school-leavers are armed with the digital tional roll-outs of physical computing solutions, but there is still skillsets that will be essential for survival in the modern world. a very long way to go. We are keen to send a strong message Experience has shown that physical computing creates a to electronics industry, governments across the globe, and edu- link to the ‘real world’ and makes teaching far more relevant. cators in the classroom about the benefits of applying physical The ‘magic’ of physical computing can be seen when groups of computing to develop computational thinking. schoolchildren are tasked with solving a problem. The combi- The tools already exist, we must now work together to de- nation of making something real, in teams, and using physical velop practical ways that we can provide students with the tools computing to facilitate the process produces staggering results and engage teachers and learning professionals, so students not only in terms of effective learning but also in skills develop- can begin to develop the necessary skills to equip them for the ment. When this philosophy is applied using physical computing future. www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe January 2019 News 19 NEWS & TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW Swedish startup beats e-Ink on low-power By Julien Happich wo-year-old Swedish startup rdot, based in Gothenburg and effectively a spin-off from University, stacks electrochromic materials andT organic conductors on top of a thin and flexible PET substrate to create ultra-low power segmented displays. Because the entire display stack can be screen printed on a flexible plastic substrate, the 100 to 200µm-thin displays can be produced cheaply, either on a sheet-to-sheet process for small-scale and rapid prototype manufacturing or via a roll-to-roll process for large volumes. Unlike electrophoretic displays based on e-Ink, which are truly bistable, rdot’s displays are semi-stable, based on reversible redox reactions responsible for the colour changes of the electrochromic materials. After a while, the turn-on colour fades away until a short voltage pulse is applied to turn the segment to maximum contrast again. But since rdot is using proprietary material recipes and printing processes, the company is able to tune a display’s bi-stability period from minutes to days for custom applications. Ultra-thin, flexible and very low electrochromic displays. In the process, it can make its displays faster switching (being less stable) or slower for very low update rate applications, so can it customize the display’s co- Karlsson said referring to customers who approached rdot to lours, shapes and transparency. find alternative solutions for their wearables and accessory But lacking of true bi-stability, how can such a display com- designs. pete with incumbent ePaper solutions such as those provided On power consumption, Karlsson doesn’t want to generalize by E Ink? eeNews Europe candidly asked rdot’s CEO Felix as every application has specific requirements and refresh rates Karlsson. that directly impact power consumption. After all, using segmented cells, every display becomes a “We can tune the bi-stability time, so we can design a display custom solution requiring Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) that only requires to be refreshed every two hours, or more fre- fees, wouldn’t it be simpler to use full active matrix ePaper quently, according to the application needs” explained the CEO. instead? According to the company’s own calculations and comparing One competitive advantage Karlsson is keen to emphasize is its solution to different display technologies, if a display requires lower cost. “Because we do everything in a few printing steps, over 6 updates per day or more, then the electrochromic display the manufacturing cost is certainly lower than any E Ink solu- is the most energy efficient. tions. They need an active matrix backplane, which we don’t, “We gave a few samples to global display manufacturers so and this adds to the costs. Our solution is ITO-free, environ- they could carry out their own tests and measurements, and mentally friendly and can be made with 100% organic materi- they reported that starting with two updates per day, our solu- als” said Karlsson. tion was more energy efficient than E Ink. Now tackling NRE costs, the CEO noted that even with an That is because each E Ink switch will require up to twenty active matrix, you still need to customize your displays. Often, times more energy than our solution, depending on the E Ink the NRE costs for designing a custom solution with E Ink are used”, said Karlsson. way above those for customizing rdot’s segmented displays, When they start to fade-out, rdot’s displays only need a very

A low power refresh scenario, with display updates every three hours.

20 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW

small 3V refresh pulse to remain active. According to the company’s technical documentation, a 21 (3x7) segments display (capable of displaying three digits) with a total seg- Barcelona, Spain, 10 – 11 April 2019 ment area of 2.1cm2 only draws 1.26mJ of energy to switch all its elements at a 3V driving voltage. Then a refresh pulse typically only consumes 25% of the energy of a full segment switch. With such low power capabilities, the startup expects its displays to open up new types of applications, including for disposable medical electronics, such as smart patches. Creating a smarter future. But they could also reach into other kinds of disposable/con- sumable products that typically have not included electronics Join top-class experts at Smart Systems Integration – or displays before, such as packaging and labels. Together with research institute RISE Acreo in Norrköping the international conference and exhibition on Sweden, rdot is also developing an entirely printed passive matrix version of its display, using organic transparent con- integration issues of miniaturized systems. ductors which it hopes to have ready by the middle of 2019. As a first development step, rdot will use the matrix to drive Register now: smartsystemsintegration.com segmented displays, to reduce the number of driving pins required at the microcontroller (which typically adds costs). Then the startup wants to address the paper-thin displays at pixel level. It could be a few years before rdot’s displays reach the consumer market though, the company’s products are in a qualification phase, with samples being tested by various partners. Founded in 2016, the company has managed to fund itself through grants, EU programs and government support. “We’ve closed quite some good deals with joint- development partners and we’ll try to avoid having to raise capital if we don’t need to, to favour an organic growth” Karlsson said discussing the company’s finances. “We may need some capital in a year or so to scale up our company, but we want to be more established before and find our right market. The startup also wants to collaborate with other printed and flexible electronics companies to design full flexible products.

International experts from industry and research Forward-thinking, applied solutions Versatile social program

Co-organizer:

The Rdot display stack.

www.eenewseurope.com DESIGN & PRODUCTS SENSORS & SIGNAL CONDITIONING e-skin beats human touch with CNT-based structured capacitors By Julien Happich n a paper titled “A hierarchically patterned, bioinspired e-skin able to detect the direction of applied pressure for robotics” published in Science Robotics, researchers from Stanford IUniversity describe how they have designed a layered three-dimensional structure that precisely mimics the interlocked dermis- epidermis interface in human skin. Getting their inspiration from the biological structure of actual human skin, the researchers embedded a grid of molded square carbon nanotube (CNT) pyramids into a polyurethane (PU) matrix to form the top electrodes of an array of capacitors. The bottom electrodes were also lined up with CNTs, forming a two-dimensional array of molded hills which mimicked the spinosum layer in human skin. These two electrode layers separated by a thin-film dielectric layer allowed the formation of conformable multi-pixel capacitors (a 5x5 top grid centred over each bottom hill) whose The spinosum (left) is a layer found between the dermis and electrical response is highly dependent on the skin’s deformations the epidermis, forming interlocked microstructures (hills) under external pressure. responsible for tactile signal amplification. Because of the 3D The e-skin’s configuration is such that for each hill about 1mm in diameter and 200μm high corresponds 25 tiny capacitors each structure of the spinosum, the hills concentrate forces onto only 90μm2 in size, with one capacitor precisely located at the top the mechanoreceptors differently depending on the direction of the hill, four on the slopes, four on the “corners” and 16 sur- of applied force. On the soft biomimetic e-skin (right), rounding the hill. This high density of mechanoreceptor-like sen- CNT electrodes (black) embedded in elastomer (blue) are sors ensured the e-skin would respond differently depending on separated by a thin-film dielectric layer (gray). Bottom and top the pressure’s direction or even based on drag deformation, being electrodes are aligned so as to form an array of capacitors, able to measure and discriminate in real time between normal and with each hill corresponding to 25 capacitors. shear forces. In various experiments including one with robot fingers grab- bing a delicate raspberry, the researchers were able to establish a capacitance map around each hill, which allowed them to differ- entiate several types of applied forces with a response time in the order of the microsecond, adapting its grip force to the detection of shear forces (to adjust against slip). “It is possible, by looking back at a recorded signal, to evalu- ate the nature of an unknown stimulus based on the combination of amplitude, shape, and frequency of the signal by referring to a Cross-sectional views of a five-by-five capacitors e-skin previously known library of stimuli response curves”, the authors (centred around one hill) to which various forces are applied. report. The forces can be characterized by measuring the pressure response map (relative changes in capacitance across the 25 capacitors).

The 3D hill structure allows for different deflection capabilities on the top and around of the hills, thus differentiating capacitive responses to a pressure event from different directions. Black lines are side views of electrodes.

22 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com SENSORS & SIGNAL CONDITIONING

The e-skin reported in the paper was sensitive enough to detect thane membrane, a force detected on a localized area had limited small weights of 15mg (a pressure under 0.5kPa) corresponding effect on nearby pixels, providing accurate texture information. The to the handling of a small 1mm diameter plastic bead. The sensor authors also improved the e-skin’s overall sensitivity by spatially was designed to work in a range up to a maximum of 100 kPa, a distributing the tiny pyramids of the top electrodes following a little higher than the typical human touch–sensitive range (circa 10 bioinspired pattern, namely phyllotaxis spirals (an example is the kPa), which would make it robust enough for robotic applications spirals formed by the densely clustered florets of a sunflower). The in the case of high-pressure events. The researchers also demon- researchers anticipate such e-skin could be integrated in many strated their pixelated hilly capacitor structure with a nine-by-nine robotic applications, including personalized domestic help, ambu- sensor array, noting that due to the stretchability of the polyure- latory and inpatient health care. Be visionary By Stephen Hayes ovember’s Vision show in Stuttgart felt like a key mo- There was barely a stand at Vision 2018 which didn’t proudly ment of change for the industry. Four big themes came proclaim that it had ‘inbuilt deep learning’ or ‘advanced AI’. But to fruition at the event, at least two of which felt like sci- for those who have truly seized the baton, this will be a genuine Nence fiction at the last Vision show in 2016. In fact, the show’s game changer. strapline, ‘Be Visionary’ has never felt so appropriate. With Beckhoff showcasing its TwinCAT Vision product at Automated machine vision SPS Drives, now seems like a good time to explain the way the AMV takes the concept of deep learning several steps forward. product fits into the themes that dominated the Vision show. Here, the core idea is to deliver a single product, which incorpo- In addition to the wider manufacturing landscape, which is still rates camera, lenses, lighting, software and hardware, allowing ruled by Industry 4.0. an internal integrator or quality assurance manager to install the Vision 2018’s biggest themes were hyperspectral imaging, system in less than an hour. Inbuilt deep learning and AI allow deep learning, autonomous machine vision (AMV) and embed- the system to adapt to its environment and be moved around a ded vision. The irony is that the objective of all these things, plant to cope with changes in production. which sound pretty high-tech and high-concept, is to make things easier for the manufacturer applying the technology. Embedded vision When Steve Jobs was explaining the simplicity of the early Like AMV, embedded vision also seeks to make life easier for Apple operating systems, he said, “Most people have no the internal and external machine vision communities. concept of how an automatic transmission works, yet they In manufacturing and process control, most embedded know how to drive a car.” In the same way, the core technology vision applications take the form of a fanless PC, fitted with a themes of Vision were focussed on ensuring that vision system sensor to grab the image, an interface to pass the image data to users don’t need to understand the complexity of the device to a processor and software algorithms to analyse the image data reap its benefits. as well as the peripheral I/O control electronics to interface to the outside world. Hyperspectral imaging The drawback of embedded vision, as well as smart cam- The goal of hyperspectral imaging is to obtain the radiance, or eras, has always been its cost and the space it takes up on light intensity, for each pixel in the image of a scene creating a the shop floor. In contrast, it delivers substantially improved large series of continuous spectral bands, with the purpose of processing performance, compared to a traditional, integrated finding objects, identifying materials, or detecting processes. system. Historically the drawbacks have been a lack of computing power and sensor cost, but both issues have become less TwinCAT Vision problematic as technology has advanced. Building on Beckhoff’s core principle, of building all automation One of the businesses at Vision, a Finnish firm called functions into a central platform, TwinCAT Vision incorporates Specim, is delivering hyperspectral solutions across the food, PLC, motion control, robotics, high-end measurement technol- waste and recycling industries, improving accuracy and liability ogy, IoT and HMI. This simplifies engineering significantly by in detection of defects and parts. But this is just one of the allowing camera configuration and programming tasks to be ways that the vision market is transcending science fiction and carried out in the familiarPLC environment. In addition, all con- moving into science fact. trol functions related to image processing can be synchronised in the runtime system precisely and in real time. Deep learning Because the product is device agnostic, it could work with Deep Learning allows industrial visions systems to be applied hyperspectral and AMV devices, smart cameras or traditional using a simple training process, removing the huge amount of vision system to deliver the best result for the manufacturer. effort and expertise that was traditionally associated with the And, while some of the artificial intelligence and deep learning integration process. Instead of months of crafting algorithms on show at Vision felt like science fiction made science fact, the deep learning replaces this idea with simple training of the reality of the future is that machine vision will be about elegant system. simplicity that benefits every tier of manufacturer. It could well be that the future of vision is nobody knowing how a mechani- Stephen Hayes is managing director of Beckhoff Automation cal transmission works. UK - www.beckhoff.co.uk www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe January 2019 News 23 DESIGN & PRODUCTS SENSORS & SIGNAL CONDITIONING Soft robotics proprioception: Let the machine sort it out By Julien Happich oing away with complex arrays of embed- Using machine learn- ded strain and pressure sensors, researching instead of deriving a ers have leveraged machine learning algo- theoretical model proved rithmsD to derive the precise bending and twisting much simpler, and the of soft robotics limbs from the analysis of diffuse results were impressive. reflected light through embedded optical fibres. In their experiments, Proprioception is necessary for a soft robot: real-time diffuse reflected Only if it knows its current shape and configuration light data could be inter- in three dimensions will it properly interact with its preted by AI algorithms environment. to tell whether the foam Typically, gathering proprioception information was twisted clockwise, for a robot (giving the machine a sense of the rela- twisted counter-clock- tive position of its own articulated parts) is done wise, bent up, or bent through active three-degree-of-freedom mecha- down. The model was nisms combined with closed-loop control. For soft able to predict the type of robotics, the trend in literature it to embed strain deformation with 100% and pressure sensors along neutral bending axes accuracy and the magni- of a limb to detect its curvature and touch events. tude of the deformation But this approach results in discrete pressure with a mean absolute and bending data at certain points and along error of 0.06°. certain axes, which according to researchers from This is to be compared Cornell University limits the information that they (A) Foam and optical fibre assembly in three stages with our own biological can give about a robot’s configuration. Of course, of fabrication and the corresponding schematics (B). proprioceptive capa- more data points can be gathered by integrating bilities. The article cites more sensors, but this increases studies reporting that wrist, system complexity. finger, and elbow joint angle In a paper titled “Soft optoelec- absolute errors lie between 1° tronic sensory foams with proprio- and 12°, with the proprioception ception” published in the Science of the proximal interphalangeal Robotics journal, the researchers joint angle limited to between 4° opted to remove all forms of dis- and 9°. For a human index finger crete pressure and strain sensors (about 80mm in length), these and instead embedded an array proprioception errors translate of flexible optical fibres in the into a fingertip position error of base layer of an elastomeric foam 3 to 6mm. In comparison, the robotic limb (about the size of a mean bend error reported for the finger for their experiments). soft robotic limb corresponded Each optical fibre terminated to to an error of about 2mm in the exit the base layer and illuminate position of the sensor’s movable the bulk of the foam internally. In end. Although the external light the research setup, the fibres not measurement setup was too only both illuminated the foam, they bulky for integration in a robot’s were used to detect the diffuse re- arm, the authors are confident flected light within the limb (through that the large illuminator and a beam splitter and camera exter- camera with beam splitter could nal to the limb). be replaced by light-emitting First, the researchers bent and diodes and photodiodes, while twisted the foam to known angles the beam splitter setup could and recorded the intensity of the be miniaturized or removed if diffuse reflected light leaving each the number of embedded fibres fibre. Then by applying machine were doubled. (A and B) Optical fibre terminals from which light intensity is learning techniques to the data, Here, machine learning they were able to produce models read. (C to E) Real images of the deformed foam and optical shows it could simply sort out that predict the foam’s deformation fibre assembly are overlaid with computer reconstruction of a soft robot’s proprioception for state from the internally reflected the assembly’s state (F to H) performed by AI-enabled data reliable 3D control and response light. analysis. to an external stimuli.

24 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com COMPANY PROFILE

42 V Voltage Regulator with 2.2 µA Current Consumption and High Noise immunity

available in a version targeted for the consumer, industrial and automotive application market and has customized operating temperature ranges for each purpose, respectively -40 to 105°C, -50 to 125°C and -40 to 125°C. As for the automotive version, it is scheduled to become AEC-Q100 compliant soon. The output voltage is internally set and one has a choice to select from 14 output voltage versions in the range from 1.8 to 9.0 V. Low Current Consumption: Another important feature is to minimize current consumption for specific (automotive) applications that are continuously ac- he R1525 is a 200mA voltage regulator with special fea- tive, extending the operational lifetime of the battery. The R1525 tures such as a wide operating voltage range and ultra- contributes to reduce the total current consumption of the ap- low current consumption. The significant advantage of plication with only 2.2 µA in On-mode and 0.1 µA in Off-mode. thisT product is that it has excellent EMC noise immunity and is The R1525 has an excellent output voltage accuracy of 0.6% used in particular applications that have severe electromagnetic and low temperature drift coefficient of only 60 ppm/°C, making noise requirements in order to provide a reliable operation. the product suitable as a solid power source with high reliability. EMC Noise Immunity: Transient Response: Our internal car environment is nowadays equipped with numer- The R1525 has a stable operation by using a ceramic output ous applications using wireless communication, such as: capacitor with a minimum value of 0.1 μF. When the output • Aftermarket accessories voltage does not meet the system’s requirements due to input Bluetooth, NFC and WiFi communication voltage and load current fluctuation, it is recommended to use • ADAS car safety systems a ceramic capacitor of 10 μF or larger to minimize the output Adaptive Cruise Control, Collision Avoidance System, Tire Pres- voltage variation significantly. Refer to below graphs for respec- sure Monitoring, Keyless Entry tively input and output transient response. In addition, the future scheduled connected car systems (Vehi- cle to Everything) will extensively make use of wireless communication. As a result, the total EMC noise level caused by such systems increases the risk that the proper operation of other on-board systems may be affected by this. It becomes evident to take counter measures in the circuit design to prevent this and select components, which contribute to a reliable operation of the application. The new R1525 is especially tailored for this purpose and Safety Circuits: has the capability to The R1525 has an array of safety features, protecting the volt- resist EMC noise in age regulator and other parts of the application from possible the high-frequency damage and failure. band from 10 MHz • Over-current protection, reducing the output current when to 1 GHz, providing a overloaded. stable output voltage. • Short protection, an embedded fold back short current limit Compared to pre- circuit detects a short circuit and decreases the output cur- decessor generation rent to a safe level of 80 mA, after removing the short the products the transient regulator resumes to normal operation automatically. response speed has been significantly improved; only minor • Protected pin lay-out, a special lay-out was arranged for the and short peaks will occur at the output voltage because of R1525S in HSOP-8E package preventing a failure when adja- input or load transients. cent pins are shorted. All four regulator terminals are isolated with not connected adjacent pins. Wide Operating Voltage Range: • Thermal protection is incorporated and will turn off the regu- The new CMOS-based R1525 is robust enough to survive in lator when an over-temperature of 160°C is detected and will harsh conditions; it operates up to 42 V and has a maximum resume to normal operation again as soon a temperature of rating of 50V. It even tolerates load dump surge peak inrush volt- 135°C is reached. ages of 60 V with a duration of less than 200 ms. The minimum operating voltage starts at 3.5 V, which makes the R1525 suitable Learn More: https://www.e-devices.ricoh.co.jp/en/products/ to use even at severe cranking conditions. The product will be power/vr_ldo/r1525/ www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe January 2019 News 25 DESIGN & PRODUCTS SENSORS & SIGNAL CONDITIONING

Lab-on-skin chip analyses sweat even at rest By Julien Happich esearchers from EPFL’s Nanolab have microchannels as narrow as devised a lab-on-chip that integrates dif- 50µm wide and 25µm thick, ferently functionalized ion-sensitive FETs able to enhance capillary (ISFET)R with specially designed microfluidics able forces and drag liquid drop- to passively pump minute amounts of sweat to be lets towards the sensors, analysed out of the wearer’s skin, even when the on their path from a sweat subject is at rest. collector area to a sweat While sweat has been recognized as an outlet area. interesting and easily accessible biofluid for non- While the sweat is gath- invasive health monitoring, current lab-on-chip ered directly from the skin solutions require excessive sweat quantities to by an array of narrow inlets, perform. That is, they either require the patient the microfluidic channels to sweat through exercise, or they must collect end up in a honeycomb sweat and data over large skin areas. structure (defined by 80µm The full Lab On Chip device, measuring less than That’s two issues the researchers at the École diameter hexagonal nanopil- one square centimetre. Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), lars) acting as a passive incidentally also staff at Swiss startup Xsensio SA, focused on pump and a reservoir of liquid for the continuous flow of sweat solving. In a paper titled “Three-Dimensional Integrated Ultra- over a long period. The nanopillars, explains the paper, change Low-Volume Passive Microfluidics with Ion-Sensitive Field-Ef- the capillary pressure inside the system, hence the passive fect Transistors for Multiparameter Wearable Sweat Analyzers” pump effect dragging the sweat through the microfluidic chan- published in the ACS Nano journal, the researchers detail the nels and into contact with a quasireference electrode (QRE) and heterogeneous integration of ISFET sensors with a biocompat- the ISFETs. ible microfluidic interface to enhance the collection of sweat, all With a total volume capacity of 170nL, this design allows on a single silicon chip less than one square centimetre. the collection of sweat quantities well below that generated It has been shown that biomarkers in sweat can be directly under exercise conditions (typically 1.5µL/cm2/min on the arm). correlated to their concentrations in blood, hence the choice Instead, the microfluidics interface can collect enough sweat for of sweat as an analyte. The prototype described in the paper the sensors even at rest, when the average sweat rate decreas- was aimed at two biomarkers, sodium and potassium, useful to es to 20nL/cm2/min, the paper reports. individuate hormonal changes which prelude ovulation but also Because their lab-on-chip is very low power (each nanorib- to diagnose cystic fibrosis. bon ISFET drawing only 20nW), the authors anticipate that Ion-sensitive FETs (ISFETs) have no metallic gate, instead once integrated into wearable products and skin patches such the gate oxide is directly exposed to a liquid environment and sensors could be designed for 24/7 multianalyte sensing in real the gate electrode is replaced with a reference electrode (RE). time. Hence the potential at the silicon surface is a function of the RE Indeed, the Lab On Skin sensing technology is currently bias and the influence of the ions or charged molecules inside transferred and exploited by Xsensio SA who aims to exploit the analyte. what it describes as a goldmine of information available at the The researchers first created n-type nanoribbon ISFETs on surface of our skin, electrolytes, metabolites, small molecules an ultrathin body fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (UTB FD and proteins, for continuous health monitoring. SOI) substrate, with a thin layer of buried oxide, (30nm Si on One of the authors, Adrian M. Ionescu, is not only Professor

20nm BOx). This precaution ensured good electrostatic control at EPFL where he leads the Nanolab, but also Senior Technol- by eliminating the parasitic capacitances and reducing the OFF ogy Adviser and Co-Founder of Xsensio. state current by preventing the formation of parasitic current paths, the authors report. In total, 16 ISFETs were laid out in a 9.1x9.1mm chip, divided in four groups independently functionalized for sensing different biomarkers. Key to feed these ISFETs with the right amount of analyte for operation, the researchers then stacked a microfluidic interface on top of the devices. Us- A CAD model of the Lab On Chip concept showing A microchannel from the ing biocompatible SU-8 the microfluidics on top of the ISFET sensors and the microfluidics interface meandering resist, they designed an quasireference electrode. over ISFET sensors. arborescent pattern of

26 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com SENSORS & SIGNAL CONDITIONING

Identifying mechanical faults by acoustic measurements By Christoph Hammerschmidt he Fraunhofer Institute for Non-Destructive equipment or machines to be tested Testing IZFP has developed a sensor system have to be changed only slightly in that can automatically detect errors and ir- design. Tregularities of machines through the characteristic The AcoustiX sensor system from noise they are generating. The method works without Fraunhofer IZFP uses the data from prior calibration and can be used in a wide range of individually adapted acoustic sen- industrial applications. sors, which are attached directly to If large machines and systems are already in oper- the machine or record vibrations and ation, defects or incorrectly assembled components noises of the respective systems con- can lead to machine failure and thus to production stoppages tactlessly via microphones. Errors or irregularities are automati- and economic loss. For this reason, quality assurance prior to cally analyzed and finally logged. Based on the signal evaluation, commissioning or after final assembly of plants and machines specific statements about the correct assembly and function of is of considerable importance. In order to recognize the correct the system or machine can be made within just a few minutes. assembly and function of machines reliably and without large ex- AcoustiX has already been successfully tested by agricul- penditure, researchers of the Fraunhofer IZFP have developed an tural machinery manufacturer John Deere for permanent quality objective test solution, which can be used for the assembly final monitoring of combine harvesters and is currently being validated control as well as for the durable quality monitoring of moving or for series production. However, the sensor system is not only rotating machines and plants. Machines and equipment generate designed for monitoring cutting units. It can be used in all areas characteristic vibrations and thus noises during operation. Since in which final assembly inspection or permanent operational assembly errors or defects often cause a change in the “normal” monitoring are of considerable importance. operating noises, these vibrations provide information about the Examples are the monitoring of large, autonomously oper- quality and correct operation of machines. ated machines and systems or the quality evaluation of individual Often the assembly personnel is entrusted with a good “hear- assemblies, which are operated on test benches, among other ing” and long experience with this testing task. Human hearing, things. Because a large part of the functionality is represented by however, is subject to a certain subjectivity: it tires after a certain algorithms, the sensor system can also be integrated into existing time or is impaired by ambient noise. Available acoustic test test systems and adapted to customer specifications without systems often require adaptation or calibration, especially if the great effort. All printed paper glucose sensor is metal-free By Julien Happich esearchers from King Abdullah University of Science and of unspecific redox reactions during electrode operation. Technology (KAUST) have used inkjet-printing to create a In enzymatic glucose sensors, the biochemical reaction of glucose sensor on commercially available glossy paper, glucose with the enzyme glucose oxidase generates a change printingR all the electronics components using biocompatible in the electrical current of the electrode nearby that is corre- organic materials. lated with glucose concentration. The devices were fabricated A first as a metal-free disposable glucose sensor, the three via four stages of automated deposition of vertical films, which electrode (reference, working and counter) device reported in the researchers say could easily be transferred to a roll-to-roll the Flexible Electronics journal under the paper title “A fully process for low cost high volume manufacture. inkjet-printed disposable glucose sen- The device was able to operate at sor on paper” does not rely on external low concentrations down to 0.025mM Ag/AgCl electrodes and hence consist and up to 0.9mM with good sensitiv- of 100% organic materials. ity for glucose concentrations in saliva Instead, all the electronic compo- sufficient for screening abnormal nents including the contact pads are concentrations. When stored at room composed of the same material, the temperature under vacuum, sensors printed conducting polymer poly(3,4 Two printed layers of PEDOT:PSS are used as were proven to maintain their function ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with reference, working and counter electrode. The one month after fabrication with only polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). biorecognition element containing glucose oxidase minor performance loss (under 25%). But in order to insulate or separate (GO ) and a ferrocene (Fc) complex is printed on The authors conclude that although the active area from the contact pads x the platform was benchmarked for top of the working electrode. area, the authors printed a layer of glucose as the target metabolite, the UV-curable dielectric ink on top of the electrode interconnects. analyte repertoire could be expanded to a variety of biorecog- The biorecognition element was printed as an aqueous solution nition elements by simply changing the enzyme, potentially containing glucose oxidase (GOx) and a ferrocene (Fc) complex enabling the design of multifunctional sensors. on top of the working electrode. A thin layer of nafion printed Once integrated with wearable biocompatible substrates, the over the sensing area completed the device, forming a barrier design could also be adapted to continuously monitor glucose for any interfering species present in saliva or formed as a result from saliva. www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe January 2019 News 27 DESIGN & PRODUCTS SENSORS & SIGNAL CONDITIONING Sourcing flexible sensors for varying automation demands By Peteris Sprogis esigners of automation systems are continuously on the lookout for sensing solutions. The sheer wealth of sensors on the market reflect the enormous variety of objects,D materials and liquids that need to be detected. On top of this, there are the choices to be made on interfacing to other systems, as well as how the environment where the sensor is to be used will impact housing choice. Many situations simply require the detection of an object, for example on a conveyor belt, table or transport trolley. However, it may not be possible to fit a reflector to use in conjunction with a retro-reflective sensor, or the receiving end of a through beam sensor. If the object to be detected lies in front of an interfering background, a diffuse sensor with background suppression could be the answer.

The ZFS Series from Omron is a complete vision system capable of detecting correct orientation and position of objects.

These are packaged inside a 14.8x43 mm housing, are available with a wired interface, M8 or M12 4-pin fitting, and feature a For situations where a through beam sensor is impractical sensing distance Tw of 30 to 500mm. They are also electrically (R), the diffuse sensor with background suppression (L) might robust, with both short circuit and reverse polarity protection, make suitable alternative. with a PNP output supporting < 100mA output current for both light and dark operate function. The front optics are made from Such sensors use the principle of triangulation to measure PMMA and the integrated electronics uses a flashing yellow the light intensity reflected by the desired target as well as the LED to indicate both issues with alignment or a soiled lens. distance is it away. The minimum size of the object is then Some visual detection solutions require a more accurate defined by the dimensions of the light beam being used. The assessment of the object being detected. This could be to distance to the object is configured by set screw, although determine whether a label has been fitted correctly, or if the some more advanced solutions have a “Teach-in” method that product is undamaged. Industrial vision systems based upon can be used. an IP-based networked camera together with an industrial PC Featuring a red light emitter, is one approach. However, a solution dedicated to the task can this visible light source makes be more appropriate. With the continuous growth in process- it simple to adjust, even in ing performance and memory, vision systems are now available conjunction with small ob- with competent vision recognition performance packed into a jects. Laser-based sensors are standard video camera housing. capable of detecting objects with a size of just 0.1mm, while pinpoint diode-based sensors have a 2mm diameter spot of light at their focus. Their design is such that the object being detected can vary in both colour and material without detriment to the detection capability, while objects moving in the background do not trigger The FHDK 14P5104 from unwanted detection. Baumer uses a pulsed red A prime example of a robust, LED light source in its diffuse IP67 rated solution, is the sensor. FHDK 14P5104 Series of pho- toelectric sensors from Baumer. The LBFH series of level sensors from Baumer work on the Peteris Sprogis is Regional Sales Manager of Technical principle of a resonant capacitive circuit. Components at Distrelec – www.distrelec.com

28 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com SENSORS & SIGNAL CONDITIONING

One such solution is the ZFV machine vision systems from Omron. These ultra- high-speed CCD cameras can be mounted in a fixed position or integrated onto a robot arm system. Depending on application, the camera line-up supports a sensing area from 5x4.6mm, up to 50x46mm. Each camera features its own light source in the form of eight red LEDs, providing a pulsed light, and the housing is IP65 rated. The cameras are used in combination with an Amplifier Unit. Once trained, the system is then capable of providing a positive recognition response within 4 to 15ms, depending on the type of image being recognised. The Amplifier Units can also be gang mounted. This allows the use of two or more cameras to analyse adjacent objects, such as an integrated circuit, checking orientation of the product, or that bottles with their barcodes are correctly positioned. As the Amplifier Unit is only IP20 rated, it must be appropriately mounted. Successful recognition can trigger an NPN or PNP output, while images can additionally be logged to a memory card. Sensing of liquids in tanks and pipes brings its own set of challenges. Some liquids foam up, while others, with lower viscosity, have a tendency to cling to surfaces. This can cause issues in sensing quality. The CleverLevel LBFH series from Baumer are compact level switches that integrate a bright LED, visible around 360°, to indicate the sensor status. Available in an IP69K housing, they are suitable for food and bever- age, pharmaceutical and chemical applications. Based upon a capacitive resonant circuit measurement technique, they make use of frequency changes that occur in the presence of the material being detected. The sensors can also be configured to have different switching windows, distin- NEW guishing between oil, water, foam and liquids. They are also capable of protecting high performance from empty pipes and tanks, detecting pasty media and solid-bulk materials such as flour or plastic granulate. For the most demanding foaming or adhering materi- industrial connectors als, Baumer also provide their FlexProgrammer 9701. This programming tool can be for demanding applications linked to a PC via its USB interface. In collaboration with the user-friendly software, various help menus help to configure the sensor to meet the application’s demands. Measured data can also be visualised, enabling further parameter adjustment, such Introducing the NEW as time constants on damping functions and inverting the switching output logic. M225 2.00mm pitch, In some environments, the object to be detected cannot be reliably detected due to variations in the object’s colour, or due to the material it is made of. There are also cable-to-board industrial challenges in detecting transparent materials, such as plastic films and glass bottles. connector range. In such situations, ultrasound sensors, either in through-beam or reflective form, are an ideal candidate. One candidate here is the UB800 series from Pepperl+Fuchs, a Featuring an innovative 3-finger single head system in a short, 40mm design. contact which provides The sensors are capable of detecting items in the 50 to 800mm range, with a dead resistance against industrial band between 0 and 50mm. They provide immediate indication of their status, with a levels of vibration and shock. green indicator showing the sensor is powered, while yellow indicates that an object is in the evaluation range. A TEACH-IN input provides a simple method for configur- The unique rubber locking collars ing the upper and lower limits of the evaluation range. The sensor provides a 20mA and fixing pin system enable fast and secure mating with added strain relief.

Current rating of 3A per contact

Polarized and fully shrouded housings A diffuse mode ultrasound sensor can be configured to detect an object at a specified distance. Temp range: -55°C to +125°C output for a detected object, 4mA when no object is presence, and a ramped change as objects move between the limits. The sensor is built into an IP67 rated casing. As Industry 4.0 and more digitalisation drives more internetworked automated 225 manufacturing systems, more and more sensors will be required to develop these platforms. With enormous variety in materials, liquids and objects being sensed, it is a challenge to determine precisely which sensor best meets the needs of the application. Suppliers are providing a wide range of solutions, with more features integrated harwin.com/m225 into them. Highly visible indicators provide visual feedback on whether power has been applied, and whether an object has been detected. They are also increasingly configurable, from high-end, camera-based vision systems, down to the relatively simple distance and liquid detection sensors. Regardless of what is to be detected, it is highly likely that there is a sensing solution that matches the task’s needs. www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe HarwinJanuary M225 EENews 2019 Europe Jan 19.inddNews 1 11/12/2018 29 20:44 DESIGN & PRODUCTS SENSORS & SIGNAL CONDITIONING

Electronic pill unfolds in the stomach for longer stays By Julien Happich raditionally, biomedical electronic devices designed with The Gastric Resident Architecture (GRA) which is the real long-term diagnostic and therapeutic functionalities have novelty here, was designed through additive manufacturing only been able to remain into the human body when im- using a biocompatible poly-l-lactic acid (PLA) and a thermo- plantedT through invasive surgical procedures, with the inherent plastic polyurethane. The arms eventually detached after over a risks of rejection and inflammatory responses. For controlled month being subjected to the gastric fluid, but in the future such drug delivery and health monitoring, an alternative consists reconfigurable structures could incorporate a pH-responsive in designing sensor-laden and drug-carrying pills that can be enteric elastomer (resistant to acidic environments) which could swallowed, though their stay in the stomach dissolve in the neutral-pH environment of is rather transient, usually lasting only a day the small and large intestine. or two before being excreted. The researcher also developed different Now, researchers from the Massachu- ways of externally triggering the dissolution setts Institute of Technology have designed of different linker segments to accelerate an electronic pill that unfolds when it the pill’s transit, in case the macrostructure reaches the stomach, preventing it from fol- should be excreted earlier due a patient’s lowing its natural course through the gastro- adverse reaction to the treatment. intestinal route. On the mechanical side, the Since 3D printing allows the co-inte- Gastric Resident Electronic (GRE) system as gration of drugs formulated with distinct it is called (because it remains in the gastric programmable release profiles in a hydro- cavity for up to a month), consists of a 3D- CAD models of the gastric-resident phobic biodegradable matrix, the research printed elastomeric shape whose arms are electronics device showing its unfolded also included the testing of delayed drug folded back along the pill’s main body into a architecture, the integrated electronics release. Because the GRE is retained in the gelatin capsule. After ingestion, the gela- and the personalized drug delivery stomach for several weeks, drug release tin dissolves within seconds in the gastric can be prolonged and precise constant modules. fluid and the arms expand again, somehow dosages were proven to be feasible. anchoring the pill within the stomach so its sensors and multiple The author envisage that such a platform could be designed drug carriers can operate for longer within the human body. to achieve electrically modulated drug delivery (through an elec- In a paper titled “3D-Printed Gastric Resident Electronics” troactive adhesive) in addition to tailoring the polymeric matrix published in Advanced Materials Technologies, the researchers to achieve a range of drug release profiles. report Bluetooth-enabled GRE prototypes lasting up to 36 days In the future, they hope that such long-resident custom drug in the hostile gastric environment, maintaining their wireless delivery devices could be manufactured digitally at local health- connectivity for about 15 days. care facilities by physicians and pharmacists, enabling person- Measuring the actual radio signal from the ingested pill, the alized remote diagnostic and automated therapeutic strategies. authors report a stable transmission at 2.4GHz and the pos- Connecting to the patient’s wearables via Bluetooth, the gastric sibility to directly interconnect the electronic pill with external resident electronic system could communicate data and be devices such as Bluetooth-enabled wearables and smartphones controlled directly by health care providers without special- while simultaneously restricting the signal strength to within an ized equipment. This would support real-time feedback-based arm’s length (−80 to −90 dBm at 45 cm) to provide a physical automated treatment or responsive medication the authors isolation for additional security and privacy protection. conclude. Image sensor brings in-cabin monitoring the needs of the mainstream automotive market. The sensor to mainstream vehicles features a near-infrared (NIR) quantum efficiency (QE) of 12% at Digital imaging solutions provider OmniVision Technologies has 940 nm - the industry’s best in a driver-monitoring image sensor announced a 1-megapixel high-speed global the company says - which allows designers shutter image sensor for in-vehicle driver and to achieve sufficient illumination with fewer passenger monitoring. The OV9284 global LEDs, thus reducing total system cost and shutter image sensor, says the company, is power consumption. The sensor consumes ideal for in-cabin camera modules in passen- 90mW at 60 frames per second (fps), which ger vehicles, where driver state monitoring is 30% lower than the nearest competitor. In (DSM) and passenger-monitoring cameras addition, the high-speed global shutter sen- need to be extremely small and unobtrusive, while complying sor with OmniPixel3-GS technology offers 1280x800 resolution with stringent safety regulations. DSM is used in semiautono- at video speeds of up to 120 fps. The sensor is available in a mous vehicles to track the driver’s eye gaze and allow the vehi- compact automotive chip-scale package measuring 5237x4463 cle to take control when the driver becomes drowsy or distract- µm for smaller lens designs. Its 27-degree chief ray angle with ed. Currently available in high-end cars, the feature is expected a low z height requirement provides a wider viewing angle in to migrate into mainstream vehicles, a market segment that is a thinner package, allowing for greater flexibility with camera much more cost-sensitive. The OV9284 is claimed to be the placement. The OV9284 image sensor is available now. industry’s first image sensor with the right balance of cost effec- OmniVision Technologies tiveness, high-quality imaging, and advanced features, meeting www.ovt.com

30 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com SENSORS & SIGNAL CONDITIONING

Google radar-based hand sensor technology New development kit eases autonomous robot approved by FCC navigation development The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allows approval Deep learning-based solutions provider Neurotechnology for Google’s radar-based hand motion sensor. has announced the release of a development kit designed Soli sensor technol- for researchers ogy works by emitting and engineers electromagnetic waves working on au- in a broad beam. Objects tonomous robot within the beam scat- navigation. The ter this energy, reflecting SentiBotics Navi- some portion back to- gation Software wards the radar antenna. Development Kit , Properties of the reflected says the com- signal, such as energy, time delay, and frequency shift capture pany, provides rich information about the object’s characteristics and dynamics, the tools for the development of pathway learning - including including size, shape, orientation, material, distance, and velocity. object recognition and obstacle detection - in robotics sys- Soli tracks and recognises dynamic gestures expressed by fine tems. The system derives navigational parameters through motions of the fingers and hand. Unlike traditional radar sensors, initial user-driven input, developing a framework of data that Soli does not require large bandwidth and high spatial resolution; then becomes the environment for subsequent autonomous in fact, Soli’s spatial resolution is coarser than the scale of most operation. The software also allows for autonomous recharg- fine finger gestures. Instead, its fundamental sensing principles ing capability once the functional environmental features are rely on motion resolution by extracting subtle changes in the identified. The SDK relies on a single webcam and two low- received signal over time. By processing these temporal signal cost ultrasonic range finders for input and allows autonomous variations, Soli can distinguish complex finger movements and navigation over long distances (hundreds of meters or more). deforming hand shapes within its field. Currently there is no other It also enables navigation system training, and further adapta- product on the market with comparable precision and detection tion to visual changes in the environment may be enhanced range, says the company. The use of 60 GHz allows for a resolu- through additional user input, altering the system by additional tion of 20 mm. With additional algorithms, the solution operates data collection in changed areas or problematic locations. with sub-mm resolution. The technology, jointly developed by The SentiBotics Navigation SDK can be purchased as either Infineon and Google Atap (Advanced Technology and Projects a complete package, a ready-to-run robotics system that Group) allows touch-less gesture control. includes the company’s mobile reference platform prototype, or Google as a software-only option for integration into existing robotics https://atap.google.com/soli/ hardware. A free 30-day trial of the SDK is available for use in a Gazebo robotics simulator. Neurotechnology Swiss startup claims low power PPG www.neurotechnology.com plus ToF sensor Senbiosys SA, a 2017 spin-off from Ecole Polytechnique Industry’s smallest contactless current sensor Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), has developed a chip that can measure both heart rate, ROHM has introduced what the company claims is the indus- and oxygen level using both try’s smallest contactless current sensor which has minimum the photoplethysmography power loss in an ultra-compact size. The BM14270MUV-LB (PPG) and time-of-flight (ToF) uses a high sensitiv- signals. The chip, Senbio1, ity low current MI also measures ambient light. element that allows Innovations in the Senbio1 for completely con- chip are the subject of a tactless current de- paper due to be presented at tection. It combines ISSCC 2019 under the title “A 2.6 microwatt monolithic CMOS ROHM’s semicon- photoplethysmographic sensor operating with 2 microwatt ductor production LED power.” The company claims to have developed the most and sensor control comprehensive set of functions in a light sensor that is the technologies with Aichi Steel’s MI (Magneto-Impedance) most compact and most energy efficient. The company was element. The resulting contactless current sensor eliminates co-founded by Assim Boukhayma, Antonino Caizzone and the need to draw current within the sensor to measure it. The Professor Christian Enz. The company is led by Montassar sensor itself only consumes 0.07mA current and comes in a 3.5 BenMrad who serves as CEO. Professor Enz is the director of x 3.5 mm package. A disturbance magnetic field cancellation the Institute of Microengineering (IMT) at EPFL and the head of function protects against noise, making shielding unnecessary. the Integrated Circuits Laboratory (ICLAB) and serves Senbio- The digital output from the built-in A/D converter reduces MCU sys as scientific advisor. load, facilitating easy current monitoring. Senbiosys SA ROHM www.senbiosys.com www.rohm.com/eu www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe January 2019 News 31 DESIGN & PRODUCTS POWER SOURCES At the tipping point of a new energy era By Bart Onsia n 2035, the world will be on an accelerated path to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and eventually become carbon neutral by 2050. ByI then, electricity from renewable sources will be headed to become a major source of energy for power generation and transport in many parts of the world. According to imec, this will call for a sustained technology improvement and a much-accelerated deployment from where we are today. Bart Onsia, expert and business development manager at imec and EnergyVille, talks about the outlook for solar energy generation and storage.

In the years up to 2035, the residential and industrial demand for electricity will keep on growing, especially if heating with gas and oil is Centre Jose Villarreal (Madrid, Spain), municipal building with PV-enhanced phased out and replaced by electricity. In addi- facade panels (credit Hanjin, creative commons licence) tion, in countries like Belgium, nuclear energy plants will no longer be part of the energy mix. Wind and solar The physical limit of what can be achieved sits around 30%, energy will have to fill a large share of the gap. According to so there is still some leeway to improve cells. But as we close recent studies, there is enough potential to do so. But to make in on the limit, the techniques and materials used will become this reality, wind and solar energy generation will have to grow more expensive, seriously eating into the cost gains. Therefore, tremendously. In tandem, the usage efficiency of imec, partner in electricity will be improved, with buildings insulat- EnergyVille, also ed to be energy-neutral, heating provided by heat pursues a num- pumps and heating grids, building-integrated ber of alternative photovoltaics, smarter micro- and nanogrids run- paths to increase ning on DC, and mass energy storage. the efficiency of solar panels. Cheaper than alternatives One way is to The cost of electricity from solar panels has top the silicon already gone down tremendously over the past solar cells with years, and it is expected that it will be further an additional reduced leading up to 2035. That will eventually light-sensitive and in most circumstances make solar energy layer in another more cost-efficient compared to other forms of material – a sec- electricity generation, even in countries where the ond solar cell. An sun doesn’t always shine abundantly. The cost obvious require- comparison will be even more positive when we ment for these take into account that carbon-based electric- so-called tandem ity generation will become progressively more cells is that the expensive due to carbon taxing schemes. material on top If we look at the cost of a typical solar installa- is transparent to tion today, less than half of the price is subsumed the light that it by the actual panels. The rest is made up by the doesn’t convert. electronics, support frames, cabling, and the And an addition- manual labor – the so-called balance-of-system al boost is given costs (BOS). The potential to further optimize the Bart Onsia, business development manager for imec’s solid if the materials BOS costs is limited. So the most obvious way state battery and thin-film PV research. in the stack are to make a solar installation more cost-efficient is sensitive to a to have it generate more electricity than it does today, mainly by distinct part of the light spectrum, so that they don’t scavenge improving the conversion efficiency and energy yield of the solar on each other’s conversion potential. The material that captures cells and modules. the shortest wavelengths (e.g. blue and green) will be on top, Today, conversion efficiencies for commercial silicon solar while the bottom material converts the longer wavelengths (e.g. cells are around 22%, and the best lab result is 25.3%. red and near-infrared). That way and using a top layer made from Perovskite crys- Bart Onsia is business development manager for imec’s solid tals, imec has already fabricated small solar cells surpassing state battery and thin-film PV research – www.imec-int.com 27% efficiency.

32 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com POWER SOURCES

For 2035, we envision large, long-lasting cells with an ef- Engineers foresee storage at house level – residential storage ficiency of up to 35%. In addition to tandem cells, imec’s sci- – but also at district level and higher up. Residential and district entists have looked at a number of other techniques to further storage should be compact, so it will probably be composed boost PV efficiency. Bifacial solar cells, for example, capture of improved lithium-ion technology. The cost of such batteries light on both sides of the cells. They can be used in large-scale today is coming down fast, and is projected to eventually dip installations where the front-side of the panels is directed to the below 100 euros per kilowatt-hour by 2035. That will enable sun, but where the backside also captures some light that is re- home storage solutions of 10 kilowatt-hour at around 1,000 flected from the ground. Another technique involves alternative, euros. However, homes and districts will have another form of even dynamic reconfigurations of the solar cells in panels. That storage available, and that’s the electric vehicles that by 2035 way, they can be made less vulnerable to shading, e.g. from the may have power packs of 100 kilowatt-hour. As these vehicles blades of nearby windmills will often be idle, charged and ready, they can be used to power home appliances while making sure at the same time that they Integrate solar everywhere still have sufficient energy left to drive. The other half of the cost equation of a solar panel – the BOS In 2035, Europe will be on the path of becoming climate costs – are at first sight more difficult to compress. But there is neutral by 2050, a goal that was recently set. This means that a way out that at the same time opens up a whole new domain greenhouse emissions such as CO2 will be largely curbed by for sustainable energy generation. One that we envision will be powering much of our society with electricity generated from huge in 2035. non-fossil fuel sources such as solar, wind, and nuclear sources Most modern offices, public buildings and warehouses are – a goal that is technically and practically feasible but requires a clad with large, prefabricated panels, made of glass or opaque huge investment and accelerated adoption. materials. These have a number of functions: they form the By 2050, what remains of greenhouse gasses, from industrial outer, protective shell, the insulating layer, and they also de- processes and farming, will eventually have to be compensated termine the aesthetics of the building. But what if we’d add an through carbon capture and utilization technologies, taking into additional function: generating solar energy? This would not be account that the net CO2-emissions have to become negative. by mounting standard solar modules, which would add to the cost and servicing instead of slashing BOS costs. What we are What is imec doing? looking for instead are facade panels with integrated solar cells, Imec, as EnergyVille partner, works on enabling and improving panels that can be fabricated flexibly and cost-efficiently in a a number of technologies that may become key in the energy wide range of looks, shapes, and yields. transition. With their 30+ years of expertise, they contribute to Imec and KU Leuven are currently running test setups within the improvement of PV efficiencies, concentrating on the total the EnergyVille collaboration. We are also looking into the cost of electricity generated by solar technologies and finding industrial processes that would allow automatic manufacturing solutions that are industry-compatible. of panels directly from the architecture drawings. Seeing that silicon cells may impose some restric- Imec’s researchers tions on the form and transparency of tackle the conver- the panels, we also see a great case sion efficiency of for thin-film solar cells, another tech- silicon solar cells, nology that imec has been developing looking at a num- in the frame of Solliance. Thin-film cells ber of alternative will likely not be as efficient as silicon architectures such as cells, but they can be made extremely back-contacted cells, thin, partially transparent or colored, on bifacial cells, and large sheets in flexible formats, even in tandem cells (silicon bended, twisted forms. or CIGS cells topped with a thin-film PV Smarter grids, with storage layer made from In 2035, our electricity grid will be perovskite crystals). much smarter than it is now. It will They’re also involved consist of collections of nested sub- Imec’s solid-state electrolyte, a new material to make next- in fundamental nets with at the core the nanogrids generation Li-ion batteries for electrical vehicles and residential material’s research to of individual buildings, offices, public storage (artist impression). boost the reliability buildings, and houses. These will be and lifetime of thin- subsumed in microgrids, taking in neighboring buildings to film PV technologies. On the level of the standard PV panels, form one electricity district. These separate grids will operate imec looks into better ways to configure cells in a panel, so as as autonomously as possible. They will generate most of the to lose less efficiency because of shadows. Looking further electricity they need and take care not to overload the connect- ahead, imec’s scientists strive to enable the flexible fabrication ing networks, so these don’t have to be overdimensioned. As of façade panels. energy generation, storage and many of today’s appliances run Looking at storage, imec is laying the foundation for a much- on DC current, the nanogrids will transport DC and only convert improved battery technology with a higher energy density and it to AC when necessary, avoiding much of the losses of today’s faster charging times. A first result is a potential and promising AC/DC conversion. material to serve at a solid-state electrolyte. But further out, the Nevertheless, there will be a need for storage, so that energy R&D center also works on architectures with smaller, coated generated on a sunny day can be used at night, or when it’s electrode particles, leveraging its unique expertise in nanomate- gray and raining. rials, thin-films and interfaces. www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe January 2019 News 33 DESIGN & PRODUCTS POWER SOURCES Strategies to combat volatility in the lithium-ion battery market By Tim Parker apidly increasing market demand and the rationalisa- though, with smaller sizes growing as much as 10% in volume tion of product offerings from Li-ion cell manufacturers over 500 cycles. The standard 18x65mm 18650 cylindrical cells are impacting the choices available to design engineers. and larger variants will certainly still be supported for some time We’veR all heard of the considerable increase in demand for to come, as the format suits applications like Tesla’s 100kWhr lithium-ion batteries driven by their module where 8256 cells are stacked increasing inclusion in portable devices in staggered rows with pipes for liquid and electric vehicles. Since the first cooling. The cylindrical wound format Li-ion batteries were commercialised by is good for mechanical stress resilience Sony in 1991 their use initially steadily and the small remaining gaps between increased and then levelled, but re- cells allow for some air-cooling. The cently Tesla has led a surge in demand volume of cylindrical cells produced over with 18650 size cylindrical cells in its the years has also brought their cost existing electric vehicles and now the down considerably. larger 21700 size in the new model 3, all So, as a design engineer, you’ve manufactured in partnership with Pana- decided on a Li-ion battery for your new sonic. Tesla’s target for 2018 is to reach device and need a few prototypes. The a production of 35GWh, but may ultimately be dwarfed by the prospective production volume is, you hope, high but getting VW automobile group with its plans to install 150GWh-worth of one of the ‘big four’ manufacturers to consider supporting a batteries each year from 2025 in 80 new electric models. new custom design is a mountain to climb. A solution is to pick Portable devices and other applications such as mobility, from the extensive range of standard parts from Avnet Abacus, grid storage and stationary equipment are not being left behind which includes the 18650 size cylindrical cells from major sup- though, with their share of the Li-ion pack market actually pre- pliers Dubilier, Panasonic, RRC, Samsung and Varta, available dicted to be about twice that of all EVs in single 3.7V cells from 2250mAh to in 2025 at about $24B. Other reports 3300mAh, to packs of up to 70 cells at are more bullish and put the total Li-ion 25.2V/29000mAh. A range of ‘prismatic’ market even bigger at $93.1B by 2025. types are supported in single and 3-cell Currently raw material supply is not formats along with a more extensive meeting projected demand and extra range of ‘pouch’ lithium polymer cells capacity is planned for lithium extrac- in varying mechanical sizes and ratings tion with major expansion in China, from 130mAh to 3000mAhr. Many of Canada, Australia, South America and the prismatic ‘hard pack’ variants are elsewhere. Other exotic materials are supported by relevant chargers. The required as well; cobalt is used as a standard range also features the Coin cathode material with China controlling Power Li-ion button cells from Varta. 80% of that market. From data compiled Lithium battery usage. Source - Avnet Abacus, A suitable Li-ion battery type for most by Deutsche Bank Markets Research, estimated. applications is available from the Avnet global lithium demand is set to increase Abacus range with a variety of construc- three times between 2015 and 2025, tion styles, dimensions and capacities. cobalt eleven times and overall battery ‘Soft’ packs suit embedded applications consumption five times. and ‘hard’ packs are ideal for ease of The major manufacturers of Li-ion removal, recharging and replacement cells are juggling the competing forces with some types even including SMBUS of demand and raw material supply as SMART functionality. The parts are well as standardising on cell size and available on very short lead-times with construction to get economies of scale. low MOQs giving fast time to market. Many existing designs of the ‘prismatic’ As you would expect from the world- style in welded aluminium or steel hous- class suppliers represented, all battery ings are being discontinued in favour of packs meet the minimum approvals ‘pouch’ cells, often in lithium-polymer for shipping of lithium-ion and polymer technology that allows a laminated Selection of Li-ion batteries from Avnet Abacus. products. All lithium batteries meet the construction, which is lighter and gives UN regulation (UN38.3) for worldwide mechanical flexibility and slightly higher specific energy. Pouch transportation by air, road and sea freight. Many of the parts cells do suffer from swelling with charge/discharge cycling also meet IEC62133/CB scheme and UL2054 safety standards for regional and US markets. Continuity of supply is offered in Tim Parker is Batteries Product Manager at Avnet Abacus - many of the products with a guaranteed product availability of www.avnet-abacus.eu/battery-solutions 10-15 years.

34 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com POWER SOURCES

The silent power of supercapacitors By Patrick Le Fèvre rom harvesting energy Supercapacitors are almost everywhere, al- through to power plants, though perhaps because they are seen as passive the use of power electron- components with a low-tech connotation, they are Fics is everywhere and there isn’t seldom on stage front. It is time to bring them back an application that doesn’t require into the spotlight, so let’s review the amazing story power. The power electronics and technology behind the silent power of super- industry is very dynamic and many capacitors. new technologies have made the impossible, now possible. In From Howard Becker to Elon Musk the unceasing quest to increase In the early fifties when capacitors were made out performance levels, reliability and of impregnated paper and mica, General Electric sustainability, new components researched ways to increase their capacity to store and technologies such as Wide and release higher energy levels, and to be able Bandgap Semiconductors and Fig. 1: Supercapacitor cell basically to absorb voltage distortions in electronics and Digital power management are in top secret military applications. Research was consists of two electrodes, a separator, receiving the hype, getting a lot of conducted by Howard I. Becker and his team who and an electrolyte. Source, PRBX. attention and coverage. However, on the 14th of April 1954 filed a patent for a ‘Low hiding in the shadows is a very important component intrinsi- voltage electrolytic capacitor’ using a porous carbon electrode. cally involved in many vital applications; The Supercapacitor. On the 23rd of July 1957 the US2800616A patent was granted, opening the road for further innovation. Becker’s invention was Patrick Le Fèvre is Chief Marketing and Communication Officer the beginning of a race between laboratories to convert the in- at Powerbox (PRBX) - www.prbx.com vention into a component capable of being mass manufactured

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(e.g. in 1958, Philips NV patented a process for the production of electrodes for electrolytic capacitors) with higher performance levels. The electrolytic capacitor was born. Although the invention of the electrolytic capacitor was an important step forwards for the electronics industry, the capacity was still not enough to store higher levels of energy such as those required to stabilize an electricity network or to deliver the extremely high energy levels required by certain applications in the defence industry. It took another six year of research after Becker’s patent for the Standard Oil Company’s engineer Rob- ert A. Rightmire to be granted on 29th of November 1966, the US3288641A patent for an ‘Electrical energy storage apparatus’ described as: “An electrical energy storage device for storing energy in electrostatic condition as double layers of electron- ions and proton-ions at co-acting interfaces…” The supercapacitor was born… Interestingly, it then took another 10 years Fig. 2: Energy vs power density for different types of energy- for the invention to become a market reality. storage devices. Source, PRBX. Because of their capacity to store and release high amounts of energy in a very short time period, Electrical Vehicle (EV) near the surface of the carbon. This mechanism gives superca- research on high performance supercapacitors intensified, and pacitors the ability to store and restore high energy within a very the number of inventions and patents sky-rocketed. The fore- short time period. most application in EVs was to store the energy generated when The surface of the active part is key to the supercapacitor’s decelerating and braking in order to re-use that energy to power capacity and from what we know, increasing the surface area the engine when accelerating. The potential of the supercapaci- increases the capacity. What is particularly interesting and excit- tor awakened attention in March 2011 at the Cleantech Forum ing in supercapacitor technology are the possibilities offered by in San Francisco when regarding the future of electric vehicles the introduction of nanotechnologies. One example is to replace Elon Musk said, “If I were to make a prediction, I’d think there’s the conventional active carbon layer with a thin layer of billions a good chance that it is not batteries, but super-capacitors that of nanotubes. Each nanotube is like a uniform hollow cylinder will power the future of EV.” Just to remind ourselves, Musk 5nm diameter and 100um long, vertically grown over the con- originally came to California to study high-energy-density ca- ducting electrodes, and by using billions of them it is possible pacitor physics at Stanford. His speech started a lot of specula- to reach extremely high density levels of capacity. tion about the potential of supercapacitors, with the perception that they would be the solution to mass energy storage, eventu- Will supercapacitors supersede batteries? ally replacing batteries. The reality is a bit different though, from Following Elon Musk’s speech at Cleantech Forum 2011, there the timing of Becker and Rightmire’s original patents up to the has been a lot of interest in supercapacitors and for sure the present day, supercapacitor technology has progressed in a fair potential offered by nanotechnologies is keeping high hopes degree of ‘behind the scenes’ silence. that at some point in the future, supercapacitors might reach a point where they equal the performance of batteries. As can be How does it work? seen in figure 2 showing energy vs power density for differ- As we all remember from school, a capacitor consists of two ent types of energy-storage devices, today the performance metal plates or conductors separated by an insulator such as levels of fuel-cells, batteries, ultracapacitors and conventional air or a film made of plastic or ceramic. Upon charging, elec- capacitors do not overlap. However, they are complimentary, trons accumulate on one conductor and depart from the other. and recent technological advancements are reducing the gap Using normal manufacturing practices a conventional capaci- between batteries and supercapacitors. tor’s energy storage is limited by the laws of physics and that is Each of those technologies has their advantages and disad- where Robert A. Rightmire’s invention opened new avenues for vantages, ones that power designers take into consideration high energy storage. when developing power systems. Figure 3 compares the key A supercapacitor cell basically consists of two electrodes, parameters of Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors, and it is a separator, and an electrolyte. The electrodes are made up of obvious that one of the key benefits of the supercapacitor is its a metallic collector that is the high conducting part, and of an extremely high cyclability, meaning that it can be charged and active material (metal oxides, carbon and graphite are the most discharged virtually an unlimited number of times, which is un- commonly used) that is the high surface area part. The two likely ever to be the case for the electrochemical battery having electrodes are separated by a membrane that allows mobility a defined, much shorter life cycle. of the charged ions, but forbids electrical conductance. The Ageing is also in favour of supercapacitors. Under normal system is impregnated with an electrolyte – see figure 1. The conditions, from an original 100 percent capacity they only lose geometrical size of the two carbon sheets and of the separators 20% in 10 years, which is way above the levels achieved by are designed in such a way that they have a very high surface any battery. For systems designers having to power systems area. Due to its structure, the highly porous carbon can store in harsh environments, supercapacitors will operate in very low more energy than any other electrolytic capacitor. to high temperatures without degradation, which we know is When a voltage is applied to the positive plate, it attracts not the case for batteries. On the downside supercapacitors negative ions from the electrolyte, and when a voltage is applied discharge from 100 to 50 percent in 30 to 40 days, whereas to negative plate, it attracts positive ions from electrolyte. As a lead and lithium-based batteries self-discharge about 5 percent result, ion layers form on both sides of the plate in what is called during the same period, but technology is improving daily and a ‘double layer’ formation, resulting in the ions being stored supercapacitors are becoming better and better.

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the deep notes in Don Quichotte. If you have a smart meter at home, it most probably contains a supercapacitor able to deliver peak power when transmitting stored data via its GPRS module. And again, if you are a technology geek following the Lamborghini ‘Terzo Millennio’ project, you will have noticed how important a role supercapacitors play in the motorization of this very special, electric powered sport car. Safety is another benefit of supercapacitors and that is the reason why they are the first choice when backup or peak power is required in a restricted environment. Critical applications operating in hostile or confined environments are strictly regulated in terms of chemical and other hazardous risks, reducing or forbidding certain type of batteries such as Lithium Ion. For safety reasons, those applications must have a power backup long enough to run alarms and safety shutdown processes. In such arduous conditions, conventional batteries are replaced by supercapacitor banks whose values could be from a few Farads to 200 Farads for general applications – see figure 4. Fig. 3: Comparing Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors key parameters. Source, PRBX. What’s coming next? As we have seen, supercapacitor technology With the growing demand for renewable energy and issues is moving extremely fast. The challenges posed by the energy relating to energy storage, there is a rising question about the storage issue is most probably the area where we will see the reasoning behind building huge banks of Lithium Ion batter- more immediate benefits of nanotechnologies being implement- ies. We all know that those batteries have a limited lifetime, ed in supercapacitors. but as well as consuming precious raw materials they’re not One example to close this article is the very interesting easy to recycle and there’s the associated environmental risks. research conducted by the University of Central Florida on com- This is where research is very interesting and the disclosure as bining distribution cable with the capacity of supercapacitors. presented by the Universities of Surrey and Bristol in February Assistant professor Jayan Thomas of the NanoScience Technol- 2018 on the development of polymer materials is appealing. ogy Center has found a way to improve a regular copper wire to They achieved practical capacitance values of up to 4F/cm2 transform it into a supercapacitor cable. Based on nanowhisker when the industry standard is 0.3F/cm2, and they are expect- technology it could transform the standard copper wire into a ing to reach 11-20F/cm2 in the near future. When such levels of supercapacitor capable of storing and delivering large amounts capacity are achieved we will be able to talk about 180Wh/kg, of power. which is similar to lithium ion batteries. To some degree of silence, supercapacitors are becoming The level of research in supercapacitors is really impres- the most promising component for the future. Many power sive and the gap is closing. How fast that will happen remains designers are already implementing power solutions based on unknown, but considering the number of patents filed, papers supercapacitors but considering how fast research takes place presented and levels industry interest, it shouldn’t take too long. and the huge challenges that humanity faces due to climate change, one day in the not too distant future, supercapacitors In silence they do the job will be at the heart of modern power solutions. Supercapacitors are almost everywhere and it is almost impossible to draw up an exhaustive list of applications. From the Shanghai bus experiment to run a fleet of buses powered only by supercapacitors to smart meters and harvesting energy, they are everywhere. For sure it is their ability to sustain high charge and discharge cycles that makes them ideal for private and public electrical vehicles and machinery such as port-cranes to accumulate and re-use energy. But in many applications, when designers need peak power, you’ll find them too. If you are an audiophile, your audio amplifier might contain a supercapacitor bank able to de- Fig. 4: The PRBX 29F supercapacitor energy peak and backup unit can replace liver kilowatts of peak power to your bass loud- batteries in demanding applications. Source, PRBX. speaker when Ferruccio Furlanetto bellows out www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe January 2019 News 37 DESIGN & PRODUCTS POWER SOURCES Project aims to bring magnesium batteries to market By Christoph Hammerschmidt he €6.5m E-Magic research project aims to bring mag- Zhao-Karger, who coordinates the activities of the new research nesium batteries to market to provide a more powerful, project in the Solid State Chemistry Research Group at HIU. cheaper and safer alternative to lithium-ion cells. However, there are a number of positive properties of the new TAccording to the scientists, magnesium batteries should battery material that the researchers want to use: for example, have decisive advantages over conventional lithium-ion batter- no dendrites form on the magnesium anodes. In lithium-ion ies: Magnesium as an anode mate- batteries, such electrochemi- rial enables a higher energy density cal deposits on the electrodes and would also be much safer in can form needle-like structures the event of a fire. “Magnesium is a and cause disturbances or even promising material and one of the dangerous short circuits. There most important candidates for our are no comparable processes in post-lithium strategy,” said Profes- magnesium. It is therefore possible sor Maximilian Fichtner, Deputy to use magnesium in metallic form Director of the Helmholtz Institute and thus directly utilize the high Ulm (HIU), a research institute storage capacity of the metal. founded by KIT in cooperation In addition to greater safety with the University of Ulm and the and energy density, the introduc- associated partners DLR and ZSW tion of magnesium technology in to research and develop electro- battery production could also help chemical battery concepts. to reduce dependence on lithium The European Magnesium Inter- as a raw material: as an element, active Battery Community (E-Magic) research project combines magnesium is around 3,000 times more abundant on earth than all necessary steps for the development of magnesium bat- lithium and, in contrast, is much easier to recycle. Accordingly, teries, from basic research to cell production processes. The magnesium batteries would also be cheaper than lithium-ion main aim of the scientists is to contribute to understanding the batteries. If Europe makes rapid progress in development, obstacles and challenges at the materials level and to create magnesium batteries could also help to reduce the dominance new solutions for current obstacles. “The special challenge of Asian producers of battery cells and establish competitive with magnesium batteries is a long service life,” said Dr Zhirong battery production in Europe. Power from microbes for organic sensors By Nick Flaherty

esearchers at Linköping University Linköping University and one of the lead authors have developed a way to embed an of the scientific article recently published in Scien- electroactive bacterium into an elec- tific Reports. tricallyR conducting polymer on a substrate Coupling biological processes with readable of carbon felt. This can be used to generate electrical signals is valuable for environmental currents for sensors. sensors which require rapid response times, low Working with colleagues at the Lawrence energy consumption, and the ability to use many Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, different receptors. Researchers have recently California, the researchers call the result a demonstrated how to use Shewanella oneidensis “multilayer conductive bacterial-composite to produce electrical currents in response to arse- film” (MCBF). Microscopic analysis of the film nic, arabinose (a type of sugar) and organic acids, shows an interleaved structure of Shewanella among others. oneidensis bacteria and the PEDOT:PSS “This technology represents a type of “living conducting polymers that can be up to 80 μm thick, much thick- electrode” where the electrode material and the bacteria are er than it can be without this specific technique. amalgamated into a single electronic biofilm. As we discover “Our experiments show that more than 90% of the bacteria more about the essential role that bacteria play in our own are viable, and that the MCBF increases the flow of electrons in health and wellness, such living electrodes will likely become the external circuit. When our film is used as anode in micro- versatile and adaptable tools for developing new forms of bial electrochemical cells, the current is 20 times higher than it bioelectronic technologies and therapies,” said Daniel Simon, is when using unmodified anodes, and remains so for at least principal investigator in Organic Bioelectronics at the Laboratory several days,” said Gábor Méhes (pictured), a researcher at of Organic Electronics.

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POWER SOURCES

Compact 960W DIN rail supply has 95 percent efficiency

TDK has launched a DIN rail mount AC-DC power supply rated at 24V 40A (960W) with a 60A (1,440W) peak for 4 seconds. The TDK-Lambda brand DRF960‑24‑1 has a very narrow 110mm width, freeing additional space for other DIN rail mount assemblies. The efficiency of 95 percent means significantly less internal heat is generated, resulting in cooler electrolytic capacitors. Op- erating field life is calculated at greater than 10 years at 75% load, 40°C ambient, and 230Vac input. This energy efficient power supply is suitable for a wide range of industrial applications 18" ht. including factory automation, process control . and test and measurement equipment. The 24V output is adjustable from 24 to 28V, using the front panel potentiometer Size does or an external 5 to 6Vdc source, to compensate for blocking diodes or FETs in redundant configurations. Also provided as standard is a DC OK relay contact, rated at 30V 1A, and remote on/off functionality. The DRF960 power consumption is matter! less than 1W to reduce energy consumption when the output is inhibited. Up to five units can be connected together in parallel when set in droop mode current share. SURFACE MOUNT The DRF960 is housed in a robust metal enclosure, measuring 123.4mm in height, AND PLUG IN 139mm deep and a width of just 110mm. The power supply can operate from a wide range 180 - 264Vac, 47 - 63Hz input. Input to output isolation is 3,000Vac, MILITARY/CRITICAL input to ground 1,500Vac and output to ground 500Vac. The DRF960 is rated for APPLICATIONS operation in -25°C to +70°C ambient temperatures (‑40°C cold start), derating lin- QPL UNITS STANDARD early above 60°C to 50% load at 70°C. The unit is safety certified to IEC/EN/UL/CSA 60950-1, UL 508 and is CE marked for the Low Voltage, EMC and RoHS Directives. The unit meets EN 55032-B radiated TRANSFORMERS and conducted emissions, and complies with the EN 61000-4 immunity standards. AND INDUCTORS TDK • Audio Transformers www.global.tdk.com • Pulse Transformers • DC-DC Converters • Transformers Modular DIN-rail UPS uses LiFePO or supercap power 4 • MultiPlex Data Bus Transformers Bicker Elektronik has launched a DIN-rail uninterruptible 12V and 24V DC power sup- • Power & ply for fail-safe designs. The UPSI system provides effective protection against power EMI Inductors outages, flicker, fluctuations or voltage dips in the DC power supply, eliminating costly plant or system downtime. The compact DIN rail version VISIT OUR EXCITING UPSI-XXXXD with robust aluminum housing is equipped with an universal DIN rail mounting system for quick and NEW WEBSITE with flexible installation in control cabinets. Separate DIN rail SEARCH WIZARD energy storage units with particularly long-lasting and

safe LiFePO4 battery cells (lithium iron phosphate) as well as maintenance-free ultracapacitors are available. It is aimed at a wide range of applications, such as monitoring and controls technology, automation, Industry 4.0 / Pico Representatives IIoT, motor drives, sensors, camera and security systems, Germany industrial PCs, gateways and more. Into the compact control and charging modules ELBV/Electra Bauemente Vertrieb Bicker UPSI-1208D (12VDC) and Bicker UPSI-2406D(24VDC), a bidirectional buck- E mail: [email protected] Phone: 49 089 460205442 boost converter was implemented as a central element for the charging and discharging Fax: 49 089 460205442 process of the connected energy packs to ensure a very efficient and safe operation. In England order to use the UPSI system with different battery chemistries, three charging methods Solid State Supplies/Ginsbury with individual end-of-charge voltage adjustments are implemented: Constant Current, E-mail: [email protected] Constant Voltage and Constant Power. The charging and control module is connected Phone: 44 1634 298900 Fax: 44 1634 290904 to the respective energy storage via two lines. In addition to the energy transmission line (BAT PWR), all relevant operating data of the energy storage device are continuously monitored and controlled on the data line (BAT DATA) via I2C interface. When changing the energy storage, which is possible even during operation (hot-swapping), a battery 143 Sparks Ave. Pelham, N.Y. 10803 type ID authentication is performed so that the appropriate charging and discharging [email protected] parameters can be automatically set on the DC-UPS. www.picoelectronics.com Bicker Elektronik www.bicker.de 800-431-1064 www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe January 2019 News 39 DESIGN & PRODUCTS BIOMETRICS & DATA ENCRYPTION Frictionless banking: the future – or fool’s gold? By Andrius Sutas rictionless banking: it’s the future – or so Visa, JP Morgan, bigger picture of typical and atypical actions. In doing so, it can AIB, Accenture, and other institutions would have you develop an understanding of what is and what isn’t a security think. Broadly referring to the risk. Fprocess of simplifying, streamlining, The system will ‘step up’ to an and easing the customer journey, organisation’s existing security it’s become an aspiration, and an mechanism, which could be a industry cliché. password re-entry or voice or face But here’s the thing about friction: authentication when a transaction it’s a force, and forces are not inher- seems suspicious or strange – ently bad. Gravity, for example, is and ‘step down’ when behaviours highly inconvenient when you’re un- are normal or routine. If you’re derneath a falling piano, but highly clicking, moving, typing, or swip- useful when it’s preventing the earth ing in a way that doesn’t match from breaking up into chunks and your normal style, the technology floating off into space. Similarly, will know about it. the idea of ‘frictionless banking’ Holding up a transaction is un- suggests that friction doesn’t have derstandable when it’s high-value some very important functions. and high-risk; less so when it’s part of your day-to-day purchase process. With the right kind The right kind of friction of authentication technology, you can apply the right amount of If you’re making a regular payment to a registered supplier, you friction – but not so much that the user starts to chafe. probably don’t want to deal with multiple authentication steps. You trust the person or organisation that you’re paying, and Legal friction you don’t need to confirm it again every time you transact with The right authentication technology will be able to capture all them: a voice command, a selfie, or a fingerprint ought to be this user data without sacrificing security and compliance. Raw enough. biometric information is legally protected to the point where But what about new, more com- vendors simply aren’t allowed to plicated behaviours? If you want to store it. At AimBrain, we make set up an international standing or- sure to capture any data – voice, der, empty one account into another face, behavioural or otherwise – in or spend your child’s inheritance your bank’s secure environment, on a Patek Phillipe wristwatch, you converting it to a non-reversible should be able to – but not without mathematical construct upon extra layers of confirmation. reaching our servers. The code is Without the necessary friction compared to a pseudonymised provided by a step-up authentica- user template – and the bank tion process, the system can’t tell receives a risk score, in a JSON the difference between someone format and in real time, which – intending to use their money and a based on their risk engine and fraudster intending to steal it. It can specific use case – goes to an be frustrating when it’s triggered by accept, step-up or reject deci- a taxi ride or a harmless, impulsive sion. Data isn’t compromised or bet – nobody likes having to ring the bank to confirm that they misused: numbers are simply and efficiently compared against are, in fact, themselves. That said, the aim should be to reduce numbers. annoying friction, not eliminate the good friction. It’s an example of the right amount of friction; friction being applied in a way that makes sense for the user and the institu- Acceptable and unacceptable risk tion. It also highlights the dangers of simply removing it from the This can be done by applying step-up and step-down au- equation entirely, because the good kind of friction isn’t about thentication in real time: analysing the fraud risk to maximise inconveniencing the customer or their bank, but ensuring safety, convenience where appropriate and security where necessary. accountability, and responsibility. It’s the bouncer at the club, Technology empowered with passive behavioural authentication waving through the regulars, and sizing up any unfamiliar or can monitor behaviour in-session. Using deep learning and a suspicious characters before letting them in. context-driven model to analyse user information, it can build a AimBrain is a Biometric Identity as-a-Service platform that provides behavioural, voice and facial authentication. Its cloud Andrius Sutas is CEO and co-founder of AimBrain - model enables banks to roll out any module across any channel, https://aimbrain.com for omnichannel authentication.

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Silicon-on-insulator electro-optics yields advanced random number generator Bill Schweber y using a laser diode’s sporadic output, optically processing the resultant photons, and converting them to electrical pulses, researchers developed a tiny single-chip, quantum randomB number generator device. The search for a better, smaller, faster “true” random number generator—increasingly needed for strong cryptography and security—has fascinated technologists for many years, as they seek genuine probabilistic sources rather than those with even a tiny hint of determinism. This endeavor generally begins with an all-natural, physics-based phenomenon that defies any possibility of prediction. In one of the most recent efforts, an international team of re- Fig. 2: In the quantum RNG, a temperature-stabilized laser searchers, led by quantum-technology experts from the University diode is operated just above its active-output threshold. A of Bristol (U.K.), have developed a chip-based device that can be small portion of its output is coupled into a test waveguide used to generate quantum-based random numbers at gigabit-perfor monitoring by a photodiode, while the rest of light is sent second speeds (see figure 1). a cascade of tuned interferometers. Their output is captured They have demonstrated a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) quantum by a second photodiode connected to a transimpedance random number generator (QRNG) that uses phase fluctuations amplifier, which converts the light intensity fluctuations into of the output a laser diode, where single photons are randomly voltage fluctuations that are digitalized by the oscilloscope to emitted and thus generate an electrical signal that’s impossible to predict. All optical components (except the laser diode) and generate random bits. (Image source: University of Bristol) photodiodes are integrated onto a single Two germanium photodiodes are used, monolithic device, fabricated by IMEC using with one to monitor the optical power and industry-standard processing techniques. vary the phase of the integrated phase- The laser diode is coupled to the circuit via an shifters through heater drivers controlled via a optical fiber. computer. The output of the second photodi- The optical functions occupied less than ode is converted into a voltage by a custom, 1mm2 and were integrated onto a 2.5×2.5mm high-speed, low-noise TIA. The resulting SOI chip that was embedded and wirebonded voltage signal is digitized by a gigahertz- to a 4×8cm printed circuit board containing bandwidth Agilent oscilloscope, while the a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) and volt- captured voltage “spikes” are extensively age supply for the photodiodes. Finally, the post-processed to extract the random bit. system was placed within a Faraday cage to Fig. 1: The chip, placed next to a penny The quality of the random-number results reduce the RF noise pickup. coin, contains nearly all of the optical was assessed using the statistical test suite Their detailed paper “Generation of random components needed to generate provided by the National Institute of Stan- numbers by measuring phase fluctuations quantum-based random numbers at dards and Technology (NIST SP 800-22) (see from a laser diode with a silicon-on-insulator high speed. (Image source: Francesco table). To pass this suite, the “pass rate” must chip,” published in Optics Express (a journal Raffaelli, University of Bristol) be above 0.98 for each type of test (column II) of The Optical Society of America’s), explains and the P-values (which refer to the uniformity the deep-physics theory, what they did, as test on the distributions) must be above 0.01 well as how and why it’s much smaller and (column III). This device met these criteria and lower power than previous approaches that several others. used free-space and fiber optics. The researchers maintain that they In this implementation, the thermally achieved their high rates of QRNG results stabilized laser diode is operated just above at sub-milliwatt optical power—an order of its threshold voltage. These spontaneous magnitude lower the previous QRNG in a SOI emissions are characterized by random phase device—along with very high phase stability, fluctuations, which the system exploits to greatly reducing the need for active stabiliza- generate true random numbers. The random tion and associated dissipation. The integrat- photon output is sent to a polarization control- ed laser source provides an advantage in term ler that optimizes the coupling of the optical of compactness and scalability, and doesn’t beam. A beamsplitter diverts a portion of require RF modulation of laser diodes, thus the photon output to be used for calibration, Table 1: Results of statistical test suite simplifying the electronic design. characterization, and real-time monitoring of This article was originally published in to assess the quality of the random- coupling losses using a test waveguide and Electronic Design - www.electronicdesign. number results. power meter (see figure 2). com. It is reprinted here with permission. www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe January 2019 News 41 DESIGN & PRODUCTS BIOMETRICS & DATA ENCRYPTION

Software uses deep learning to protect cars tem uses unsupervised machine learning paradigms in a fully au- against cyber attacks tonomous process to establish the normal behavior of the vehicle As connected vehicles increasingly are becoming targets for without dependencies or previous knowledge of ECU properties malicious hackers, security countermeasures are becoming more and protocols. Once the behavioral baseline is established, the and more important. machine learning models can detect, categorize and flag any ab- Israeli expert SafeRide normal behavior and report it to the connected vehicles’ SOC for Technologies now further analysis. Existing solutions for anomaly detection rely on brings the second in-vehicle analysis of signatures and error codes based on partial tool for this purpose data and using limited computational power, explains Hilik Stein, in place. Having CTO and Co-founder of SafeRide. “OEMs are receiving limited launched a cloud- and filtered information about their fleets resulting in suboptimal based CAN monitor- operational performance and exposure to zero-day cybersecurity ing system earlier, the attacks and safety risks,” he says. The vXRay technology was SafeRide’s new product vXRay works with behavior profiling and proven to effectively detect all cyberattacks and vehicle malfunc- anomaly detection. vXRay can be integrated into customers’ con- tions in multiple vehicle models in customer testing, and is being nected vehicles’ Security Operation Centers (SOC) independently implemented by several major automotive vendors as part of their of vehicle architecture or ECU sourcing. It can help customers 2019 security strategies. uncover zero-day vulnerabilities, provide early detection of vehicle SafeRide malfunctions and flag misuse and abuse problems. The new sys- https://saferide.io/

SDK simplifies integration of facial SDK for facial identification, and it has a smaller library size authentication applications compared to the previous Face Verification library in VeriLook Neurotechnology has released a face verification software version 10, allowing it to be deployed in even smaller applica- development kit (SDK) designed for the integration of facial tions based on Face Verification technology. The Face Verifica- authentication into enterprise tion SDK also inherits from VeriLook the ability to perform ICAO and consumer applications for face image checks in accordance with the ISO 19794-5 stan- mobile devices and PCs, provid- dard. The checks may be used by the integrators to ensure the ing enhanced security through quality of the captured face image and used in combination with biometric face recognition and liveness detection to reinforce anti-spoofing measures. Face liveness detection to prevent Verification SDK also includes a flexible deployment mecha- spoofing. The Face Verification nism which helps system integrators use it in transaction-based SDK library has a simple API that environments. At the same time, it allows face verification to be makes it easy to implement solu- performed offline and keeps the server component on the end tions for payment authentication, banking know-your-customer customer’s side. (KYC) procedures, logins for The SDK provides a subset of the Neurotechnology capabilities in Neurotechnology’s more full-featured VeriLook www.neurotechnology.com

Blockchain protocol breaks transaction Labs team will also provide deep security expertise to bolster speed barrier the Bitconch platform, assuring protection of its blockchain at High-performance blockchain protocol developer Bitconch scale. “Blockchain technology is reinventing the systems we (Shanghai, China) and blockchain research lab Cryptic Labs know today,” says Joseph Sadove, CEO of Bitconch. “Together (Palo Alto, CA) have announced a partnership to develop with some of the brightest minds in the blockchain space at Bitconch’s secure and highly scalable public blockchain. Based Cryptic Labs, we will redefine the architecture of society.” on a Proof of Reputation (PoR) consensus algorithm, Bitconch Caesar Chad, Technical Director of Bitconch adds, “Similar to features minimal vi- how the full potential of the internet was not understood in the able product (MVP) nineties, blockchain is still in its infancy. Blockchain signals a processing speeds sea change that will revolutionize society as we know it. We are of 120,000 transac- building the internet of value through reputation.” In addition tions per second to its speed, says the company, Bitconch’s PoR consensus (TPS) - claimed to be algorithm effectively resists centralization – a major pain point more than double the of proof of stake (PoS) consensus algorithms – while consum- theoretical speed of ing far less electric power and time than proof of work (PoW) the fastest blockchains consensus algorithms. Bitconch uses social graphs to build a today. As a result, it promises to address the slow transaction decentralized reputation system, or “Bit-R” value, to develop speeds that are one of the key issues preventing large scale the next generation of consensus, motivation, and community blockchain adoption. The strategic partnership, say the com- management systems for blockchain. panies, enhances the scalability of the Bitconch blockchain to Bitconch advance it as the leading global public blockchain. The Cryptic www.bitconch.io

42 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com BIOMETRICS & DATA ENCRYPTION

AI video analysis software improves face or camera angle. BrainChip Studio 2018.3 uses a full-face mode classification accuracy to perform facial classifications. In situations where the entire BrainChip has updated its Studio video analysis software to face is visible in the probe image or in the extracted faces, this version 2018.3. The new update includes a mode to improve new mode provides a significant increase in facial classifica- face classification tion accuracy. Depending on the dataset used, testing indicates accuracy by 10-30 this mode provides a 10-30 percent improvement in accuracy, percent. BrainChip without impacting throughput. “We are always looking for ways Studio tradition- to continually improve our products by listening to our customer ally used spiking requests,” said Bob Beachler, BrainChip’s Senior Vice President neural networks to of Marketing and Business Development. “Improving accuracy enable facial clas- is typically at the top of list for video analytic software. With sification on partial BrainChip Studio 2018.3 we were able to provide a dramatic faces. This partial- increase in accuracy.” face mode is useful in situations where the probe image or the BrainChip extracted faces may be obscured due to hats, masks, scarves www.brainchipinc.com

New IR LEDs bring biometric ID to vehicles with infrared light in a suitable wavelength so that a camera can With its Synios SFH 4772S A01 or Synios SFH 4775S A01 in- capture an image of the iris pattern – whatever the colour of the frared LEDs, Osram Opto Semiconductors is confident that bio- eye. The system then compares this information with the stored metric identification will soon come to the automotive industry, data and unlocks the device if there is a match. SFH 4772S A01 enabling a vehicle to identify emits infrared light with a wavelength of 810nm, which is best the driver using iris scanning suitable for all different eye colours, and achieves an optical or facial recognition, to unlock output of 1070mW at 1A. The Synios SFH 4775S A01 is particu- doors and even disable the larly suitable for facial recognition and driver monitoring, among engine immobilizer. If more other things. Both these applications ideally require a wave- than one person uses the same length of 940nm. The IRED has an optical output of 1650mW at car, personalized information 1.5A, but has also been designed for high pulse loads up to 5A. such as the seat position and The 2.0x2.8x0.6mm devices are Lambertian emitters with flat favourite radio stations could all be automatically set as soon encapsulation. Double-stack chip technology ensures high out- the person steps into the car. The new Synios SFH 4772S A01 put power. Both products are qualified for automotive applica- is designed for iris scanning systems, mostly in use today to un- tions and approved for temperatures up to 125° Celsius. lock smartphones and tablets without the need for a password. Osram Opto Semiconductors The IRED functions here as a light source, illuminating the iris www.osram-os.com

Infineon provides open-source software troller comes in two temperature ranges - for most commercial for security processor implementations and standard temperature range -25 to +85°C To keep developers updated of new versions, bugs and fixes, the SLS32AIA020X4, and for harsh industrial environments and Infineon has added the company’s OPTIGA Trust X`s host code an extended temperature range of -40 to +105°C the SLS32A- and documentation as IA020X2 open source on GitHub. Infineon The host code will allow www.infineon.com developers to integrate standard open-source crypto software librar- ies or integrate the host code into other systems. The host code is licensed under the MIT License. Optiga Trust X brings enhanced security to connected/IoT devices, reducing integration effort and offering high performance with low power consumption. It also supports non-rich operating systems. Optiga Trust X is a security solution optimized for IoT devices to enable fast and secure connectivity to cloud services like AWS. It acts as the trust anchor for secured TLS connections and protect the customers’ data and IP. According to Infineon, designing Optiga- based solutions does not even require knowledge on security. Each device is shipped with a unique elliptic-curve keypair and a corresponding X.509 certificate. The Optiga microcon- www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe January 2019 News 43 DESIGN & PRODUCTS MISCELLANEOUS

3.5” QVGA display delivers 1000cd/m2 Managed IP67-rated PoE switches for outdoor use deliver up to 120W With a luminance of 1000 cd/m2 and a crisp contrast ratio of Hirschmann’s OCTOPUS OS24/34, enhanced with 120Watt 1:800, the TM035HDHP13 QVGA display is easy to read even PoE, offers twice the power to more connected devices within in bright environments. harsh, condensed oper- The Active-Matrix TFT ating spaces. Although display is recommended individual network de- as a screen for outdoor vices, such as IP cameras, devices such as bicycle require less energy to navigation systems, but operate than was the case the TM035HDHP13 also even a few years ago, demonstrates its advan- the number of connected tages in daylight rooms devices across a network such as laboratories or is increasing rapidly due to the Industrial Internet of Things control stands for machines and systems. The 240x320 pixels (IIoT), explains the company. The streamlined product comes in 3:4 aspect ratio display can also be read from any direction, variants with various port counts, housing sizes and software with a viewing angle completely independent of direction at up features. Designed to withstand harsh conditions, including to 88°. With a screen diagonal of 3.5 inches or about 9 cm, the IP67 and IP65 ratings and extreme temperatures, high vibra- new module remains functional in a wide temperature range tion, water and dust, the enhanced switches are suitable for from -20°C to +70°C. Its LED backlight is designed for an oper- the toughest industrial settings, especially in rail environments ating time of 20,000 hours. The TM035HDHP13 communicates as the devices meet required international standards for use with the outside world via an 18-bit RGB interface. onboard and along tracks. Tianma Europe GmbH Hirschmann www.tianma.eu www.hirschmann.com

Interactive projection module Wireless Gecko platform enables smart surfaces takes Z-Wave to sensor nodes Bosch Sensortec has developed an interactive projection The Z-Wave 700 delivers on Silicon Labs’ vision and platform module that can turn any surface into a virtual touchscreen, for integration roadmap following the company’s strategic acquisition of Z-Wave technology in April 2018. By leveraging the Wireless Gecko platform, Z-Wave 700 enables developers to create new classes of smaller, more intelligent smart home products at a lower cost and faster time-to-market with industry-leading S2 security and interoperability. Z-Wave 700 combines a powerful ARM processor-based platform with large on-chip memory to enable greater intelligence at the edge and secure inclusion in less than one second. The energy-efficient Z-Wave 700 example turning ordinary shelves into personal assistants. platform delivers 10-year coin-cell battery life, enabling more Measuring only 47x43mm, the BML100PI’s outputs a laser wireless sensor applications. Enhanced RF performance seam- beam that creates a focus-free image on any surface. The lessly extends Z-Wave 700 device range beyond traditional lim- module then scans it line-by-line to detect any gestures or its to the edge of the yard and throughout a multi-story home. finger movements. No calibration or adjustment is required for Z-Wave 700 builds on core Z-Wave features to enable interop- accurate gesture and touch recognition. One module can pro- erability with thousands of devices and ensure best-in-class vide touchscreen functionality on up to six different surfaces. It security with built-in Security 2 (S2). Z-Wave 700 also includes can project a sharp image on to any type of surface, regardless SmartStart, providing an easy way to automatically create of whether it is dark, colored, wet, stepped or curved, mak- and configure Z-Wave networks for instant device installation ing such interactive projection suitable for bedrooms, home success. With no requirements for regionalized SAW filters or appliances or kitchen gadgets. The unit draws 2W typical. The external memory, Z-Wave 700 offers a single global software BML100P variant provides the same projection features but stock-keeping unit (SKU) for easier logistics and cost-effective without the touch functionality. global production. Bosch Sensortec Silicon Labs www.bosch-sensortec.com www.silabs.com

44 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com MISCELLANEOUS

VCSELs integrate micro lens array Side-fed Wi-Fi flexible antenna for 3D sensing for compact devices The PLPVCQ 850 and PLPVCQ 940 Vertical Cavity Surface Molex’s Wi-Fi flexible antenna series is designed for fast and Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) are Osram Opto Semiconductors’ easy integration into wireless devices with minimal implemen- latest additions to its Bidos prod- tation cost. The 206994-series uct family. VCSELs combine the side-fed cable-flexible antenna high power density and simple enables high-performance RF packaging of an IRED with the transmission for the most de- spectral width and speed of a la- manding Wi-Fi applications, ser. Unlike laser diodes, VCSELs including those with space con- and are much less sensitive to straints. When centre-fed cable temperature fluctuations. One of antennas do not address the the most familiar applications for needs of particular applications, the technology is facial recognition for mobile devices. VCSELs side-fed cable antenna designs are required: the 206994-series illuminate the face with infrared light for cameras. The image monopole side-fed flex antenna addresses the requirements captured by the camera is then compared to the image stored of small-size devices, while the 204281-series dipole sup- on the device. If they match, the device is unlocked. These ports applications that need fully balanced transmission and 3D sensing applications now possible use PLPVCQ 850 and ground-plane independence regardless of cable length. The PLPVCQ 940 for Time of Flight (ToF) measurements. The 2W 206994-series antenna measures only 15.0x6.0mm in order to VCSELs come in a 2.40x3.30x1.20mm black package, emitting fit within today’s space constraints. The antenna deliver over either at 850nm (PLPVCQ 850) or at 940nm (PLPVCQ 940). The 70% radiation efficiency and a return loss under -10dB. infrared beam is formed with the aid of a special micro lens Molex array to achieve exceptionally homogeneous illumination of the www.molex.com field of view (FOV). Osram Opto Semiconductors www.osram.com Integrated touch and display driver IC targets PMOLEDs Wireless CAN bridge Solomon Systech has developed what the company believes achieves predictable latency to be the world’s first touch and display driver integration (TDDI) IC, The Kvaser Air Bridge Light HS is a high-performance wire- SSD7317, less CAN bridge to connect CAN networks. Comprising a integrat- preconfigured pair of plug-and-play ing touch units, with integrated antennas and display and rugged housings, Kvaser Air microelec- Bridge Light HS provides a rapid tronics into way of exchanging raw CAN data. a single The device facilitates the job of the chip for system integrator in situations that use on make wired connection unsuitable 128x96 mono colour PMOLED (Passive Matrix OLED) panels. or challenging, such as between two moving parts that are The SSD7317 adopts a proprietary time multiplexing approach connected by CAN. Employing a proprietary 2.4-GHz radio and for display driving and in-cell touch detection, enabling touch frequency hopping mechanism, the Air Bridge Light HS con- detection on traditional PMOLED display module with no trols the data rate, radio packet format, output power and pair- modifications needed on the existing display module structure. ing method to achieve predictable latencies, without sacrificing Unlike traditional out-cell touch solutions (with separate display stability or range. This makes the Air Bridge effective in infra- and touch ICs) which need a dedicated ITO layer for touch structure and control applications, where accurate message sensor, the SSD7317 eliminates a touch ITO layer and a PET delivery times are essential. Transmission range is as much as substrate layer, as well as a bottom Optically Clear Adhesive 70m, with a maximum data rate of 1200 messages per second (OCA), and hence substantially reduces total OLED panel cost and a packet latency of 4.8 ms. A key feature of the Kvaser Air and thickness, supporting lighter and thinner form factors. The Bridge Light is Automatic Baud Rate Detection, whereby the thinner stack-up of the PMOLED TDDI module enhances light pair of devices automatically detects and connects to any of transmittance and further improves the display quality of the the following CAN network speeds: 1 Mbit/s, 500 Kbit/s, 250 panel, which is already characterized by high brightness, high Kbit/s, and 125 Kbit/s. Auto Baud Rate Detection is carried out contrast ratio and wide viewing angle. The SSD7317 supports locally on the device, enabling to link two CAN networks that up to 4 key zones for touch detection, gesture identification are operating at different bitrates. The Kvaser Air Bridge Light (single tap, double tap, long tap and slide gestures (up/down comes in two variants: (00808-3) Kvaser Air Bridge Light HS is and left/right)), glove operation and wet-finger operation. It also approved for the European Union, while (01008-6) Kvaser Air enables no false touch operating with water spray and 2cc Bridge Light HS (FCC) is optimized for the US. water drop. SSD7317 samples are now available. Kvaser Solomon Systech www.kvaser.com www.solomon-systech.com www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe January 2019 News 45 Reader DESIGN & PRODUCTS MISCELLANEOUS Offer

Miniature triaxial accelerometer Gesture-enabled interfaces: give it a go!

comes with a tapped base This month, Microchip Technology is giving away five DJB Instruments has launched a new version of its miniature MGC3140 Emerald Development Kits, worth $199 each, for triaxial accelerometer, the AT/10 IEPE type and AT/01 charge eeNews Europe’s readers to win. The kit builds a complete type with a new design reference system for the that accommodates a design-in of true single chip tapped base for remov- 3D gesture detection and able stud mounting. The input sensing based on new mounting option has Microchip’s GestIC tech- been achieved with only a nology implemented in its 1mm increase in the overall MGC3140 gesture control- height of the accelerometer ler. The MGC3140 is Auto- body meaning it remains motive Electronics Council one of the most compact of AEC-Q100 qualified with its type. The 5-40UNC tapped hole can be used with a range an operating temperature of mounting studs including DJB’s SM/01 stud with a stan- range of -40 to +125°C, dard 10/32 UNF thread for mounting to the unit under test in it meets the strict EMI and EMC requirements of automotive addition to the IS range of isolated mounting studs. Machined system designs. Each 3D gesture system consists of a sensor in titanium with fully welded construction for a robust and that can be constructed from any conductive material, as well reliable assembly the AT/10/TB and AT/01/TB tapped base as the Microchip gesture controller tuned for each individual models retain DJB’s unique Konic Shear design with three application. The Emerald kit includes a reference PCB with fully independent sensing elements and three fully indepen- the MGC3140 controller, a PCB-based sensor to recognize dent IEPE circuits in the AT/10 version. Importantly the design gestures, as well as all needed cables, software and documen- also retains the industry standard ¼-28UNF 4 pin connec- tation to support an easy-to-use user experience. All parts are tor making cable sourcing lower cost and covered as part of compatible with Microchip’s Aurea software development envi- DJB’s cable repair service. The AT/10/TB and AT/01/TB are ronment which supports all Microchip 3D gesture controllers. available with IEPE sensitivities up to 100mV/g or 2pC/g for the AT/01/TB. Check the reader offer online at DJB Instruments www.djb-instruments.com www.eenewseurope.com

Qualcomm launches 5G-ready Microcontroller-based dual USB platform

Snapdragon processor Segger’s emPower-USB-Host is a compact low-cost develop- Qualcomm Corp has announced the Snapdragon 855, a 5G- ment board with two USB host ports for applications using ready processor with numerous enhancements designed to multiple USB exploit 7nm manufactur- peripherals. ing process technology Precompiled appli- including the first glimmers cations for barcode of machine learning sup- and smartcard port in hardware. The Kryo readers, as well as 485 CPU features a prime POS displays, LTE core capable of up to 2.84 sticks, and USB to GHz clock frequency. LAN adapters are The 855 comes with a built-in Snapdragon X24 LTE modem available for down- but is presumably designed to work with an external 5G mo- load, including dem chip. Graphics are improved with the Adreno 640 GPU complete projects and the Hexagon 690 DSP has been rebuilt for AI, with vector for Embedded Studio with source code of these applications. accelerators and a Tensor accelerator (see No dedicated NN The applications are using Segger’s emUSB-Host software hardware on Snapdragon 710 ). This allows for voice and API, which makes accessing the different types of USB devices audio enhancements based on machine learning such as easy. emPower-USB-Host uses the emLoad bootloader, pre- Elevoc’s noise cancellation and voice-recognizing assistants loaded into the flash of the MCU, to easily change applications from Google, Amazon and Baidu. Qualcomm said it has also in seconds using a USB flash drive. Development of custom revamped its AI software engine to its fourth version. Together applications is also supported. The board has a debug connec- with the hardware support this is now three times the perfor- tor, providing full access to the NXP LPC54605J512 MCU with mance of its predecessor, the company said. The Snapdragon its Cortex-M4 core. Schematics and PCB layout of the board includes a dedicated computer vision image signal processor are available under a Creative Commons license. This way, the core, the Spectra 380 and for rendering the chip includes the hardware can be used as a blueprint for custom devices using Adreno 640 GPU, which supports Vulkan 1.1 API. two USB host ports. Qualcomm Corp. Segger www.qualcomm.com www.segger.com

46 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com MISCELLANEOUS

96GB DDR4 RAM support applications, because the fast- for Server-on-Modules est way to read and write values Congatec’s Intel Atom C3000 processor from a database is to fully load based conga-B7AC Server-on-Modules them into memory. The larger the now support up to 96 GB DDR4 SO- databases, the more memory DIMM memory on three sockets. This is capacity is needed. A large RAM twice the previously supported capac- is also a good intermediate buffer ity and sets a major new milestone for for Big Data analytics on the fly so COM Express Type 7 based designs, that only smaller results need to claims the manufacturer, as memory is be stored. Servers that host many one of the most important performance virtual machines also benefit im- levers for embedded edge server tech- mensely from the doubled memo- nologies. This was possible because the ry capacity: With 96 GB RAM, 12 Intel Atom C3000 family supports the virtual machines now have 8 GB newly available 32 GB SO-DIMMs. The RAM available on each partition – 125x95mm Server-on-Modules support a high-speed memory an ideal value for standard Linux or Windows installations. bandwidth of 2400 MT/s, they can be ordered with and with- Congatec out ECC support. High memory capacity is essential for server www.congatec.com

3.00mm pitch power connectors deliver 10A therefore very well optimized for use in systems where the per- current capacity formance expectations are exacting, but space constraints also Available in 3, 6 and 10 contact formats, Harwin’s expansive need to be contended with. A combination of stainless steel M300 family of robust cable-to- jackscrews ensure secure mating. Consequently, board, board-to-board and ca- the connectors have a mating cycle durability of ble-to-cable power connectors 1000 mates/un-mates. A series of polarization can be accompanied by a vari- mechanisms are also incorporated to prevent ety of cable assembly options. mis-mating occurring, plus the recessed ‘scoop- Thanks to the patented 4-finger proof’ female contacts and shrouded housing contact design employed, which arrangement for the male contacts help protect relies on a Beryllium Copper them from sources of potential damage. Further- alloy construction, connection more, a back potted rear aids cable retention. integrity is always maintained An extensive working temperature range from – even when these connectors -65 to 175°C and low outgassing properties are are subjected to high degrees of major benefit if these connectors are de- of shock, vibration, or other ployed within a vacuum. forms of mechanical stress. Despite their limited dimensions, Harwin the narrow pitch connectors have a 10A current rating, and are www.harwin.com

Cellular IoT module in a 10x16x1mm SiP tion Nordic partnered with Qorvo to make a System-in-Package At just 10x16x1mm in size, Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF9160 is that more closely resembles an integrated chip than a mod- significantly smaller, lower power, and has more security fea- ule. The nRF9160 SiP leverages Qorvo’s proven RF front-end, tures than any other cellular IoT advanced packaging, and MicroShield technology. module launched to date for both The nRF9160 SiP supports global operation with LTE-M and NB-IoT applications, a single SiP variant thanks to the combination of claims the manufacturer. The first Nordic’s multimode LTE-M / NB-IoT modem, SAW- nRF9160 System-in-Package less transceiver, and a custom RF front-end solution (SiP) member of its nRF91 Series from Qorvo. In parallel, the IoT module incorporate of cellular IoT modules, the device Arm’s latest Arm Cortex M-33 CPU core supported has received GCF certification, the by 1MB of Flash and 256kB of RAM on-board trusted mobile communications memory, with a broad range peripheral set, analog industry ‘quality mark’ for compli- and digital interfaces, 32 GPIOs, a stand-alone ance to the 3GPP LTE specifica- modem with full LTE capability, plus a multiband RF tion and global cellular network front-end. Integrated GPS support allows a combi- interoperability, along with nation of GPS and cellular data to be used for more separately required FCC and CE regulatory certifications. It is a accurate positioning than either technology is capable of when complete solution that integrates everything a cellular connection used in isolation. and IoT application may need beyond requiring just an external Nordic Semiconductor battery, SIM, and antenna. To achieve this ultra-high integra- www.nordicsemi.com www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe January 2019 News 47 DESIGN & PRODUCTS MISCELLANEOUS

Angular sensor has extreme precision Neural network accelerator thanks to TMR technology scales up multi-core AI Crocus Technology (Santa Clara, Calif), developer of sensors Imagination Technologies’ latest neural network accelerator in disruptive Tunnel Magneto-Resistance (TMR) technology, (NNA) architecture, the PowerVR Series3NX, was designed to has introduced the CT300 enable SoC manufacturers to device, an angular (2D) optimise compute power and magnetic sensor with an performance across a range extremely low angular error of embedded markets. and high stability over a A single Series3NX core wide temperature and volt- scales from 0.6 to 10 tera op- age ranges to address a va- erations per second (TOPS), riety of markets. The CT300 while multicore implementa- is designed using Crocus’s tions can scale beyond 160 proprietary Magnetic Logic Unit (MLU) technology and consists TOPS, claims the company. Thanks to architectural enhance- of two full-bridge magnetic resistor networks capable of two- ments, including lossless weight compression, the Series3NX dimensional sensing. In the presence of a rotating magnetic architecture benefits from a 40% boost in performance in the field, the CT300 senses the field and produces two sets of same silicon area over the previous generation, giving SoC differential signals representing the sine (SIN) and cosine (COS) manufacturers a nearly 60% improvement in performance waveforms. Once the differential signals of the CT300 are efficiency and a 35% reduction in bandwidth. As part of the processed and compensated, the resulting angular error will be Series3NX architecture, Imagination is also announcing the at or below 0.5° over a temperature range of -40°C to +150°C. PowerVR Series3NX-F (Flexible) IP configuration to balance A single CT300 can measure the absolute angle resulting from functionality with flexibility. With Imagination’s dedicated DNN a full 360° rotation and can sense magnetic fields ranging from (Deep Neural Network) API, developers can easily write AI ap- 20 mT to 80 mT. plications targeting Series3NX architecture as well as existing Crocus Technology PowerVR GPUs. The API works across multiple SoC configu- www.crocus-technology.com rations for easy prototyping on existing devices. Imagination launched the previous generation of its NNA, the PowerVR Series2NX, in 2017. USB 3.0 isolator eliminates ground loops Imagination Technologies and ground potential differences www.imgtec.com Saelig’s Alldaq ADQ-USB 3.0-ISO series of USB 3.0 isolators Display controller is optimized support the full USB 3.0 SuperSpeed data rate of 5Gbit/s, allowing USB 3.0 Su- for in-vehicle HUD perSpeed devices to be Socionext is now shipping its latest display controller, the electrically isolated from a SC1711, developed for in-vehicle head-up displays, along- host PC or other peripher- side a software als at full performance. development The re-clocking design kit. The SC1711 guarantees a stable USB was designed connection at all speeds. to meet the The ADQ-USB isolators specific needs can be used for the electrical isolation of USB measurement in- of HUDs, with struments to avoid ground loops to solve problems in industrial features such and automotive applications as well as in professional sound as Socionext’s studios and event and show equipment. The units automati- high-performance 2D graphics engine SEERIS, and APIX2 cally detect SuperSpeed (5Gbit/s), High-Speed (480Mbit/s), high-speed serial interface supporting data rates of 1Gbps Full-Speed (12Mbit/s) or Low-Speed (1.5 Mbit/s) connections. (down) and 187.5Mbps (up). The company optimized the func- The model ADQ-USB 3.0-ISO-PS includes a +5 V power tionality and performance of the SC1711 for medium resolution adapter with a lockable 5.5mm barrel connector (bayonet lock) displays (24bit 1280x480 at 60fps) which are used for HUDs, for a safety. For industrial and automotive applications, the and integrated these features into a compact 20x20mm pack- ADQ-USB 3.0-ISO-W version can accept 10 to 36 VDC from age. The package meets the rigorous requirement of dash- an external power source via a 2-pin lockable Phoenix-type board devices used in the harsh temperature environment. connector to power devices with up to 900 mA. The external The SC1711 can also detect display system errors for stable power input is protected against reverse polarity and short- output utilizing a signature unit, which monitors the integrity circuits. Isolation voltage between PC and USB device is 1kV of display outputs, and a watchdog function. When a screen (continuous) for the model ADQ-USB 3.0-ISO-PS and 1.0kV (< freezes due to a damaged cable, the SC1711 immediately 60s) for the model ADQ-USB 3.0-ISO-W. The ESD protection switches the display output to notify the driver. The device inte- of the data lines is ensured by transient-voltage-suppression grates all necessary features to meet the high safety standards diodes up to ±12kV (contact discharge) and ±15kV (air-gap). required for automotive applications. Saelig Socionext Europe GmbH www.saelig.com http://eu.socionext.com

48 News January 2019 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com DISTRIBUTION CORNER

Avnet buys AI and IoT software provider, BinaryBots take physical computing Softweb Solutions to the classroom Electronic components and embedded solutions distributor Avnet In a distribution deal with Leeds-based BinaryBots, development (Phoenix, AZ) has announced that it is acquiring software and distributor Premier Farnell will bring educational robotics kits to artificial intelligence (AI) com- classrooms, supporting creativity and pany Softweb Solutions (Elgin, IL). confidence building in young coders Privately held Softweb Solutions across the globe. BinaryBots’ range provides software solutions for of STEM products will be distributed Internet of Things (IoT) applications through Farnell element14 in Europe, and systems designed to increase Newark element14 in the Americas efficiency, speed time to market, and element14 in Asia Pacific. The and help businesses transform. The robot starter kits help teachers make Physical Computing and integration of Softweb’s AI software for IoT applications, along core STEM principles simple and fun for children aged eight years with its data services and digital process capabilities, says Avnet, old and above. With a strong focus on accessibility and afford- provides it with a rapid design, development, and deployment ability, their products include a ‘Cardboard2Code’ beginners capability that further enhances its end-to-end ecosystem and range, and the more advanced Planet Totem range of mechanical provides for new revenue opportunities. animals able to respond to a variety of real world actions. Avnet Farnell element14 www.avnet.com www.farnell.com

E-Book focuses on opportunities Magnetometer ensure workers’ safety

and obstacles for IIoT The HP-01 magnetometer from Link Microtek provides a straight- Mouser has launched an e-book focussed on industrial auto- forward means of taking safety measurements in workplaces mation as part of the its All Things IoT program. The second e- where personnel are at risk from the effects of static or time-vary- book in the series looks at the technologies, ing magnetic fields.Manufactured challenges and opportunities of the Industrial by Narda Safety Test Solutions, the Internet of Things (IIoT). The initial book fea- device features an extremely wide tured home automation measurement range of 10µT to 10T, The book features articles on enabling tech- while built-in orthogonally mounted nologies that are shaping IIoT applications, Hall-effect sensors allow the field robotics, and new approaches to enterprise to be determined with a single security. The series is sponsored by Mouser measurement in any direction.The suppliers Digi International, Maxim Integrated, Murata and TE HP-01 can take measurements to Connectivity. Mouser launched the All Things IoT series with a ensure compliance with the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at video that followed celebrity engineer Grant Imahara as he vis- Work Regulations 2016, which are the transposition into UK law ited the Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) IoT Innovation Lab to of EU Directive 2013/35/EU. The magnetometer will help to avoid examine how IoT is impacting our workplaces and cities. hazards due to the indirect effects of strong magnetic field. Mouser Link Microtek Ltd www.mouser.com www.linkmicrotek.com

Thermal imaging and IR sensing dev platform Sony SPRESENSE advanced sound comes with application software and vision platform at RS Future Electronics has released an Arduino-compatible develop- RS Components is now stocking the Sony Spresense platform ment board which implements contactless temperature mea- featuring, which is based on an Arm Cortex-M4F processor surement and far-field thermal to offer extensive sensing, imaging at a resolution of 32x24 audio, and imaging capabilities. pixels. The Thermaleye board The Spresense platform has may be used as a platform for the two boards - a 50.0x20.6mm rapid development of various new main board and 68.6x53.3mm smart system and IoT applica- extension board. The platform tions such as presence detection is based on Sony’s CXD5602 and detection of abnormal behav- SoC for wearable electronics, iour to enable automatic control of functions. The development and the company’s CXD5247 power-management and audio platform is based on an Arduino-compatible thermal imaging IC. Functionality can be further extended by using the available shield featuring the MLX90640, an infrared sensor from Melexis headers to add either Arduino shields or specially developed with a 32x24 array of IR photodetector pixels. add-on boards. Future Electronics RS Components www.FutureElectronics.com http://uk.rs-online.com www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe January 2019 News 49 News LAST WORD

PUBLISHER André Rousselot The Era of Connected Cars: An +32 27400053 [email protected] ecosystem partner’s perspective EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Julien Happich Vasant Easwaran +33 169819476 [email protected] n the ever-evolving landscape of con- technological transition within the required nected cars, new technologies are time frame. EDITORS constantly moving to the forefront, each Driverless, connected car solutions Christoph Hammerschmidt Igrowing at their own rate and in their own include the use of smart sensors (RADAR, +49 8944450209 capacity. AUTOSAR, RADAR, LiDAR, Au- LiDAR, and cameras), communication [email protected] tomotive Grade Linux, V2X, Android, HMI, mechanisms (V2X and GPS), and intelligent Peter Clarke deep learning, and cameras of all kinds fusion systems (deep learning) used to +44 776 786 55 93 will become staples in every connected determine free space and avoid obstacles [email protected] car of the future. As suppliers and Original for autonomous driving. However, reach- Nick Flaherty Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) ride the ing the right solution is not simple when +44 7710 236368 wave of rapid innovation, a number of key considering the challenges associated with [email protected] ecosystem partners have carved out their achieving ideal safety, including environ- Jean-Pierre Joosting value propositions, looking to help the sup- mental conditions, human behaviour, and +44 7800548133 pliers meet their end goals at the highest costs in different regional markets. [email protected] quality levels set forth by the automotive Connected car solutions also include Alistair Winning standards. evolving infotainment displays, which +44 7834 770342 The need for technology are implemented into a digital [email protected] in the connected cars mar- cockpit or dashboard. Made in CIRCULATION & FINANCE ket requires no explanation a variety of shapes and sizes, Luc Desimpel given the need for driver these displays highlight informa- [email protected] and passenger safety and tion related to the speedometer, the associated ecological navigation maps, heads-up dis- ADVERTISING PRODUCTION & advantages. Automotive play, audio, video, connectivity REPRINTS forums like Euro New Car and cameras around the car. All Lydia Gijsegom Assessment Programme of this is made possible with the [email protected] and the National Highway use of applications built around ART MANAGER Traffic Safety Administration high-level operating systems like Jean-Paul Speliers are driving faster reforms in Android, QNX, Apple CarPlay, legislation, mandating the etc. Another significant challenge ACCOUNTING need for safety features in semi and fully is the high cost of the vehicles in which all Ricardo Pinto Ferreira autonomous vehicles, while OEM initiatives of these solutions come together, making like Toyota Safety Sense and community- the technology accessible only to a very REGIONAL ADVERTISING based initiatives like Vision Zero are bring- niche consumer base. To solve this prob- REPRESENTATIVES Contact information at: ing safety features to cars even sooner lem, a variety of ownership models are be- http://www.eenewseurope.com/content/ than specific legislation comes in to play. ing considered to ensure these vehicles are sales-contacts The Motor Intelligence Report esti- widely available. Companies like Waymo mates that nearly 75% of the 92 million and Uber are envisioning a lease program, eeNews Europe cars shipped globally will be connected giving a larger number of consumers the by 2020. When looking at the cost parity opportunity to use driverless cars. is published 11 times in 2019 between electric vehicles and combus- At the actual implementation level as European Business Press SA by tion engine vehicles, car companies and well, the connected car solution is chal- Chaussée de Louvain 533, communities are incentivized to achieve lenging as the system involves multiple 1380 Lasne, Belgium or exceed this target in the next 5-10 yrs. different technical aspects, right from Tel: +32-2-740 00 50 european across all regions, with an even greater the ASICs, automotive specific hardware business press Fax: +32-2-740 00 59 increase in electric car sales beyond 2020. board design with interference protection, electronics europe.net email: info@ Europe is expected to lead the way with power management, embedded software, www.eenewseurope.com electric vehicles estimated to make up application software, internet of things (IoT) VAT Registration: BE 461.357.437. 30% of its total car sales by the end of to the cloud analytics, working together as Company Number: 0461357437 2025. Given the pace of innovation and an ISO26262 compliant system. All these RPM: Nivelles. the amount of work still to be done, it is aspects need to work together as a reliable Volume 21, Issue 1 eeNews P 304128 and robust system hence it is critical that It is free to qualified engineers and managers imperative that the entire supply chain is they should not be developed completely involved in engineering decisions – see: actively and heavily engaged in making the independent of each other. Develop- http://www.eenewseurope.com/subscribe Vasant Easwaran is a senior manager, ing complete solution with these experts © 2019 E.B.P. SA automotive solutions at Cyient together, not only helps ensure robust All rights reserved. P 304128 Semiconductor, IoT & Analytics business system but also accelerates the time to unit – www.cyient.com. market.

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