Presented here are recent news announcements in the radio frequency identification and Internet of Things industries.
STMicroelectronics Designs MEMS Pressure Sensor for IIoT
STMicroelectronics has introduced a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS)-based liquid-proof pressure sensor for the industrial market. “With the spread of the Industrial Internet of Things [IIoT], companies are seeking to gather data from throughout their operations, often in challenging environments, both indoors and outdoors,” said Simone Ferri, the general manager of STMicroelectronics’ AMS MEMS Sub-Group, in a prepared statement. “Our latest waterproof MEMS pressure sensors provide the environmental robustness needed to power digital transformation everywhere, with the long-term availability needed to protect customers’ designs.”
ST’s ILPS28QSW sensor comes in a sealed, cylindrical, surface-mountable package. It features a ceramic substrate that provides high resistance to liquid permeability and a potting gel that protects internal circuitry for automotive applications. The lid, made from high-grade surgical steel, is sealed with an O-ring, the company reports, and is secured with epoxy adhesive. This package design, ST adds, allows an ingress-protection rating of IP58, enabling it to withstand immersion in more than 1 meter (3.3 feet) of water, certified according to IEC 60529 and ISO 20653.
The ILPS28QSW provides pressure readings accurate to within 0.5 hPa, with selectable full-scale range of 260 to 1,260 hPa and 260 to 4,060 hPa, and it has an operating temperature range of -40 degrees to +105 degrees Celsius (-40 degrees to +221 degrees Fahrenheit). Its accuracy and environmental robustness, ST claims, make it suitable for uses with gas and water metering equipment, weather monitors, air-conditioning smart filters and home appliances. It features ST’s Qvar electrostatic-charge sensing channel, enabling developers to provide liquid leakage detection.
Qvar, combined with the pressure signal, enables the monitoring of liquid levels and leaks in home appliances and industrial processes. With operating current as low as 1.7 µA, allowing use in power-conscious applications, the ILPS28QSW integrates digital features intended to simplify system design and management. Temperature compensation, first-in/first-out (FIFO) memory and an I2C/MIPI-I3C digital communication interface are built in, and the output data rate is selectable from 1 to 200 Hz. The ILPS28QSW is in production now, priced from $3.00 for orders of 1,000 pieces.
Energous IoT Power Transmitter Doubles Energizing Capability
Energous, a developer of RF-based intelligent wireless power networks, has announced the launch of a 2-watt conducted power transmitter, designed to address growing power demands from the rapidly expanding Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem across the supply chain, logistics, retail, industrial and agricultural industries. The 2W PowerBridge transmitter, the company reports, doubles the energizing capability of its 1W transmitter.
The number of IoT devices continues to expand worldwide, particularly in industrial, commercial and residential spaces. The 2W PowerBridge is designed to reduce the need for replaceable batteries and charging cables, the company explains. It is capable of powering IoT devices in such settings at distance, and with a reduced need for maintenance or human intervention. This, Energous explains, enables an automated workflow and the deployment of active energy wireless power networks.
“Our new 2W PowerBridge represents our continued commitment to advancing and improving our wireless power networks infrastructure to meet the power demands of today’s IoT deployments,” said Cesar Johnston, Energous’s CEO, in a prepared statement. “As the IoT ecosystem continues to grow, this transmitter will enable RF-based wireless power to provide better RF coverage and power levels. Customers will have multiple options to optimize their networks by combining our 1W and 2W PowerBridges.”
The PowerBridges have the capability of wirelessly charging multiple devices simultaneously from a distance using RF-based wireless power, and they can function as data links for connected IoT devices. This enables them to communicate data and insights back to the cloud. The 2W PowerBridge is slated to be available for testing via the company’s 2W Evaluation Kit by the end of the second quarter of 2023.
KP Performance Offers IoT Multiband Combination Antennas
Wireless network antenna manufacturer KP Performance Antennas, an Infinite Electronics brand, has announced its latest line of IoT multiband combination antennas. The antennas are designed to enhance connectivity for vehicle fleets and base stations in a range of industries, the company reports, from transportation and logistics to emergency response and agriculture, and the product line includes a range of options.
The new antennas are designed for easy installation and use, according to KP Performance Antennas, and to improve signal strength, range and safety. With dedicated ports for cellular (4G, 5G or LTE), Wi-Fi and GPS bands, these IoT multiband combination antennas can pick up signals for each band separately. The antennas are IP69K-rated for indoor and outdoor use, so they can withstand harsh environmental conditions, such as extreme temperatures or the presence of water and dust.
“These antennas are ideal for fleet operators who need to stay connected with their vehicles on the road, as well as base stations that require reliable connectivity in remote or underground areas,” said Kevin Hietpas, the company’s antenna product line manager, in a prepared statement. “Our IoT multiband combination antennas provide high performance and connectivity, no matter where you go.”
Estone Technology Releases Embedded Board for IoT
Estone Technology has announced a new addition to its Pico-ITX embedded board family: the EMB-2239, an NXP i.MX8M Plus-based single board computer. This ARM embedded board is focused on edge-based artificial intelligence (AI), as well as vision, multimedia and touch-panel human-machine interface applications, and it utilizes NXP’s i.MX8M Plus application processor with a dedicated neural processing unit and dual-image signal processors. The device is built for original design manufacturer projects and industrial computer designs, specifically for edge AI computing, machine vision, voice, audio and machine-learning (ML) applications.
The i.MX8M Plus processor has an integrated NPU AI accelerator, offloading artificial intelligence mathematical operation intensive workloads and accelerating such applications as image classification, object detection, object tracking, natural language processing and key phrase detection. The board features two MIPI CSI interfaces and dual-image signal processors, which support a pair of cameras with resolutions up to 12 megapixels. It also supports NXP’s eIQ ML software-development environment, enabling developers to incorporate system-level applications based on inference engines like TensorFlow Lite, DeepViewRT and ONNX Runtime.
Other features include a Power-over-Ethernet-ready GbE port, a dual-core hardware DSP smart codec for voice-control algorithms, integrated FPC connectors with dual-channel LVDS, a four-lane MIPI DSI and built-in I2C touch-panel support for panel PC and HMI touchscreen integrations. A 40-pin expansion header supports PCIe, GPIO, I2C, USB, serial communications and up to two additional Gigabit Ethernet ports. BSP supports include Yocto Embedded Linux, Android, Qt, Wayland, Amazon Alexa Voice Service Device SDK, Sensory TrulyHandsfree Wake Word Engine and NXP eIQ Toolkit, along with inference engines, neural network compilers and optimized libraries.
PerfTech Intros Wired Smart-Home Router
PerfTech, a provider of specialized networking products, has announced its Island wired router, designed to bring enterprise-grade speed and features to tech-laden homes and small businesses. The router works with existing Wi-Fi mesh systems placed in access-point or bridge mode, and it includes the Island app. “Connection demands on loaded home and SMB networks have exploded,” said Lewis Donzis, the company’s CEO, in a prepared statement. “They need not only speed, but oversight; customers want to know who or what is connected and control access by device. Island solves those issues. It lets us enjoy our connected spaces to the maximum but minimize the effort to manage them.”
Island automates facilities for which other routers require configuration, PerfTech reports. It includes a stateful firewall, interfaces and VLANs, device discovery, security filtering, and DoH, and it streamlines setup for remote access, VPN, filtering and scheduling. Island’s device-centric architecture enables assigning names, icons and colors to devices, users and groups. The most active entities appear at the top of lists and graphs, and a “Geek mode” keeps day-to-day functions uncluttered.
With an enterprise-grade processor and memory, Island is intended to provide high speed while continuously filtering for security and supporting VPN sessions. Its proprietary routing software enables packet handling at more than two million packets per second, and it supports up to 5,000 devices. Everything Island does remains local, with no need to trust outside entities. Island neither transmits nor stores data in the cloud, the bulk of the URL filtering database lives locally, and its remote access is peer-to-peer and cloud-independent. The router is subscription-free and is sold through certified resellers.
Kinexon, SAP Partner on IIoT Solutions
Kinexon has partnered with software company SAP to foster Industry 4.0 technologies. The firm provided its SafeZone solution during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its partnership with SAP is intended to enable the digital transformation of factories. The IIoT solutions provider has developed an operating system for moving parts within manufacturing facilities, and its technology is now part of the SAP ecosystem.
By integrating Kinexon’s operating system, SAP says it aims to foster the digitalization of businesses, specifically within the realm of Industry 4.0. The two companies plan to offer solutions designed to optimize operations, enhance efficiency and drive transparency in the rapidly evolving industrial landscape.
“SAP orchestrates the business processes; we orchestrate the operations in the factories,” said Oliver Trinchera, Kinexon’s founder, in a prepared statement. “We are proud to add SAP to our growing list of renowned partners, such as BMW and Deutsche Telekom. By seamlessly integrating into the SAP solutions, we aim to position ourselves as the go-to solution provider for businesses looking to thrive in the digital era by automating operations.”
XO2Tech Unveils RFID-Ready AI Healthcare-Monitoring Solution
XO2Tech has announced that its AI-Health system can use radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to monitor human or animal body vital signs, in order to provide analysis and services. The company says its pending patent will be published shortly, along with other related applications already patented. AI-Health, according to XO2Tech, is designed to serve as “a companion, caregiver, guardian, nutritionist, therapist, adviser and first-responder, all packed into one tireless wireless, a wearable by any other name for ‘everybody, everyday, everywhere.'”
The AI-based healthcare solution provides vital sign monitoring and real-time demand-generation diagnosis, treatment and marketing. It is built to allow users 24-7 body vital-sign monitoring and diagnosis, and to provide drink, food, and medical or pharmaceutical products. AI-Health generates companionship or therapeutic conversational engagement based on users’ mental, physical or well-being vital signs, and it generates complementary product marketing and user recommendations or suggestions for each diagnosis, treatment or interaction.