Bisinfotech Magazine December Issue 2020

DECEMBER 2020 80.00

R.N.I. No: DELENG/2019/77352 l VOL 2 l ISSUE12 l TOTAL PAGES 64 l PUBLISHED ON 1ST OF EVERY MONTH |WWW.BISINFOTECH.COM

The Makers of Indian Smart City Innovations in 5G Base Station Testing Biometric System-onCard - The Two Tussles TSN for your Smart Factory Integrating Radar Tech for Safer Vehicles

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The Future Stows Here!

Editorial OPTIMISM IN THE AIR

The semiconductor market is fragmented. The market comprises some well-established players that are involved in the design and production of semiconductors for various industries. These semiconductor manufacturers work continuously toward developing efficient and high-performing semiconductor devices for their customers. The prominent vendors in the market are expected to increasingly focus on adopting advanced semiconductor packaging technology. Factors such as an increasing number of data centers, integration of advanced technologies in smartphones, and growing adoption of IoT devices will offer immense growth opportunities. However, impact of the trade war on semiconductor market, cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry, and increasing design complexity of semiconductor components may impede market growth. To make the most of the opportunities, corporations should focus on growth prospects in the fastgrowing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

The semiconductor market size has the potential to grow by $90.80 billion during 2020-2024, and the market’s growth momentum should accelerate during this period because of the steady increase in yearover-year growth. Semiconductor Equipment market was red hot in 3Q20 with sales soaring 12% sequentially and a whopping 24% on yearly basis. WFE led the pack with sales surging 15% sequentially. Assembly continued its recovery, jumping 7%. Test took a breather, finishing the quarter flat following a very strong performance in 1H20.

Total WFE spending will be above $60B in 2020 with Foundries driving most of the growth. Memory recovery is underway with spending projected to increase 11%. Logic spending is on track to increase by mid-single-digits.

Stepper shipments are expected to increase 11% in 2020 and 5% in 2021.

I-line, KrF, and EUV shipments are projected to increase more than 20% in 2020 while ArF is expected to decline by double-digits.

On the other hand, Vaccine is now within the sight and giving the financial market a good stimulus. US is now out of political dilemma also.

All these factors together gives hope for a better 2021.

Happy Reading!

CONSULTANT EDITOR NILOY BANERJEE niloy@bisinfotech.com

•Vol - 02 / 12

SUB EDITOR NITISHA DUBEY nitisha@bisinfotech.com

04

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ManasNandi

MANAS NANDI EDITOR manas@bisinfotech.com

Bisinfotech is printed, published, edited and owned by Manas Nandi and published from 303, 2nd floor, Neelkanth Palace, Plot No- 190, Sant Nagar,East of Kailash, New Delhi- 110065 (INDIA), Printed at Swastika Creation 19 DSIDC Shed, Scheme No. 3, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-II, New Delhi- 110020 Editor, Publisher, Printer and Owner make every effort to ensure high quality and accuracy of the content published. However he cannot accept any responsibility for any effects from errors or omissions.

The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Editor and publisher. The information in the content and advertisement published in the magazine are just for reference of the readers. However, readers are cautioned to make inquiries and take their decision on purchase or investment after consulting experts on the subject. BisInfotech holds no responsibility for any decision taken by readers on the basis of the information provided herein. Any unauthorised reproduction of Bisinfotech magazine content is strictly forbidden. Subject to Delhi Jurisdiction.

Contents 08

TECH FEATURE

CO2 SENSOR HELPS TO REDUCE THE RISK OF COVID-19 TRANSMISSION INDOORS INFINEON XENSIV™ PAS CO2 SENSOR: MEASURE WHAT MATTERS

12 T&M FEATURE

TELECOM NETWORK AND NETWORK TESTING

16 TECH FEATURE

BIOMETRIC SYSTEM-ON-CARD, THE 2 CHALLENGES BEHIND FINGERPRINT BANK CARDS

18

HEALTHCARE DIGITAL HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGY PRE- AND POST-PANDEMIC

Hicham Riffi

Infineon Technologies AG

08

Madhukar Tripathi

Head –MARCOM & OPTICAL PRODUCTS, ANRITSU INDIA PVT. LTD

12

21

AUTOMATION TEST PROCESS AUTOMATION

22 T&M

YOKOGAWA’S WT5000 “FUTURE OF POWER MEASUREMENT”

24

BIG PICTURE FALSE TRIGGERS IN THE AUTOMOTIVE WORLD ARE USUALLY RELATED TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES

26

TECHNICAL ARTICLE THE INTERLEAVED INVERTING CHARGE PUMP—PART 1:A NEW TOPOLOGY FOR LOW NOISE NEGATIVE VOLTAGE SUPPLIES

Koji Okamoto

21

Sameer Wasson

31

VP and GM, Fiber and Access Business,

Mohan Kannusamy Director ,Product Marketing , Vishay Intertechnology

24

31

BIG PICTURE TEXAS INSTRUMENT’S TECHNOLOGY IS AT THE CORE OF MAKING THIS HAPPEN

32

T&M FEATURE INNOVATIONS IN 5G BASE STATION MILLIMETER WAVE MANUFACTURING TEST

•Vol - 02 / 12

34

06

SMART FACTORY TSN—IS IT READY TO TAKE YOUR SMART FACTORY UP A NOTCH?

38

COVER STORY HOW 'SMART' IS THE SMART CITY MISSION?

Vice President Processors, Texas Instruments

42

AUTOMOTIVE JOURNEY OF INNOVATION THE INSIDE STORY OF THE WORLD’S FIRST MILLIMETER-WAVE RADAR SYSTEM ON CHIP, PART 2

Parag Naik

Co-Founder and CEO, Saankhya Labs

46

BIG PICTURE WE HAVE PIONEERED A CONCEPT CALLED ‘COGNITIVE RAN’

46

DECEMBER 2020

CO2 sensor helps to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission indoors

TECH FEATURE

Infineon XENSIV™ PAS CO2 sensor: Measure what matters Current statistics, such as those of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), show that people spend almost 90 percent of their time indoors, while the concentrations of some pollutants indoors are often 2 to 5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations [1]. CO2 concentration is a key indicator of air quality. At this point it is worth noting that about 140 years ago, Max von Pettenkofer laid the foundations for current regulations relating to air quality with his studies on carbon dioxide levels. The higher the CO2 value in a building, the less comfortable it becomes for the people inside. In poorly ventilated rooms, the CO2 concentration increases rapidly. For example, in a space of about foursquare meters occupied by only one person, the CO2 value rises onwards from 500 ppm (0.05 percent) to over 1,000 ppm (0.1 percent) in just 45 minutes. At this level, the odorless and colorless gas can cause headaches, drowsiness and poor concentration, often resulting in reduced productivity. From 2,000 ppm onwards (0.2 percent), even the cognitive abilities of humans are influenced, and there is a significant risk to health at higher levels.

Figure 1: CO2 matters because levels of above 2,000 ppm significantly impact cognitive function

However, there are other health risks connected with the indoor CO2 concentration. If there is a high amount of exhaled CO2 in the air, there is also a high number of aerosols. A high concentration of aerosols increases the risk of infection for everyone else in the room. Especially in times of Covid-19 this becomes crucial in Infineon Technologies AG offices, schools, shops and the like. When a person infected with the coronavirus coughs, speaks or sneezes, a spray consisting of droplets and aerosols is generated, which penetrates the room air and then spreads. In the paper “Aerosol transmission of SARSCoV-2” [2], several researchers have shown that poorly or non-ventilated indoor spaces can increase the likelihood of aerosol transmission of Covid-19. Insufficient ventilation may lead to a long-range airborne transmission of the virus and opportunistic infection. A study of the TU Berlin [3] revealed that the indoor climate plays a key role in health protection, as pathogens remain in rooms for hours at typical air exchange rates in residential and office buildings.

Hicham Riffi

•Vol - 02 / 12

Figure 2: The increase of the concentration of CO2 (left axis) and aerosols (right axis) in a classroom the duration of two lessons with a break.

08

The sink rate and process of air renewal take a considerable time. As such, any increase in the supply of fresh air is to be recommended. To monitor and control the air quality, innovative CO2 sensors like the new XENSIVTM PAS CO2 (Figure 3.) from

DECEMBER 2020

Infineon provide precise, cost-effective and space-saving solutions. These can optimize the air quality in rooms for more healthy and productive indoor living and working conditions.

Figure 3. The XENSIV™ PAS CO2 sensor measures only 13.8 mm x 14 mm x 7.5 mm

But in order to improve the surrounding air quality, and consequently, increase indoor comfort and people productivity, more reliable and affordable CO 2 sensors are required.

Currently there are two options: Sensors/devices that are accurate but bulky and expensive, or sensors that are small but inaccurate, providing grossly estimated values unsuitable for proper control. The XENSIV™ PAS CO2 sensor, in contrast, is ideal for a broad spectrum of applications, providing precise results in a compact format.

Energy and cost savings through air control

Figure 5: Building energy accounts for 40% of total energy consumption in the U.S. and Eu-rope

TECH FEATURE

If buildings are properly planned, constructed and operated from the outset, for example with demand-controlled ventilation (DCV), the energy efficiency of buildings can be increased by up to 30 percent [5] of the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) energy bill. This would in turn make it possible to reduce the overall energy demand, which would solve the global problem of energy shortages on the one hand and reduce the threat to the environment on the other. One typical example: A US school with an average size of about 7,000 m² [6] shows a yearly HVAC energy consumption around 5.6

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Teaching and office work during the coronavirus pandemic raise concerns about aerosols and the risk of infection.

Wherever you have a large number of people in a room, there is a considerable amount of exhaled air which contains CO2, carbon dioxide. The Federal Environment Agency of Germany and the ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers) published recommendations long before the coronavirus outbreak: In classrooms and offices, the CO2 concentration should not exceed 1,000 ppm – By way of comparison: in the fresh air outside, the CO2 concentration is 400 ppm. In this context, the idea of installing CO2 measuring devices in classrooms and offices, as well as in other indoor public spaces like gyms, bars and restaurants, is about preventing the spread of the virus. It would of course be possible to measure aerosols in the air and sound the alarm if these become excessively high. But such measuring devices are complex and expensive. On the other hand, inexpensive and compact CO2 measuring devices are now available that can warn against high concentrations of CO2 in the air, and thus also against high levels of aerosols.

These could be used to indicate a potential increased risk of infection with coronavirus.

A ventilation system not only benefits human well-being.

Effective air control in residential and commercial buildings can save energy, which at the same time reduces the corresponding costs and CO2 emissions. Private households also benefit from an upgrade. In the United States, families spend an average of about US 2,000 Dollars per year on energy. With a suitable upgrade, they could save about US 400 Dollars per year. However, other sectors could also benefit from the use of air quality control based on reliable CO2 measurements. Schools, hospitals, restaurants and shops also have high energy requirements and associated high expenses. In total, countries like the USA spend more than 400 billion Dollars every year on supplying all buildings with energy.

They use about 74 percent of the electricity generated in the USA, which accounts for about 40 percent (Figure 5) of the country's total energy expenditure. With effective building automation that also controls ventilation, known as demandcontrolled ventilation (DCV), the power consumption of US buildings could be reduced by up to 20 percent, saving about 80 billion Dollars a year in energy costs [4].

Reliable CO2 monitoring is not only important with regard to Covid-19, but also beneficial to overall well-being when spending time indoors and to productivity. CO2 sensors can be used to measure the carbon dioxide concentration and thus the quality of indoor air.

Figure 4: The development of CO2 levels in one of Infineon’s meeting rooms.

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DECEMBER 2020

USD/m² [7]. Assuming 20 percent energy efficiency based on DCV, the saving is around 8,000 USD per year. This translates to savings of 80,000 kWh (assuming 10 cent/kWh), which translates to 35 tons CO2 emission reduction. This is equivalent to the yearly CO2 consumption of a forest with 1,600 trees.

TECH FEATURE

Possible applications for CO2 sensors

The data measured by CO2 sensors can be used in many ways. In a DCV, HVAC systems use the values to automatically adjust the air mixture in the room to that of the outside air according to the targeted application requirements. This keeps indoor carbon dioxide con-centration at a specific value, for instance below 1,000 ppm according to the ASHRAE standard on ventilation and acceptable indoor air quality in residential buildings. Given the benefits of CO2 sensing with regard to health and mitigation of infection risk, one can expect widespread adoption of CO2 sensors in classrooms, offices, gyms and bars, where the sen-sors will detect bad air quality. One example is the so-called CO2 traffic light, which warns the occupants of a high CO2 level and therefore a high concentration of aerosols, which is a clear signal to air the room. These sensors can be organized in a sensor network connected to cloud solutions for data intelligence and remote access.

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Figure 6: The photoacoustic spectroscopy principle (PAS) Source: DOE, U. (2015). Chapter 5: Increasing Efficiency of Building Systems and Technolo-gies. Quadrennial Technology Review: An Assessment of Energy Technologies and Research Oppor-tunities, 143-181.

There are many other potential uses for CO2 sensors. Small CO2 sensors are suitable e.g. for smart home assistants and IoT devices like air purifiers or thermostats. Other applications could follow in the future, such as infant monitoring, food quality control, fitness tracking or agriculture.

Limitations of existing CO2 sensor solutions

NDIR sensors (non-dispersive infrared sensors) are often used in building automation nowadays. They consist of an IR light source, a sample chamber, a spectral filter and reference and absorption IR detectors, which is why they are relatively large and expensive. Although they provide true and accurate CO2 measurements, their form factor makes them difficult to integrate, making them unsuitable for installation in small IoT devices or smart home components.

The various indoor pollutants can also be detected by the so-called eCO2 sensors, but unlike the NDIR sensor, they do not perform real measurements. Instead, they use algorithms to calculate an equivalent CO2 value. These sensors deliver estimated values based on many assumptions, e.g. based on how many people – as the cause of an increasing CO2 load – are present. With this method, the air quality is not always improved at the right moment, which means that the climate control system consumes an unnecessarily large amount of energy. There are currently no comparable solutions available on the market that both provide accurate and true CO2 measurements and are small and cost effective.

10

PAS for short. The PAS method is based on the photoacoustic effect first discovered by Alexander Graham Bell in 1880.

Infineon owns a comprehensive and continuously growing patent portfolio on the PAS technology, from sensor design to system implementation. The method uses the fact that gas molecules only absorb light with a specific wavelength. In the case of carbon dioxide, for example, the wavelength is 4.2 µm. In rapid succession, light – i.e. energy – is supplied to the gas in exactly this wavelength via an infrared source with an optical filter. Due to rapid heating and cooling, this leads in turn to thermal expansion and contraction, generating a pressure change that can be recorded by an acoustic detector optimized for low frequencies. The signal is then evaluated and used to draw conclusions about the amount of CO2.

The stronger the signal, the higher the CO2 concentration. .

The highly sensitive MEMS acoustic detector, which acts as a pressure sensor, is used as a detector, allowing for significant miniaturization.

CO2 sensor with photoacoustic spectroscopy

Thanks to its experience and leading position in MEMS technology, Infineon has succeeded in developing a new CO2 sensor based on photoacoustic spectroscopy (Figure 6), or

Architecture and challenges

The Infineon CO2 sensor integrates a photoacoustic transducer with a detector, infrared source and optical filter on a small PCB. The sensor uses a microcontroller for on-board signal processing, sophisticated algorithms and a MOSFET for operating the infrared source.

A major challenge in developing a PAS-based CO2 sensor was to push the performance of the detector to its limits and minimize system noise, i.e. to isolate the MEMS detector from external noise so that only the pressure change originating from the CO2 molecules in the chamber is detected. The absorption chamber is acoustically isolated from external noise to provide accurate CO2 sensing information, otherwise the function of CO2 detection would be significantly disrupted.

While developing the solution, Infineon could benefit from its many years of experience in acoustics and related applications.

The modelling of the MEMS microphone response, patented acoustic isolation of the diffusion port, as well as a fast prototyping for validating the modelling results enabled an optimal system design.

DECEMBER 2020

which are not compatible with high-volume assembly standards and lead to a time-consuming manufacturing process. The XENSIV™ PAS CO2, on the other hand, is designed and offered (in tape and reel) with large-volume automatic manufacturing in mind, possessing SMT capabilities for easy assembly and quick integration into customers systems.

In short, the sensor provides high accuracy in a super compact design, which make it the right choice for HVAC control (DCV) applications enabling energy saving and compliance to major smart building standards (e.g. LEED, WELL).

Availability and outlook

All sensor components are developed and designed in-house according to high-quality standards. Infineon will continue the development of PAS technology for further size-shrinking and cost optimization as well as performance adaption to other CO2 sensing appli-cations in industrial andconsumer markets. Other gases could potentially be addressed by the PAS technology platform. Additionally, the Infineon/Cypress eco-system will be leveraged to provide full-system offerings to the market including sensing, processing, actuating and connecting.

Prototypes of the new PAS CO2 sensor have already been tested and validated in key cus-tomer applications. A PAS CO2 evaluation kit is currently available for sampling. A complete suite of product evaluation boards (PAS CO2 evaluation board, Arduino-based Shield2Go board, Adafruit feather-based PAS CO2 wing board based on Infineon/Cypress eco-system) , software libraries as well as comprehensive documentation, including applications notes, will also be available soon to support customers and accelerate the design-to-market of the PAS CO2 sensor. Ultimately, the sensor will lead to significant improvements in indoor air quality and therefore in our health.

TECH FEATURE

Advantages of the CO2 sensor

Table 1: Key specifications of the PAS CO2 sensor: • Operation range: 400ppm to 10,000 ppm • Accuracy: ± 30ppm +3% of reading between 400ppm and 5,000ppm • Lifetime: 10 years at 1 measurement/minute • Operation temperature: 0 - 50°C • Relative humidity: 0% to 85% (non-condensing) • Interface and compensation: I2C, UART and PWM • Supply voltage: 12.0 V for the emitter and 3.3 V for other components • Average power consumption: 11 mW at 1 measurement/ minute • Package dimensions: 13.8 mm x 14 mm x 7.5 mm

Infineon has leveraged its state-of-the-art capabilities in sensors and MEMS microphones to develop a disruptive environmental sensing technology for CO2. The XENSIV™ PAS CO2 (Table 1) is a real CO2 sensor based on the photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) principle. The sensor uses Infineon´s highly sensitive XENSIV™ MEMS microphone - - which detects the pressure change generated by CO2 molecules within the sensor cavity without picking up external noise. As output it provides CO2 concentration in ppm. The data shows highquality results even with the smallest pressure fluctuations.

Accordingly, small amounts of gas are sufficient for an exact determination, which is why the size of the sample chamber could be designed suitably small.

XENSIV™ PAS CO2 offers an exceptionally small form factor that is 4 times smaller (14 mm x 13.8 mm x 7.5 mm) and 3 times lighter (2 g) than the typical NDIR sensor, allowing for more than 75 percent space-saving in customer systems. Furthermore, the majority of commercial NDIR sensors come with connectors

[1] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1989. Report to Congress on indoor air quality: Volume 2. EPA/400/1-89/001C. Washington, DC. [2] Li, Yuguo, et al,: Aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2; medRxiv; https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/20 20.04.16.20067728v1.article-metrics [3] Hartmann, Anne; Kriegel, Martin: Risk assessment of aerosols loaded with virus based on CO 2-concentration; Technische Universität Berlin; https://depositonce.tu-berlin. de/handle/11303/11478.2 [4] https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/about-buildingtechnologies-office [5] DOE, U. (2015). An assessment of energy technologies and research opportuni-ties. Quadrennial Technology Review.

United States Department of Energy.

[6]https://www.energystar.gov/sites/default/files/tools/ DataTrends_K12Schools_20150129.pdf [7] Typical energy cost is $1.30/ft² (in 2007).

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References:

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DECEMBER 2020

Telecom Network And Network Testing Madhukar Tripathi

T&M FEATURE

Head - MARCOM &OPTICAL PRODUCTS, ANRITSU INDIA PVT.LTD

Test and Measurement: Network Test Network testing is very broad subject. In this article I am covering telecom (mobile) network testing. Telecom network can be divided into 2 major category- wired network and wireless network from installation and operation point of view. Telecom network is hybrid (combination of Wired and wireless network). Wired and Wireless network are essential and important part of all telecom network. Due to 5G network deployment worldwide this article covers network testing having 5G network as focus.

Wired Network Measurement

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Figure -1: 5G Mobile Network

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CU- Central Unit DU- Distributed Unit RU- Remote Unit eCPRI- Ethernet Common Public Radio Interface RoE- Radio Over Ethernet MEC Mobile Edge Computing GM/GMC- Grand Master Clock Transport Measurements required by 5G Mobile Network I&M (Installation and Maintenance) contain following measurements: • 5G Mobile Network eCPRI/RoE Measurements • 5G Mobile Network Latency Measurements • 5G Mobile Network Time Synchronization Measurements

5G Mobile Network eCPRI/RoE Measurements

Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) compliant interface equipment has been used for 3G and LTE systems to convert the mobile fronthaul wireless signal to the optical signal. CPRI is commonly said to need to be about 16 times faster than the radio transmission speed to perform digital conversion of radio signals. Since 5G transmission speeds are about 100 times faster than LTE, a new eCPRI/RoE technology based on market mainstream Ethernet is being adopted. With 5G featuring high speeds and large capacity, maintaining mobile fronthaul communications quality requires communications and latency tests measuring either CPRI or RoE frame bit errors and latency with high accuracy.

The 1914.3 (RoE) and eCPRI frame formats both use Ethernet in their lower layers, allowing timing areas to be tested using standard Ethernet timing methods. Areas such as latency, routing, switchover time, and BER over the 1914.3 and eCPRI frame formats must also be tested.

5G Mobile Network Latency Measurements

Since maintaining minimum assured communication speeds is generally impossible using Ethernet, latency times of the entire network including the 5G mobile fronthaul must be managed strictly. To suppress latency times between the mobile fronthaul 5G antenna and Core/Metro network, it is important to minimize the latency of the network equipment as much as possible. Implementing the 5G low-latency feature requires using two testers to accurately measure one-way delay between two distant separate points.

DECEMBER 2020

At present, time synchronization between base stations commonly uses GPS time data, but this method is limited by the ability of GPS radio waves to reach some locations where base stations are installed, such as inside buildings and underground shopping malls, etc. To remedy this problem, PTP-based time synchronization is being deployed at some locations. Since PTP is unaffected by installation location, it is being proposed for 5G, making it more important than previously Use of the 5G mmWave band requires many small base stations because the high radio-wave frequency only propagates over short distances. As a result, the Precision Time Protocol (PTP) is used to synchronize time between base stations. Time synchronization using PTP demands strict evaluation of the entire network to maintain time differences within the permissible range.

Mobile fronthaul test include: • eCPRI/IEEE1914.3 Frame test and high-resolution Latency test • CPRI/OBSAI L1 test • CPRI/OBSAI L2 test • Pass-through monitoring • CPRI over OTN CPRI/OBSAI measurements • CPRI/OBSAI L1 Test • CPRI: 614.4, 1228.8, 2457.6, 3072.0, 4915.2, 6144.0, 9830.4, 10137.6 Mbps 12.1651 Gbps, 24.3302 Gbps • OBSAI: 768, 1536, 3072.0, 6144.0 Mbps – Clocks: Internal, External (10 MHz), GPS – Level measurement (dBm) – Bit rate

Mobile backhaul test include: • Test and analysis of Synchronous Ethernet and PTP: o SyncE (ITU-T G.826x) o PTP (IEEE 1588 v2) o G.8265.1, G.8275.1 and G.8275.2 telecom profiles o Time/Phase error measurement. (with High Performance GPS Disciplined Oscillator MU100090A) • Synchronous Ethernet run together with normal Ethernet functions including: o Ethernet tests at 25 Gbps, 10 Gbps, 1 Gbps, 100 Mbps and 10 Mbps o Ethernet Service Activation Test (Y.1564) o Automated RFC 2544 tests of Throughput, Frame Loss, Latency or Packet Jitter and Burstability o BER tests – include Frame Loss and Sequence Error tests o Service disruption measurements Ethernet test include: • Ethernet tests at 100 Gbps, 40 Gbps, 25 Gbps, 10 Gbps, 1 Gbps, 100 Mbps and 10 Mbps • Traffic generation up to full line rate • IPv4 and IPv6 test • Ethernet Service Activation Test (Y.1564) • Industry defined IEEE, IETF and ITU-T benchmark testing • TCP Throughput option (RFC 6349) • BER tests – include Frame Loss and Sequence Error tests • Service disruption measurements • Ethernet OAM tests • 10G WAN-PHY tests • Synchronous Ethernet test (ITU-T G.826x and IEEE 1588 v2) • Ethernet Multistream • Stacked VLAN (Q-in-Q) • MPLS tests

T&M FEATURE

5G Mobile Network Time Synchronization Measurements

CPRI over OTN Several vendors are working on CPRI over Optical Transport Network (OTN) solutions supporting transport of the raw radio (CPRI) data from the RE over optical fiber to a centralized location for baseband processing.

• A single location can serve multiple REs. • This level of consolidation has huge power and cost savings over the distributed approach without impacting network scalability. OTN supports transport of several protocols over the same fiber, offering OTN operators fault management, performance monitoring, and protection mechanisms coupled with low cost-of-entry and the ability to support current, future, and legacy infrastructure technologies. OTN operators also enjoy the advantage of using the same network-wide management system.

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Both the 1914.1 and eCPRI standards require a known network latency, ensuring delivery of the frame payload to the RF interface accurately and reliably. Different standards offer insight into network latency requirements; 3GPP discusses how latency from the BBU to UE and back RTT must be within 1 ms for URLLC, while IEEE 802.1CM requires a latency of 100 µs across the transport network between the CU and RU. IEEE 1914.1 focuses on the area of the transport network, offering more in-depth details, splitting it into sub-classes based on network segments and traffic types.

(bps) and deviation (ppm) measurement – Alarm/Error detection (Signal Loss, PSL, Pattern Error) – Unframed BER measurement • CPRI L2 Test – Link status monitoring – Alarm/Error detection (Signal Loss, LOS, LOF, R-LOS, R-LOF, RAI, SDI, Reset, PSL, LCV, INVSH, Pattern Error) – Framed BER measurement – RTD Measurement (min, avg., max) • Pass-through monitoring • CPRI over OTN – OTN Alarm/Error detection – L1 Unframed BER measurement using CPRI client signals • Fiber end face inspection using VIP (Video Inspection Probe)

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DECEMBER 2020

• MPLS-TP and PBB/PBB-TE tests • Ping • Traceroute • Frame capture for protocol analysis with Wireshark • Electrical cable tests and optical signal level test

SyncE (Synchronous Ethernet)

Regular Ethernet is an asynchronous communications standard where the timing of data sent and data received are not matched. This simplifies the type of transmission equipment needed. Smartphones, however, require synchronized timing of data between base stations in order to permit uninterrupted transmission as the Smartphones move between base stations.

The ITU-T organization has established a new standard called SyncE that adds a function for synchronizing asynchronous Ethernet communications. In addition, IEEE also has a new standard known as IEEE 1588 v2 for matching times.

Anritsu’s Ethernet test solution supports standard Ethernet communications and is also the ideal platform for verifying, developing and troubleshooting the new SyncE (Synchronous Ethernet) and IEEE 1588 v2 functions used by base stations.

5G NR signals have subcarrier spacing of either 120 or 240 kHz, compared to only 30 or 60 kHz for FR1. This results in a wider sync signal block (SSB) – 28.8 and 57.6 MHz, respectively. The SSB contains the SSS, PSS, and PBCH information, which are required for demodulation and signal identification. Therefore, any instrument or device must have the capability of capturing wide bandwidths of data (at least as wide as the SSB) in order to make proper ID of and communication with the radio. FR2 signals also have more SSB beams.

All 5G NR base stations transmit SSB beams through the antenna’s transmission sector, but mmWave radios use between 12 and 64 beams, whereas FR1 radios are limited to 4 or 8 beams.

With 64 beams, the radio can transmit narrower beams with more power, which improves the efficiency of the radio and helps avoid interference. However, more beams require decoding more bits from the PBCH in order to read out all 64 beam indexes in their correct position. It also requires a greater number of antenna elements in the antenna array used for beam forming. This makes it impossible to do connected testing and verification of the radios, forcing users to do all testing OTA.

T&M FEATURE

Finally, mmWave signals have shorter wavelengths (as hinted in the name), which will cause greater propagation loss through both air and most physical objects – including windows, which are often coated with UV protective films which strongly attenuate mmWave RF. This means 5G mmWave service will require greater radio density and strategic placement/ alignment. It will also make signals more vulnerable to interference and requires test equipment with lower noise floors and faster sweep speeds in the mmWave bands.

Anritsu Network Master Pro MT1000A is ideal test platform to support all legacy wired network and latest 5G network supporting backward compatible 3G and 4G network.

SEEK is a automation, one button feature which helps engineers to test network in less time, accurately.

Testing 5G NR mmWave Spectrum clearance, interference test is carried during network planning stage after spectrum allocation. Once spectrum is cleaned, scanned for allocated frequency, network planning, sites are decided.

Wireless Measurement using Field Master Pro MS2090A

Wireless measurements are performed at various stages-right from network planning to deployment and operation to network maintenance.

Due to 5G technology focus most of operators are planning 5G network or will roll out 5G network soon. Much of the world is focusing initial 5G rollouts on the 3GPP defined FR1 bands (those carriers with frequencies below 6 GHz). South Korea Japan, China, USA , Germany etc rolled out 5G network. Note: 5G technology Spectrum is divided into 2 parts- FR1 and FR2.

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FR1- Sub 6Ghz band / frequencies.

FR2 –millimeter-wave (mmWave) – frequencies.

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There are practical differences between FR1 and FR2 signals.

There are also technological differences that will impact performance and testing. Per the 3GPP standard, mmWave

Installation Verification • Once spectrum is clear and radios are going up, it will be key to ensure the radios are configured correctly and performing per standard. – validate the performance of the gNB base station with essential measurements that are in full compliance with 3GPP TS 38.104 V15, including i.e. The Field Master Pro MS2090A offers a full 5G NR demodulation suite, which decodes the SSB beams to provide the following

DECEMBER 2020

Frequency error is key to performance, where less error promotes greater signal quality and faster throughputs. According to the 3GPP standard for 5G NR OTA testing (TS 38.104, section 6.5.1.2), the base station frequency error should comply to standards as follows:

Time offset is key to full network performance. All 5G NR signals should be tightly synchronized to GPS. Time offset measures the difference between the GPS clock and the start of the frame. This avoids interference between cells. Per the 3GPP standard, the time offset should not exceed 2 µs at a distance less than 1 km.

RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, and EVM are key indicators of radio performance and signal quality. The average EVM of the signals should typically be under 15% with a high quality beam (one with high RSRP and SINR).

Multi Cell The Field Master Pro MS2090A also offers a measurement of multiple radios in the same capture (called Multi Cell in the instrument). By utilizing advanced noise

Post installation of 5G sites, coverage mapping test is also carried to ensure Base Station (BS) is transmitting to designed / planned area.

5G coverage mapping – receive a clear representation of the signal strength of 5G transmitters over intended geographic area by continuously measuring RF data – including 5G channel power, EIRP, or RSRP – with results graphically displayed on a digital map or building floor plan

T&M FEATURE

Single Cell Testing ID information is important for verifying the configuration of the radios. Network operators rely on proper radio identification to pinpoint issues with service, interference, or gaps in coverage.

Cells are usually hung in groups of three, each covering one of three sectors. The cell ID is then equal to 3 x CELL GROUP + SECTOR ID

cancellation methods, it is able to read out multiple cell IDs for a single geographic point and show the RSRP of every beam from strongest to weakest. This is powerful for mapping coverage in these dense radio environments. Network planners can utilize the Multi Cell measurement to identify radio handoff points and possible gaps in coverage, even mapping out the coverage, cell by cell.

The Field Master Pro MS2090A with NEON mapping tools allows users to map out beam powers across a 5G mmWave radio’s full sector

Conclusion: 5G network is evolving and involves more

complex methods, hence testing of network & devices are very important part of network life and network performance.

Network performance testing reflects customer experience.

Network testing will pay in longer term during network deployment and post deployment. Selection of right testing tool is equally important. This ensure efficient network testing and solve issues in timely manner.

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information: • Cell ID, Sector ID, and Cell Group • Frequency error • Time offset • Individual beam RSRP, RSRQ, and SINR • EVM of the individual SSB parts • Multi cell measurements • Channel power / occupied bandwidth

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DECEMBER 2020

TECH FEATURE

Biometric System-on-Card, The 2 Challenges Behind Fingerprint Bank Cards

Biometric System-on-Card On July 2020, ST announced co-developing a Biometric System-on-Card (BSoC) platform with Fingerprint Cards. We will provide an STM32 generalpurpose microcontroller and an ST31 MCU. The latter uses an Arm SecurCore SC000 core that relies on a 40-nanometer process node. ST will also bring its STPay solution, which relies on a JavaCard based operating system for banking applications.

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Moving Security From the PIN to the Finger Tip

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The announcement was symbolic, and it appeared on news sites because it serves as a sign of an emerging trend. According to a study by ReportLinker, the global contactless biometrics technology market should reach $18.6 billion by 2026. The study also cites the recent pandemic as a driver of adoption.

Consumers are looking for ways to pay while staying

physically distant. They also wish to reduce interactions with potentially contaminated hard surfaces. Hence, secure payments through contactless cards with biometric authentication are ever more popular, and introducing BSoC solutions will help increase – or even remove – today’s contactless cap limits.

Unfortunately, as BSoCs become mainstream, getting precise and relevant information can get difficult.

Buzzwords abound, platitudes follow, and managers can have a hard time finding accurate data. We thus thought that it was essential to contextualize the ST and Fingerprint Cards announcement. Additionally, the core technologies behind biometric payment cards are sipping into other forms of identification, such as employee badges or ID cards. It is thus crucial for thought-leaders and decision-makers

DECEMBER 2020

to understand the technical challenges inherent to these emerging technologies.

The hardware building blocks are relatively straightforward.

There’s a fingerprint sensor, a general-purpose MCU to extract the image it captures, and a secure element. The latter stores the fingerprint image after enrollment and matches it before any transaction in a secure environment. However, a biometric system-on-cards can only be successful if it overcomes multiple challenges.

Biometric System-on-Card: The Challenge of Efficiency Physical Requirements

including the biometric template, and runs the algorithm that matches the fingerprint to the template to authenticate the user. There’s thus a need for more storage for the template and the matching algorithm. Similarly, the general-purpose MCU extracts the fingerprint from the sensor and sends it to the secure element, which features high computational performance and low power consumption.

Decision-makers thus understand the importance of hardware optimizations. The STM32 microcontroller has low power modes to improve energy efficiency significantly. Similarly, we ensure the ST31 runs the fingerprint matching algorithm as quickly as possible. Indeed the total transaction time, including the fingerprint matching, must take less than one second. The platform must, thus, offer the greatest optimizations and guarantee a flawless user experience.

A biometric system-on-card in action A biometric system-oncard in action Adding biometrics on a card is challenging because manufacturers must still meet existing thickness requirements to ensure compatibility when swiping or inserting the card in existing readers. The ISO/IEC 7810 standard dictates that all bank and ID cards must have a thickness of 0.76 mm.

Other standards also define a card’s ability to bend without the connectors or components breaking. However, satisfying those stringent requirements mean that companies that master biometric bank cards can easily port their solutions.

Biometric ID badges, employee’s identification with fingerprint recognition, and more become a lot easier to make.

Engineers must also solve the technical challenge behind the card’s power consumption and energy harvesting. Hence, ST implemented a secure element that can harvest power from the contactless reader and distribute it to the entire card.

Such a system is possible because the general-purpose MCU (STM32) and the ST31 have such a low power consumption that they can run with just the energy harvested during magnetic coupling. A BSoC is thus innovative because it uses the same NFC technology as the previous generation of contactless bank cards, but it can now power more components, such as a fingerprint sensor and a general-purpose MCU.

Ease-of-Use A challenge that users face is the lack of standardization around the enrollment process, which must offer a good tradeoff between overall security, performance, and user convenience. Implementers are looking into different enrollment mechanisms that would utilize a sleeve, a mobile device, or a reader with optional LEDs on the card and the enrollment support. The capture must also be fast enough and comply with biometric standards such as FAR (False Acceptance Rate) and FRR (False Recognition Rate) requirements that regulate biometric interactions. False positives are severe breaches of security and make the whole system unreliable. On the other hand, a false negative creates friction that end-users hardly tolerate. Teams working on their system must, therefore, find the right balance between accuracy and performance.

TECH FEATURE

Biometric System-on-Card: The Challenge of Security and User Experience

Security

A BSoC distinguishes itself from current solutions by offering better biometric processing and more secure protection of the assets, such as the sensor image and templates. As a result, biometric cards represent a vastly more secure system than a PIN authentication or basic contactless solutions, by offering more robust security and privacy protections. However, as we saw in this blog post, designing a BSoC is challenging.

Hence, adopting the ST and Fingerprint Cards solution means teams can bypass this complexity, ensuring their end-users trust their biometric system-on-card. The STPay platform also guarantees fast processing times, which are crucial for a successful experience.

(The article is an original piece written by STMicroelectronics)

Capturing the user’s fingerprint and storing the associated template after enrollment will necessarily require more memory. Hence, engineers working on biometric system-oncards face enhanced hardware requirements. The secure element executes the application, secures information,

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Storage and Computational Throughput

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DECEMBER 2020

DIGITAL HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGY PRE- AND POST-PANDEMIC HEALTHCARE

ACCELERATING THE TRANSFORMATION TO PREDICTIVE Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, the digital healthcare CARE technology industry’s leading innovators, including Analog For most patients, the process of reaching a diagnosis is familiar and predictable. You meet with your physician, undergo a battery of tests at the doctor’s office, work toward an interpretation of your symptoms and plan for care.

But what if it didn’t work that way? What if, instead of following a reactive approach to treatment, doctors had access to digital healthcare technology that could help identify early warning signs using data captured from genomic analysis, advanced imaging or a wearable device—and then, rather than treating an existing illness or condition, devise a plan to help prevent it instead? And what if wearable technologies could identify and alert people to indicators of viral infection before symptoms develop?

“We’re using the digital concept to keep people out of the hospital and treat diseases sooner in the process using interventions based on remote patient monitoring,” says Dr. Curtis Lowery, director of the Institute for Digital Health and Innovation at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

“Now we’re able to treat people in their home, with data flowing in from an electronic scale, a blood pressure monitor or even a pulse oximeter.” In the midst of a global pandemic, the ability to assess data and treat patients virtually has benefits beyond convenience and cost savings. Now virtual treatment is an added safety measure that can literally save lives.

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“We're using the digital concept to keep people out of the hospital and treat diseases sooner in the process using interventions based on remote patient monitoring.”

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Curtis Lowery Director of the Institute for Digital Health and Innovation| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Devices, were already putting next-generation technology into the hands of providers. One example is vital-signs-monitoring technologies, like wearables and hearables. With them, unobtrusive data capture takes place continuously—even when the patient leaves the doctor’s office. This allows physicians to extract actionable insights, making it easier to reach accurate diagnoses. Now, according to Pat O’Doherty, senior vice president of digital healthcare at Analog Devices, the pandemic has resulted in a tidal wave of demand for their crucial digital health technology products. “We prioritized the production of healthcare-related technologies that are essential for medical devices on the front line, such as ventilators, infusion pumps, patient monitors, diagnostic testers, CT scanners and digital X-ray machines.”

A CALL FOR CARE

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6 in 10 Americans live with a chronic condition, such as diabetes or heart disease. These illnesses are among the leading causes of death in the United States and, along with mental health, comprise 90% of the country’s $3.5 trillion annual healthcare expenditures. Add an aging population and a projected shortage of registered nurses into the mix, and you begin to understand the urgency around the adoption of new digital health solutions.

“There’s a very serious challenge for the finances of the healthcare system, and it will ultimately result in poor patient care unless we can intervene and transform it to be more patient-centered,” says Martin Cotter, senior vice president of sales and digital marketing at Analog Devices. “That means driving efficiency for all the different partners of the ecosystem, whether it’s the physician, provider, payer or patient.”

Healthcare expenditures in the United States are the highest in the world, and costs are only expected to grow in the years ahead.

$3.5T $6T U.S. HEALTHCARE SPENDING IN 2017

PROJECTED SPENDING BY 2027

Sources: “National Health Expenditures 2017 Highlights,” Department of Health & Human Services; “National Health Expenditure Projections 2018-2027,” Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

With decades of expertise developing sensors used for vital signs monitoring, Analog Devices is enabling the next generation of wearables that could put the digital healthcare technology industry (and patients) on a more positive path. For example, picture the traditional fingerstick test diabetes patients use, typically multiple times a day, to monitor blood glucose levels and administer insulin. Now picture a low-profile sensor that sits at the surface of the skin and takes continuous measurements, providing an uninterrupted view of the patient’s health.

Devices like this are giving diabetics an improved quality of life, and physicians are also empowered, helping patients better manage their disease and potentially even slow its progression.

“It’s better to measure the patient over a long period of time rather than only in a controlled, clinical environment.

The inclusion of real-world conditions provides much more accurate data, giving physicians a better way to manage the health of their patients,” Cotter says. “An even more exciting proposition would be to non-invasively track the progression of chronic diseases, so that we can someday keep the patient from needing a particular medication.”

While some continuous monitoring solutions are already available, the technology has yet to fully proliferate throughout the industry, leaving the door open for all manner of innovation.

Analog Devices’ wearable health monitor resembles a typical smart watch, but constantly pulls data about the wearer’s heart rate, body temperature and other vital signs. It can be worn on the wrist or as a patch on the skin, storing measurements on an SD card or wirelessly sending the data to a smart device.

With its combination of embedded sensors, processing power and wireless communication, ADI’s wearable health monitor could be a model for the next stage of digital health.

Analog Devices is also collaborating with a nanosensor pointof-care diagnostics leader to deliver rapid viral and bacterial test technologies that could have major impact on detection and prevention of COVID-19 and future pandemics.

“Care is rapidly moving out of hospitals and toward the home, creating the need for a new generation of clinical-grade technology products that are smaller, easier to use and lower cost. The rate of this fundamental change is accelerating due to the pandemic and we are prioritizing our r&d investments to be able to meet this new demand.”

Patrick O’Doherty Senior Vice President of Digital Healthcare | Analog Devices

CARE YOU CAN WEAR

Wearable devices could soon allow patients to continuously monitor various health parameters, driving a more preventative approach to care. Meanwhile, wireless connectivity would arm physicians with a continuous stream of data.

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THE RISING COST OF HEALTHCARE

HEALTHCARE

DECEMBER 2020

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DECEMBER 2020

BRINGING IMAGING INTO FOCUS

While some of healthcare’s biggest opportunities will take place in the home, the instrumentation used in hospitals and clinical settings is also getting an upgrade. The technology behind common tests like X-rays and CT scans is becoming more sensitive and precise, resulting in higher-resolution images with lower noise levels.

Analog Devices’ deep experience developing signal processing technology and sensors enabling data collection—connecting the physical world with the digital one—plays a similarly vital role here. “With CT scanning, precision sensing allows for faster scan times, reducing the dose of radiation to the patient,” says Jen Lloyd, vice president of precision technology and platforms at Analog Devices. “Meanwhile, artificial intelligence can be applied to the images to draw the physician’s attention to certain key areas, allowing them to work more efficiently.”

THE PICTURE OF HEALTH

HEALTHCARE

DIGITAL IMAGING SOLUTIONS DRIVE EFFICIENCY IN THE HOSPITAL WHILE SUPPORTING PHYSICIAN DECISION-MAKING.

ULTRASOUNDS

Analog-to-digital converters with higher resolutions and data rates are paving the way toward 3D imaging while bringing down the cost of machines.

Precise imaging, clinical-grade vital sign monitoring, and improved digital healthcare technology, O’Doherty explains, are helping physicians improve diagnosis accuracy and allowing people to manage chronic illnesses more effectively.

But the ultimate goal is to move from reactive to predictive medicine altogether, resulting in a better quality of life for people and reducing the strain on the health care system.

“I’m seeing an appetite among practitioners for digital technology that helps manage the cost of healthcare, to be able to reduce the amount of time that people are ill or cure something before it becomes a problem. My sense is that we’re in for decades of potentially very explosive growth in the healthcare sector, both at the large machine diagnostics level and at the everyday, human level.”

DIGITAL X-RAYS

Converting an analog signal can save thousands of dollars in chemical processing costs and can result in a clearer, lower-noise image.

Vincent Roche President and CEO | Analog Devices Keeping pace with explosive growth will require more than just further investment in digital health, but also sophisticated wellness, imaging and vital-signs-measurement solutions developed by technology partners who are already driving the transformation.

(The article is an original piece written by ANALOG DEVICES)

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CT SCANS

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Precision sensors and digital processors improve image quality and reduce scan times, exposing patients to less radiation.

DECEMBER 2020

Test Process Automation The network is mission-critical. Telecom operators across the world have risen to the challenge of increased network demand, as recent events have abruptly led to mass-adoption of remote work, permanently changing the way we perceive our digital environments and this has certainly strained fibre networks. Network service activation and operation are becoming ever more complex, spanning many diverse technologies from wireline to wireless.

Delivering and maintaining high-quality network service requires reliable fault detection processes and continuous improvement. Affirming these challenges, technicians must learn various complex tasks, to be effective and make field operations faster and efficient, at the same time reduce their time in the field as they deploy, maintain and optimize networks. Finding the right expertise, tools and management solutions is the key and one solution is greater use of test process automation (TPA) to replace manual and error-prone processes, enabling field technicians of all skill levels to address today’s challenges. By improving test process efficiency, technician can easily address network issues, leading to effective troubleshooting and faster deployment.

As test processes and workflows are defined centrally and pushed to test instruments, manual procedures can be reduced or eliminated. This ensures that results are consistent, repeatable and compliant with the execution of specific tests, test thresholds, test order and correct network locations.

Process automation also streamlines training by shifting the focus to the test process itself, as opposed to emphasizing technical training that can easily overwhelm technicians.

Test process automation delivers actionable insights and problem resolution that yields accurate diagnosis of network issues. This enables communication service providers to consistently improve network design. Here, it’s important to leverage open software interfaces to ensure that test process creation and results reporting are compatible across network management systems and field mobile applications.

Accuracy of service activation

Right service activation is key to an operator’s overall profitability, often saving up to 30-45 percent of operational expenditures. Yet different technologies require specific test processes, and service activation inefficiencies can arise when testing is not consistent. The solution to this testing problem requires an automated service activation test process. In order to successfully automate service activation testing, best practices include a centralized management server to create workflow jobs made up of customized service activation tests. Workflow jobs should be pushed to the test instrument, and individual test reports should include site pictures and equipment connections. Test reports can be uploaded to the management server to streamline activation and acceptance.

AUTOMATION

Test process automation (TPA) is designed to optimize technician workflows. Each step of the process is automated to ensure that proper test sequence is executed, resulting in consistent service delivery. Augmented process automation enables efficiency of field operations, while assuring that critical tests and documentation tasks are completed to ensure high-quality network operations. Test Process Automation initiative help customers transform their workflow with a new process to: • Reduce manual test processes and data entry - minimizing human error and increasing the scale of network deployment.

• Consistently execute testing processes, delivering quality results every time.

• Provide objective evidence of proper job completion with a closed-loop test process.

• Reduce training needs with easy to use instruments featuring clear, simple pass and fail indicators, and guided test processes with the availability of remote expert help.

• Speed revenue cycles with real-time results and automatic report generation.

VP and GM, Fiber and Access Business, VIAVI Solutions

It is essential to note that that the service activation workflow is simple, so that technicians can easily follow regardless of their skill levels, while create & deploy test procedures quickly and with consistency. A job manager should provide a common guided test process for each job, while coordinating tasks & results across instruments and deliver quick automated reporting on field test results. Mobile applications enrich instrument test results and play a key role in today’s testing processes, enabling technicians to multitask and control test instruments remotely. This is vital for technicians who run several tests concurrently or those who are working in harsh conditions.

Test process automation advances test workflow and network insights. By incorporating test process automation, communication service providers can accelerate and optimize their testing capabilities; to develop automated test solutions that help, launch and maintain their networks with ease, saves time and compress operational expense of workforce, while boosting customer retention & acquisition.

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Test Process Automation accelerates test workflow and yields network insights

Koji Okamoto

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DECEMBER 2020

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T&M

YOKOGAWA’S WT5000 “FUTURE OF POWER MEASUREMENT”

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WT5000 Precision Power Analyzer is a versatile platform that

delivers extraordinary precision and exceptional performance for the most demanding applications. Equipped with 7 Modular, user swappable and reconfigurable input elements plus 4 motor channels, the WT5000 is an ideal instrument for both electrical and mechanical power and efficiency measurements. Now listed as an accepted device for SPEC Power® testing and IEC harmonic and flicker standards. Its highly responsive touchscreen, intuitive menu operations, and out of the box software solution make the WT5000 an ideal instrument for your testing needs.

Through our work with engineers in the areas of R&D, Production, QA and Field Testing, Yokogawa recognizes the importance of reliable and precise measurements for making critical decisions in product development and compliance.

For more than 100 years, we have been pushing the limits of measurement accuracy and integrity with every generation of our measurement technologies. With the WT5000, Yokogawa ushers in a new era of precision power measurements that provides engineers with the accuracy and the confidence to keep up with evolving international standards as well as the flexibility to adapt to ever changing application needs.

Packing the very best in isolation, noise immunity, current sensing and filtering in a modular architecture, the WT5000 is an extensible measurement platform that unlocks precision power analysis for electromechanical systems in electric vehicles, renewable energy, home and office appliances and industrial equipment.

Reliable Today, Ready for Tomorrow

• Make measurements you can trust with a guaranteed accuracy of 0.03% • 10MS/s, 1MHz power bandwidth, 18 bit resolution enabled

by Yokogawa isoPRO™ fiber optic isolation technology • Simultaneously analyse 7 phases with one chassis, producing over 1000 power parameters real-time • Precision current measurement guaranteed by innovative symmetric coaxial shunt design • Stream raw waveform data up to 22 items at a rate of up to 2 MS/s for detailed waveform analysis • Internal Memory up to 32GB • Harmonics regulation test • Fluctuation and Flicker regulation test [Tume/div] settings (Pinch-in and-out) Switch waveforms (Flick operation)

DECEMBER 2020

Innovate with Precision, Flexibility and Confidence

• Modular architecture with 7 user swappable and reconfigurable input elements • Synchronize multiple chassis for large multi-phase systems • For motors and generators up to 4 speed and torque inputs can be used measuring total system efficiency • Isolate and measure harmonic losses with configurable advanced filtering for simultaneous wideband and harmonic power analysis • Stream raw waveform data up to 22 items at a rate of up to 2 MS/s for detailed waveform analysis Precision Made Easy • Highly responsive 10.1-inch electrostatic capacitive touch screen • Intuitive and easy menus to connect, configure, measure and record • Modular interconnect design putting safety first

mechanical power and efficiency of the servo motor and controller.

Medical equipment board power test

In general-purpose medical equipment, it is necessary to strictly control the power consumption and current conditions of each circuit board. So that engineers can provide an optimized design based on safety

Reactive power compensation device testing

The reactive power compensation device plays a key role in dealing with the power quality problem caused by a large number of non-linear loads connected to the power grid.

Among them, power factor, harmonic and other test items are particularly important

AC magnetic properties measurement of core materials

As the EV industry continues to evolve, development engineers are increasingly rigorous in measuring motor losses, as this will directly affect the endurance of the vehicle being developed.

The iron loss test of the motor is one of the most important In the power generation and distribution industries, the power supply company and transformer manufacturers are particularly concerned about the economic effect of transformer losses.

Therefore, the accuracy of the measurement system becomes especially important

Wind Power Inverter Measurement

Energy generated by photovoltaic cell modules and wind turbines is converted from DC to AC by a power conditioning system (PCS). Minimizing losses in these conversions improves the efficiency in the overall energy system.

Efficiency of Electric Vehicles and Powertrains

From R&D to manufacturing and compliance testing, measurement of powertrain not only require progressively greater accuracies but also consistency in measurement over the specified ranges and conditions.

Application in Lighting Drive Circuit Testing

In recent years, fluorescent and incandescent lamps have been gradually replaced by longer- life, lower-energy LED lamps.

In order to further improve the efficiency of LEDs, engineers are working to improve the power conversion efficiency of LED driver circuits (drive modules). Engineers need to measure the electrical parameters of the drive circuit.

Robot servo motor test

Servo motors are widely used in automation equipment such as robots and CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine tools. It is necessary to test the voltage, current, input power,

Synchronous measurement system in rail transit

The new urban light rail transportation project is equipped with a battery energy storage system and energy feedback technology, which can recover electric energy during the braking process, and continue to drive by enabling the energy storage battery in the case of extreme special power failure.

Appliance Performance Testing

In the performance test of the appliances it is need to record flow, temperature, power, etc. WT5000 seamlessly transfer power parameters to Yokogawa paperless recorder GP10/ GP20 via Ethernet. GP10/GP20 also records temperature and flow data

Power Calibration

For customers who use a large number of power meters, WT5000 can be used as a reference standard for periodic in-house calibration of power measurement instruments, such as the WT300E series and WT500.

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Renewable Energy Development

The energy generated by the wind turbine is converted from AC to DC by the converter and then converted to AC at the grid frequency. Reducing the losses in these conversions is critical to increasing the efficiency of the entire wind power system.

T&M

Transformer Testing

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DECEMBER 2020

BIG PICTURE

False Triggers in The Automotive World Are Usually Related To Environmental Influences Mohan Kannusamy

Director ,Product Marketing ,Vishay Intertechnology

Electronics is well inking the future of automobiles and the automotive sector is driven by new connected and sensorladen technologies. Gesture Recognition, Proximity Sensors are driving automotive infotainment segment. One of the leading market-leaders of this segment is Vishay Intertechnology. Niloy from BIS in an extensive interview with Mohan Kannusamy | Director | Product Marketing |Vishay Intertechnology Optical Sensors Division discusses the company’s offering, the technical aspects, challenges and best practises and future trends shaping the Automotive sector. Edited Nub Below.

acted upon. This will help account for the mechanical stackup and its tolerances (both at the assembly as well as over time), so these don’t cause false triggers. Similar factors also affect smartphone applications, with the difference being that automotive applications require a more robust package and sensor performance, as well as a higher sensitivity (resolution) to allow for more specific applications, such as force sensing.

3. Gesture Recognitions, Proximity Sensors are driving automotive infotainment; in that scenario how forcesensing becomes crucial for today’s automotive demands?

1. Vishay’s major proximity sensor offerings and With the increased use of touch-sensitive surfaces in cars applications focus defining your leadership?

— which are placed not only near the screen of the main Vishay has a huge portfolio of proximity sensors that are used in a wide range of applications. In automotive systems, our sensors are used for display wakeup, gesture recognition, and force sensing. On the consumer side, they provide presence detection in smartphones, VR / AR headsets, TWS, and various IoT applications.

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2. How can one prevent false triggers in automotive applications and how different it is from creating solutions for Smartphones?

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False triggers in the automotive world are usually related to environmental influences. Compensating for the effects of both temperature and ambient light (sunlight) is of key importance here. Vishay´s proximity sensors include both temperature compensation and sunlight cancellation features. Furthermore, a simple calibration step should be performed, where an initial offset is measured and is subtracted from subsequent measurements so that it is always the change in counts that’s

infotainment system, but also on other materials and surfaces — there is a necessity to distinguish between an accidental brush over a button and an intentional button selection. By detecting the amount of displacement of these surfaces down to a few micrometres, it can be sensed that force is being applied to an area, thus validating the input event.

Depending on the amount of displacement that the surface allows for, this sensing method can also open up possibilities for new input types.

4. Touch-free interfaces have become popular among automotive design engineers. There is a growing demand for wake-on-approach feature-based applications for audio panels, navigation systems, and more. Proximity sensors role to enable these technologies?

Proximity sensors are designed for this purpose. Instead of requiring a distance measurement, detecting the presence of an object in front of a system can be done by monitoring

DECEMBER 2020

The key advantage of digital proximity sensors compared to traditional analog sensors is that the circuitry required allowing an analog sensor to sense a large enough distance, while also being robust against environmental influences, is already integrated into Vishay’s proximity sensors. This allows for a device in a small form-factor that can be fine-tuned to a specific application over its registry settings, and if needed, through the use of external LEDs. Vishay’s expertise in both manufacturing components with a high optical efficiency and designing robust component packages has led to its ever-increasing portfolio of automotive-qualified sensors.

Furthermore, the in-house IC design allows for the integration of new optical frontends, which can be adapted to the constantly evolving market requirements.

7. Susceptible to failure in temperature extremities, exposed to cutting fluids and chemicals for prolonged periods, makes proximity sensors brittle and cracked, their life span can be severely impacted. How can further technology know-how improve these challenges?

Operating at an extreme condition can of course damage any sensor. Vishay’s sensors are designed according to the market’s needs. For example, during the design phase of our automotive-qualified proximity sensors, the materials are carefully chosen to make sure they can withstand high temperatures and operate in robust conditions.

8. What key factors customers look into while choosing the right proximity sensor?

6. To the technical approach, how force sensing can Key factors are the necessary detection distance and the area use high-sensitivity proximity sensors and examples of that needs to be covered. Does more than one LED need to any specific applications? be connected in order to cover the detection area? If the Vishay’s automotive proximity sensors are increasingly being utilized as force sensing devices. The principle of operation is that the sensor is placed underneath a surface to which force will be applied. The sensor’s high sensitivity in the region of 3 mm to 10 mm above the sensor allows for small changes in

addition of further sensors, such as an ambient light sensor, is required, this will play a role in sensor choice as well. Lastly, some sensors are more applicable than others in applications where power consumption plays a role.

BIG PICTURE

5. What are the key advantages of digital proximity sensors and how is Vishay catering its expertise?

the displacement of the surface to be detected. The amount of displacement of the surface above the sensor will relate to a certain force, and so a threshold for the amount of force that needs to be applied to trigger an event can be set.

An example of such an implementation is in the center console of the Porsche Panamera, where buttons can be pushed on an otherwise sleek black surface.

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the change in signal that the proximity sensor sees. The sensing distance can be fine-tuned through sensor settings and the choice of external infrared - emitters. The positioning of these emitters will define the sensing area.

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DECEMBER 2020

TECHNICAL ARTICLE

The Interleaved Inverting Charge Pump—Part 1:A New Topology for Low Noise Negative Voltage Supplies Introduction Noise must be minimized in precision instrumentation or radio frequency (RF) circuits, but reducing noise comes with a number of challenges due to the nature of these systems. For instance, these systems must often operate over a wide input voltage while meeting strict electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements. Furthermore, systems are crowded with electronics, making them spaceconstrained and heat sensitive. The increasing complexity of integrated circuits (ICs) has led to an increase in the number of power supply voltage rails that these systems require.

Generating all these rails, meeting the above requirements, and keeping the entire system low noise can be daunting.

Analog Devices offers a wide variety of solutions for producing low noise power. Most of these solutions are designed to produce positive voltage rails, with fewer dedicated ICs for generating negative voltages. This can be particularly limiting when the negative voltage needs to power low noise devices, such as RF amplifiers, switches, and data converters (ADCs and DACs). In Part 1 of this article series, we introduce a new method to generate this low noise negative rail from a

positive supply. It starts with a general understanding of how negative rails are typically generated and where they are used. Then we discuss the standard inverting charge pump before introducing an interleaved inverting charge pump (IICP) topology. A short derivation of the input and output voltage ripple for the IICP emphasizes its unique advantages for low noise systems.

Part 2 of the series gives a practical example of an IICP implementation with Analog Devices’ new ADP5600. We first compare this part to a standard inverting charge pump by measuring voltage ripple and radiated emissions. Then we use the equations from Part 1 to optimize the IICP performance and develop a complete solution for powering a low noise RF circuit.

Traditional Negative Voltage Generation Methods

Table 1. Comparison of Magnetic and Inverting Charge Pumps

To create a negative voltage, one of two methods is commonly employed: use an inductive switching regulator or use a charge pump. Inductive switchers use an inductor or transformer to generate the negative voltage. Examples of these magnetic converter topologies are: inverting buck, inverting buck-boost, and Ćuk. Each of these has its own set of advantages and disadvantages regarding solution size, cost, efficiency, noise generation, and control loop complexity.1, 2 In general, the magnetics-based converters are best suited when higher output currents are required (> 100 mA).

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For applications requiring less than 100 mA of output current, charge pump positive-to-negative (inverting) dc-to-dc converters can be very small and feature low EMI because no inductors or control loops are required. They simply require moving charge between capacitors via switches—supplying the resulting charge to the output.

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Because charge pumps use no magnetics (inductors or transformers), they typically feature lower EMI than inductive switching topologies. Inductors tend to be much larger than capacitors, and unshielded inductors act like antennas by broadcasting radiated emissions. In contrast, the capacitors used in a charge pump do not produce any more EMI than a typical digital output. They can be easily routed in short traces to reduce antenna area and capacitive coupling, resulting in lower EMI. Table 1 compares inductor-based switching regulator and switched capacitor inverting topologies.

Traditional Inverting Charge Pump

Jon Kraft

Senior Staff FieldApplications Engineer, ADI

Steve Knoth

Senior Product Marketing Manager, Analog Devices’ Power Group

The configuration of the traditional inverting charge pump is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Inverting charge pump schematic.

DECEMBER 2020

Alternatively, the equivalent output resistance can be calculated as a function of switching frequency, switch resistance, and flyback capacitor size—generally simplified as:

where is the summation of the four switches’ resistance. Each of the four switches operates at the same frequency, fOSC, and they are on for one half of the switching period, T, where T = 1/fOSC. Operation can be separated into two phases based on the two halves of the switching period, as shown in Figure 2.

Equation 4 and Equation 5 illustrate that, for a standard inverting charge pump, the voltage ripple is a function of switching frequency and input (or output) capacitance. Higher frequency and higher capacitance reduce this ripple in a 1:1 relationship. However, there are practical impediments to increasing frequency: namely increasing current consumption of the chip, which decreases efficiency.

Similarly, cost and PCB area often restrict the maximum input and output capacitance of an inverting charge pump. Also note that the flyback capacitor plays no role in the charge pump’s voltage ripple.

To reduce ripple, input and output filters could be constructed around the charge pump, but this again increases complexity and the charge pump’s output resistance. However, these issues can be addressed with a novel improvement to the standard inverting charge pump inverter: an interleaved inverting charge pump (IICP).

Figure 2. Inverting charge pump during each phase of operation.

Figure 3. Timing diagram for inverting charge pump.

TECHNICAL ARTICLE

where GAIN = –1 for an inverting charge pump.

Figure 3 gives the voltages and currents for each phase of the charge pump’s operation. In Phase 1, S1 and S2 are closed and S3 and S4 are open. This charges the flying capacitor (CFLY) to a voltage of +VIN. In Phase 2, the energy from CFLY is discharged into the output by opening S1 and S2 and closing S3 and S4. The two distinct phases of operation means that discontinuous current flows into CFLY from VIN, and discontinuous current flows out of CFLY into COUT. This leads to voltage ripple on CIN and COUT, which can be calculated:

Interleaved Inverting Charge Pump (IICP)

Phase interleaving is widely used in inductive switching regulators (that is, polyphase operation) to reduce output voltage ripple.3 A 2-phase buck converter interleaved at exactly 50% duty cycle produces, in theory, 0 mV of output voltage ripple. Of course, the duty cycle of a regulated buck converter changes with input and output voltage, so the 50% case is only realized when VIN = 2 VOUT. Charge pumps usually operate at exactly 50% duty cycle, so an interleaved charge pump inverter is interesting to consider.

Interleaving charge pumps are sometimes used within ICs when a very low current negative rail is required on the die, but right now there is no commercially available dedicated IICP inverting dc-to-dc converter. The construction of an IICP requires two charge pumps and two flying capacitors.

The second charge pump operates the switches 180° out of phase with the first charge pump. Let’s look at the setup and the output ripple of an IICP and highlight how to optimize its

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The output impedance, ROUT, of the charge pump is defined as the equivalent resistance of the charge pump mechanism from input to output. It is found by measuring the input to output voltage difference and dividing by the load current:

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performance. The setup is shown in Figure 4 with the timing diagram in Figure 5.

IICP Output Voltage Ripple Derivation

Since the IICP always has one of the flying capacitors supplying current to the output, its output stage can be simplified, as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6. Simplified IICP output stage.

TECHNICAL ARTICLE

Furthermore, the IICP’s output resistance, as defined in Equation 1, can be approximated by:

Figure 4. Interleaved inverting charge pump.

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Figure 5. Timing diagram for interleaved inverting charge pump.

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In each phase of the oscillator, one of the flying capacitors is connected to VIN and the other is connected to VOUT. At first glance, one might think that the addition of the second capacitor would only reduce the voltage ripple by half.

However, this is an inaccurate oversimplification. In fact, the input and output voltage ripple can be far less than a standard inverter, because a capacitor is always charging from the input and discharging to the output. This can be better understood from the derivation of the IICP’s output voltage ripple.

Where dt is equal to a quarter of the switch period (T/4, or 1/(4 × fOSC)). The output voltage ripple, ΔVOUT, is dVOUT and VCFLY(t) is the voltage difference across CFLY. We can make the reasonable assumption that output voltage ripple is small relative to the flying capacitor voltage ripple. Then to calculate ΔVOUT, we need an understanding of VCFLY(t). From Figure 6, note that IFLY is equal to the current through the two on switches. And each of those switches has a resistance of RON. Therefore:

To solve this differential equation for VCFLY(t), at least one initial condition must be known. This condition can be found via inspection of the timing graphs in Figure 5. Note that from t = 0 to t = T/4, both CFLY capacitors contribute current to ILOAD and charge COUT. Then, from t = T/4 to t = T/2, CFLY and COUT contribute to the output load current. So, right at t = T/4 (and similarly t = 3/4 T), the contribution to ILOAD from COUT is exactly 0. Therefore, at this moment, ILOAD is equal to IFLY, and the voltage of VCFLY is given by:

DECEMBER 2020

It’s also instructive to compare the voltage ripple between an IICP and a standard charge pump. In Part 2 of this series, we will show bench test data of these differences. But for now, our LTspice model in Figure 8 can illustrate the difference in output voltage ripple.

However, the important part of Equation 12 lies in the second half. Note the minus sign for the second term, meaning that this portion reduces the output voltage ripple. Focus on the switch resistance (RON) and the flying capacitor (CFLY). In a standard inverting charge pump, these terms play no role in reducing the output voltage ripple. But in an IICP, the switch resistance acts to smooth out the charge and discharge current. The dual flying capacitors allow this charge/discharge action to happen uninterrupted.

Figure 7. Interleaved inverting charge pump in LTspice.

Output Voltage Ripple Confirmation

We can use circuit simulation to check the accuracy of Equation 12 and the validity of the assumptions used to derive it. This is easily accomplished using LTspice®. The schematic for this simulation is shown in Figure 7, and the file is available for download.

A comparison was performed for a variety of conditions, with a summary of the results in Table 2.

TECHNICAL ARTICLE

The impact of Equation 12 may not be initially obvious. It may help to first simplify it by considering the case of an ideal switch (RON = 0 Ω). Doing so brings the second term to nearly zero, leaving only the first term. That first term is very similar to the standard inverting charge pump ripple (Equation 4), but the dual flying capacitors of the IICP increase the denominator by 2×. Twice the charge pumps yields half the ripple. This result is consistent with intuition.

Table 2. Comparison of Theoretical vs. LTspice Simulation Results for Various Configurations Figure 8. Output voltage ripple of an IICP vs. a regular charge pump: VIN = 12 V, ILOAD = 50 mA, CFLY = 2.2 μF, COUT = 4.7 μF, RON = 3 Ω.

To make the comparison fair to the regular charge pump, its RON was halved and CFLY was doubled.

Optimization of IICP Topology

Table 2 shows that Equation 12 closely matches simulation, validating the assumptions made in simplifying the equations.

Now we can use that equation to make trade-offs in the IICP implementation.

For the IICP, the switch resistance (RON) reduces both input and output voltage ripple, a desired result. In contrast, in a standard inverting charge pump, the switch resistance is entirely undesirable, as it increases the ROUT of the charge pump and provides no ripple voltage reduction. In fact, we could further augment the switch resistance by placing a resistor in series with the flyback capacitor. This gives us a knob to reduce input and output voltage ripple at the expense of increased

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Having derived the IICP equations and proved their validity, there are two primary conclusions:

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charge pump resistance. We’ll explore this knob further when we discuss use cases of the IICP in Part 2 of this series.

Secondly, the value of the flying capacitors, and their r atio with COUT, can be optimized to further optimize the ripple. For example, a large output capacitor value may be difficult to find in a small package, and subject to a significant capacitance derating at higher voltages. But by reducing COUT, and then increasing CFLY, the same output voltage ripple can be obtained for more attainable values of capacitance.

For example, instead of CFLY = 1 μF and COUT = 10 μF, if they were all= set to 2.2 μF, then nearly the same output voltage ripple is attained. 2.2 μF/25 V capacitors are more readily available in small packages than 10 μF/25 V capacitors. An example application in Part 2 explores this.

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TECHNICAL ARTICLE

Conclusion

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This concludes Part 1 of the 2-part series on the interleaved inverting charge pump topology. This part covers the general concepts behind an IICP topology, including input/output voltage ripple calculations. The derivation of the equations governing input/output ripple yields important insights into how to optimize the performance of an IICP solution.

In Part 2 of the series, we unveil the ADP5600, an integrated solution for the IICP topology. We measure its performance and compare to a standard inverting charge pump. Finally, we’ll put it all together to power a low noise phased array beamforming solution.

References

1 Jaino Parasseril. “How to Produce Negative Output Voltages from Positive Inputs Using a μModule Step-Down Regulator.”

Linear Technology.

2 Kevin Scott and Jesus Rosales. “Differences Between the Ćuk Converter and the Inverting Charge Pump Converter.”

Analog Devices, Inc. 3 Majing Xie. “High Power, Single Inductor, Surface-Mount Buck-Boost μModule Regulators Handle 36 VIN, 10 A Loads.”

Linear Technology, March 2008.

Acknowledgements

Sherlyn Dela Cruz, Alex Ilustrisimo, and Roger Peppiette

About the Author

Jon Kraft is a senior staff FAE in Colorado and has been with ADI for 13 years. His focus is software-defined radio and aerospace phased array radar. He received his B.S.E.E. from Rose-Hulman and his M.S.E.E. from Arizona State University. He has nine patents issued (six with ADI) and one currently pending. He can be reached at jon.kraft@analog.com.

About the Author

Steve Knoth is a senior product marketing manager in Analog Devices’ Power Group. He is responsible for all power management integrated circuit (PMIC) products, low dropout (LDO) regulators, battery chargers, charge pumps, charge pump-based LED drivers, supercapacitor chargers, and low voltage monolithic switching regulators. Prior to rejoining Analog Devices in 2004, Steve held various marketing and product engineering positions at Micro Power Systems, Analog Devices, and Micrel Semiconductor. He earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1988 and a master’s degree in physics in 1995, both from San Jose State University. Steve also received an M.B.A. in technology management from the University of Phoenix in 2000. In addition to enjoying time with his kids, Steve is an avid music lover and can be found tinkering with pinball and arcade games or muscle cars, and buying, selling, and collecting vintage toys, movie, sports, and automotive memorabilia. He can be reached at steve. knoth@analog.com.

DECEMBER 2020

Texas Instrument’s Technology is at The Core of Making This Happen Texas Instruments (TI) is working closely to innovate in the robotics space. TI has extensive plans to dominate in this emerging sector. Niloy from BISinfotech in talks with Sameer Wasson | Vice President Processors |Texas Instruments explores TI’s ahead plans in this space and their offerings and innovations which is keeping the company on the edge of a new evolution. Edited Nub Below.

1. How are semiconductor players like TI making Robots more affordable and ‘sensible’ in the real world?

Sameer Wasson

Vice President Processors|Texas Instruments

5. The omnipresence of IIOT underlines new challenges putting Cyber-security in the hot spot. What are some of the critical security challenges faced by customers? What 2. What is the future of COBOTS and how does TI plan are some common pitfalls in IIoT security implementation? to get alongside eliminating critical collision situations, Security is an important, changing space. Our goal is to offer enabling low-system weight and small form factors, while products with various types of security features that can evolve achieving high power density and tightly integrated over time with this ever-changing space. Ultimately, customers electronics? should approach security from an ecosystem perspective, Cobots are enabling an expansion of robotics into more applications with the help of advancements in sensory and processing features, in addition to system safety features.

These advancements can help robotics evolve from working in constrained environments to the functioning and adapting to unconstrained environments. Texas Instrument’s technology is at the core of making this happen by supporting multiple sensing modalities, real-time control and enabling functional safety certification.

3. Which sectors are early adopters of Robots (e.g: Logistics)? Can a robot manage the end to end supply chain or be useful to make the last-mile delivery?

Yes. For example, while initially robots were preliminarily seen used inside factory warehouses, today, we are also beginning to see them being applied for delivery services.

4. What are the key design challenges faced? How does TI plan to ease and accelerate the design of Robotics?

Design challenges can range from addressing size, weight, and power constraints to supporting safety standards. Companies are working on designs that can address these problems to a large extent. Our aim is to equip our customers with the

IGBTs

components they require to make their design possible. Our broad analog and embedded processing product portfolio, reference designs and systems knowledge allow customers to support and scale to their various requirements.

considering and addressing hardware, software, and system configurations to enable overall, improved security.

6. Sameer, at the Robotics roundtable, you emphasized on ‘Cost and Affordability’ of sensors to make robots mainstream. Is TI’s innovation to make the above underquoted, a reality?

Innovation comes in the form of technology innovation and innovative thinking. By lowering system costs overall, customers can more easily develop a variety of robotics applications. In our processors, we work to develop technology that intelligently integrates various functions, like mmWave sensing, on-chip.

This can help simplify data movement within the robot as well as reduce system size, weight, and complexity.

7. Lastly, please share trends you foresee, that could shape Robotics in the coming time.

As a wider variety of robotics emerges, it will be important to consider how to enable these systems to adapt in both controlled and uncontrolled environments. I think there will be an emphasis on building flexible devices that support multiple sensing modalities, execute real-time control, and enable safety for collaboration.

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Semiconductor components are at the heart of technology.

Advancements in components can impact robotics in a variety of ways, including: • Improving technical capabilities, so that robots can work better across a variety of environments • Minimize component costs to help make robotics more affordable Across the robotics supply chain, continuous advancement in semiconductor technology can impact everything from cameras and sensing modalities (like mmWave or lidar) to processing for automation and powering the robot efficiently.

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T&M FEATURE

Increased demands on gNB EVM and ACLR Test System Performance RF-savvy NEM’s know that testing gNB’s in the FR2 band means increased measurement demands in the test equipment required to measure gNB RF performance parameters such as Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) and Adjacent Channel Leakage Ratio (ACLR) at millimeter-wave frequencies.

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At these higher frequencies, there is an inherent increase in semiconductor junction noise and harmonic distortion introduced by the RF components and sub-systems that make up the gNB. These serve to make meeting high performance demands of 5G much harder to achieve. For example, the requirement for ultra-low latency compared with 4G requires lower levels of phase error and precise timing at much higher millimeter-wave frequencies than the prior 4th generation LTE base stations that operated at sub 6 GHz frequencies.

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Norm Smith

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global supply chains and inevitably has impacted the 5G supply chain. This has led to some countries announcing delays in their 5G network deployment plans. Despite the global economic situation, brought on by the pandemic, Network Equipment Manufacturers (NEM’s) and Network Operators, are forging Figure 1: 5G FR2 band gNB example. ahead with manufacturing and deployment ramp-up plans for the next phase. While the initial 5G deployments focused mainly on the FR1 band (410 MHz to 7.125 GHz), this next phase will be operating in the FR2 band (24.25 to 52.6 GHz), with current operating bands in the 24.25-43.5 GHz frequency range. As such, attention is turning to the challenges of scaling volume manufacturing of high performance 5G NR base stations (gNB) and small cells at millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequencies.

5G Go-To-Market Programs Manager, Keysight Technologies

Innovations in 5G Base Station Millimeter Wave Manufacturing Test

Additionally, due to the compact antenna structure and inaccessibility of the gNB millimeter-wave antenna elements the 3GPP standards requirements for RF performance testing, of the transmitter and receiver, necessitate over-the-air (OTA) testing. This is performed using an anechoic chamber like the CATR example from Keysight Technologies shown in figure 2.

Figure 2: Keysight’s CATR430 Anechoic Chamber.

Figure 3: Keysight’s S9130A-TR1 gNB Test System.

This OTA test requirement means that the interface to the device under test is now a test antenna inside an anechoic chamber, which may be located a few meters away from the test equipment. Higher output power and better sensitivity are required from the test equipment to overcome the free space path loss and higher cable loss at mmWave frequencies.

Since FR2 5G NR carriers may have bandwidths of 50, 100, 200, or 400 MHz, testing EVM and ACLR for wider bandwidth signals presents another challenge. This is especially true when carrier aggregation is used, increasing the bandwidth requirements on the test equipment.

Making OTA measurements results in a large path loss. This path loss pushes even the most expensive benchtop test equipment outside of their optimal power range, degrading ACLR and EVM. Also, external components such as power amplifiers and low noise amplifiers are needed in the OTA test set up. Additionally, mmWave switches are used to route the signal between horizontally and vertically polarized antennas

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and between multiple instruments for both transmit and receive testing. The various paths and components in these test systems, that are configured with traditional mmWave bench instruments, can be time consuming to calibrate and difficult to duplicate when scaling up a manufacturing line.

This all adds up to potentially more expensive millimeterwave manufacturing test bench instrument set ups and more manufacturing floor space required, due to the need for large anechoic chambers for FR2 testing. Overall, when compared with the conducted measurements that are commonly performed at the FR1 band, the whole over-the-air test environment is much more complex and harder to scale.

Innovations in Remote Millimeter-Wave Radio Heads

With two bi-directional mmWave ports and variable gain in the remote radio head, the S9130A-TR1 can perform both transmit and receive testing of both horizontal and vertical polarizations over a wide power range that is not hindered by long mmWave cable insertion losses. The remote radio head integrates the multiple paths and external components used in a typical benchtop OTA test system, saving on calibration time and greatly reducing complexity.

The S9130A-TR1’s best-in-class ACLR and EVM performance can now be used to measure the true performance of a gNB. With the S9130A’s unparalleled source, a gNB receiver can now be tested to the same benchmark as the transmitter.

Figure 4 shows a typical 5G NR 8CC ACLR measurement at 28 GHZ obtained using the S9130A system in loop-back mode.

Figure 5 shows the EVM performance level at 39 GHz for an 8CC 5G NR waveform.

Figure 5: S9130A-TR1 8CC EVM Measurement at 39 GHz.

What about cost-of-test?

Anyone involved in manufacturing test knows that cost-of-test is a big deal when it comes to testing with traditional millimeterwave bench instruments. Fortunately, with innovations in the new M9415A 3-slot wide PXIe VXT module (Figure 6) that covers up to 12 GHz for FR1 or IF testing, the S9130A system shown in figure 3 provides a measurement solution that covers both the FR1 and FR2 bands.

This solution reduces the cost of the hardware significantly by eliminating expensive millimeter wave components associated with providing continuous frequency coverage that is unnecessary in a manufacturing test environment.

Figure 6: M9415A VXT High Performance Vector Transceiver is at the heart of the new S9130A solution.

T&M FEATURE

In contrast, test systems such as Keysight’s Performance MultiBand Vector Transceiver (S9130A-TR1), shown in figure 3, makes use of a state-of-the-art remote radio head to upconvert up from an IF frequency (of up to 12 GHz) to the FR2 millimeterwave band (24.25-43.5 GHz). By making use of a remote radio head, this system eliminates the high mmWave cable path losses between the OTA chamber and the test equipment.

It accomplishes this by having the long cable length be used for the intermediate frequency (IF) feed to the remote radio head which incurs significantly less path loss.

Full Development Life Cycle Testing

Often due to the significant cost savings over traditional bench instruments, customers find that these types of banded millimeter wave systems also lend themselves well to high performance FR2 band small cell and macro cell testing in R&D, design verification, and conformance test phases too. For further information visit www.keysight.com/find/basestationtest.

About the author

He is a former R&D Engineer at Nokia Telecommunications where he worked on the first generation of digital cellular base stations. He holds an OND & HNC in Telecommunications Engineering, Bachelor’s Degree (Hons) in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and is a candidate (Feb 2021) for an Executive MBA at Sonoma State University, California.

Figure 4: S9130A-TR1 8CC ACLR Measurement at 28 GHz.

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Norm Smith is a 5G Go-To-Market Programs Manager for Keysight Technologies Inc. Internet Infrastructure, Network Access, Industry Solutions Team.

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SMART FACTORY

TSN—Is It Ready to Take Your Smart Factory up a Notch?

- MOXA Building a smart factory is not easy. In the past, in order to achieve the best performance for different applications and functions, factories needed to create their own independent, layered network architecture to maximize the efficiency of their workstations, production lines, and control center.

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In addition to increasing production capacity and reducing production costs, the move towards Industry 4.0 also drives the future trend of mass customized manufacturing. This new approach to manufacturing relies on the interconnection of all devices in the factory. In practice, this means merging the information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) networks to connect all end devices and centralize data collection from raw materials, to production, all the way to customer delivery. That real-time information then enables factories to optimize their production strategies.

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With this trend in mind, system integrators that want to help factories with conventional layered networks transform into smart factories will face difficult challenges including technical feasibility, additional construction, and higher maintenance costs. To build true smart factories, we need to break through traditional layered network architecture first.

The automation industry has long been looking forward to the possibility of a unified network that can address the challenges many factories face today. This is where time-sensitive networking (TSN) technology comes into play. Based on standard Ethernet, TSN can achieve network-wide time synchronization, lower latency, higher reliability, and optimized management along with support for industrial Ethernet protocols. With these enhancements, TSN effectively solves the complications of IT and OT convergence, breaking through the islands of automation to realize the future imagined by Industry 4.0. The standard development organization ODVA, composed of leading industrial automation manufacturers, pointed out that: "The TSN standard for sending time-critical data via industrial Ethernet can accommodate the significant increase in data traffic brought about by IT and OT convergence.”

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TSN technology has been in development for many years.

However, companies hoping to build smart factories are still waiting to see what practical benefits TSN can bring to the industry. System integrators believe that TSN technology has not been put into practice yet and are looking forward to the commercialization of TSN technology as well asa more complete TSN ecosystem.

However, the bigger question remains: Is TSN ready to be used in smart factories?

We believe that there are three key requirements for successfully implementing TSN technology.

Requirement 1: Support for Industrial Ethernet Protocols Over TSN

The PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI) organization, which has 1,700 members around the world, released the "PROFINET Specification V2.4" in July of 2019, introducing support for PROFINETbased industrial communication over TSN networks.

In addition to proving the feasibility of TSN technology, it is also pioneering the advancement of the TSN ecosystem.

In 2018, the "OPC UA FLC initiative" launched by the OPC Foundation aims to deliver an open, cohesive approach to implement OPC UA including TSN and associated application profiles. For the first time, the OPC Foundation has assembled a number of top industrial automation manufacturers to participate in a joint project. The aim is to construct fieldlevel real-time communication protocols required for future industrial automation systems based on TSN technology.

Although this standard is still under development, its substantial progress could already be witnessed at the Hannover Messe in Germany in April 2019 and in its latest flyer.

EtherNet/IP, an industrial Ethernet protocol developed by ODVA, is also on the verge of leveraging TSN technology for its standard. For example, the "EtherNet/IP Enhanced to Further Address Industry 4.0 and IIoT” released in April 2020 added support for Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) to lay down the foundation for incorporating TSN functionality into the EtherNet/IP Specification.

These major industrial Ethernet protocols are being updated to support the TSN standard. Although they are in different stages of completeness, they are no longer just theoretical.

In addition, some equipment manufacturers have already launched TSN-capable products that are compatible with these industrial Ethernet protocols.

SMART FACTORY

For example, in 2018, the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) completed and issued the "CC-Link IE TSN" specification based on the TSN standard. A subsequent CLPA white paper described several application cases such as an automotive paint shop and semiconductor processing tools, illustrating the practical advantages of a unified network using the CC-Link IE TSN protocol. As of September 2020, the CLPA has more than 300 corporate members, with several manufacturers having released products compatible with the CC-Link IE TSN standard.

OPC UA FLC initiative key players Source: https://opcfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ OPCF-FLC.pdf

Requirement 2: TSN Solution Readiness Following the evolution of industrial Ethernet protocols, the next hurdle to overcome is the readiness of TSN solutions.

For the automation devices, systems, and even the entire production line required in a smart factory, the software and hardware must support TSN to a certain extent to be able to implement a complete solution and put the TSN technology into practice.

For example, software and hardware development kits and stacks, and development boards can assist device makers throughout the lifecycle of producing TSN applications and products. Automation hardware devices such as controllers, switches, human-machine interfaces (HMI), inverters, and IOs also need to support TSN-related functionality to assist system integrators with building the next generation of automation systems and networks.

On the other hand, there has been a substantial increase in the amount of managed devices and collected data in

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Industrial communication technology is an integral part of any factory's operations. Industrial Ethernet protocols play an important role in the factory’s OT network. Different organizations create customized protocols to meet the requirements of their application systems. This creates a situation where equipment, production lines, and applications work independently, making it difficult for these systems to communicate and collaborate with each other. Since the dawn of TSN technology, major industrial Ethernet protocol organizations have begun actively formulating standards and developing TSN-compatible industrial Ethernet protocols. This allows users of different industrial Ethernet protocol ecosystems to take full advantage of the latest TSN technology.

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smart factories. In order to help system integrators reduce overall deployment and maintenance costs, the software management tool for the centralized management of TSN equipment is also an indispensable part of the overall solution.

This can help field engineers simplify complex application requirements and save a significant amount of time when configuring TSN devices.

SMART FACTORY

When looking at the TSN ecosystem as whole, since the inception of the Smart Production Solutions (SPS) in Germany in 2016, various manufacturers of chips, development boards, equipment, and software kits have been gradually releasing TSN-related products. From the products launched by the automation giants in recent years, it is clear that TSN-based solutions are maturing quickly.

Requirement 3: Multivendor Interoperability While TSN is a collection of many industry-recognized Ethernet standards, compatibility issues between devices of different manufacturers are inevitable. In response, four major TSN interoperability test platforms have been established around the world, including the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC), Labs Network Industrie 4.0 (LNI 4.0), Alliance of Industrial Internet (AII), and the Edge Computing Consortium (ECC). Through these platforms, device manufacturers can work together to ensure the interoperability and integration of TSN technology between devices.

During the 2019 Hannover Messe exhibition in Germany, the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) presented its joint demo.

This not only demonstrated the commitment of the many manufacturers to provide TSN solutions, but also served as a practical means of reassuring system integrators and users.

The IIC joint demo at the 2019 Hannover Messe

TSN Is Ready

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Through the combined efforts of the various TSN vendors, the key elements for building a TSN ecosystem are gradually being put in place, with substantial progress already made.

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In recent years, many demonstrations of practical TSN applications have been on display in automation exhibitions around the world. These exhibitions are evidence of the standard organizations and manufacturers’ determination to support the development of TSN technology. Moxa, as an active contributor since the early stages of defining the TSN standard, has been working together with industry leaders to advance the development of the TSN ecosystem.

In November 2019, Moxa together with Mitsubishi Electric, B&R, and Acontis presented the “TSN: unified network infrastructure” at the Smart Production Solutions (SPS) in Nuremberg, Germany.

Using a TSN unified network architecture, two major industrial Ethernet protocols, CC-Link IE TSN and OPC UA, ran over TSN. This demo integrated motion control, image streaming, data collection, and other applications to demonstrate the practical implementation of TSN with multiple products. (For more info see TSN—The Future Is Now)

2019 SPS TSN demo kit display At the Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition in August 2020, Moxa was invited by CLPA to demonstrate the TSN unified network architecture, showing Moxa’s CC-Link IE TSN-certified switches in action for the first time.

2020 Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition demo kit display In the past, the industry considered the TSN standards and technology still to be in the early stages of development.

Industrial Ethernet protocol support, solution readiness, and interoperability are the three key factors that are holding back the implementation of TSN technology. Based on recent progress, we know that these obstacles are now gradually becoming a thing of the past.

TSN is no longer just an idea. The introduction of TSNcompatible industrial Ethernet protocols and complete TSN solutions designed by device manufacturers all build towards a true TSN ecosystem that is set to become the cornerstone of the future Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) era. For more information about TSN, download our white paper or visit our TSN website.

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COVER STORY

DECEMBER 2020

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Avinash J Trivedi

VP – Business Development, Videonetics Technology

Manoranjan Mohapatra

Co-Founder, Phoenix Robotix

How 'Smart' is the Smart City Mission?

With each passing year, we are seeing different shades of technology. First it started with smart phone, then smart television and now our government is full-fledged dedicated to make smart cities in India. There are numerous varieties and developments, which we have seen from last few years, means the day is not away where our country will be considered as the smartest country in the world. According to a news website, Bharatpur will be the next Smart City in the coming years as they plan to include the city under the Modi government’s Smart City Mission. Smart city technology allows city officials to interact directly with both community and city infrastructure and to monitor what is happening in the city and how the city is evolving. Manoranjan Mohapatra, Co-Founder, Phoenix Robotix and Avinash J Trivedi, VP – Business Development, Videonetics Technology during an interaction with Nitisha shares the growth plans and loopholes of the industry.

Smart City’s Demand

Smart city projects are growing in popularity across the globe

with an increasing urban population and rapid expansion of areas. Stakeholders are looking at smarter ways to manage complexities, increase efficiencies and improve quality of life.

This has created need for cities that monitor and integrate infrastructure to better optimize resources while maximizing services to its citizens, said Trivedi While sharing his point of view about smart cities.

Videonetics is playing a pivotal role by providing its Unified Video Computing Platform™, especially developed to address typical challenges with regards to large scale surveillance, traffic management, video forensics etc. We have successfully achieved market leadership position in Safe & Smart City Market in India by successfully securing 140 cities in India.

The modular architecture of our UVCP™ makes it efficient to integrate various applications using pluggable modules and customize the solution to meet unique needs of many industries ranging from small shops, to universities, stadiums and cities, said Trivedi.

DECEMBER 2020

All industries in this world have suffered a lot due to corona pandemic. Many companies have stopped the work and few are working in a big loss. So, while emphasizing on same, Trivedi says the impact of COVID-19 on enterprises and economies is transforming the way businesses are operated and delivered worldwide. As various verticals implement new protocols in response to COVID-19, we recently launched world’s first video analytics based Pandemic Management Suite ‘SAJAG’ powered by its AI & DL framework, commits to empower COVID-19 warriors and crusaders by delivering actionable intelligence with in-depth insights to combat spread of the COVID-19.

Due to covid the implementation is going slow but in progress and most of the cities are looking at few benefits, shared Mohapatra.

Opportunities in 2021

Videonetics: Videonetics are equally aligned with the vision of ‘Self Reliant India’. More than a decade, Videonetics has been built on its strong heritage of innovation and excellence in Visual Computing Platform. With our sheer determination and unified efforts, we will continue to invest in R&D to generate Indian Intellectual Properties with a patriotic mission to minimize our dependency on foreign technologies. Moreover, we have also started expanding our footprints in South East Asia, Middle East, US and UK markets by delivering and deploying solutions for various verticals.

Phoenix Robotix: The Company is working on Chennai Smart city and bid is on the final stage, Kohima Smart city will also start soon. More projects should roll by the government and benefits can be shared across the cities. The best practice can also be repeated in other places.

Challenge & Scope

Every aspect has different advantages and disadvantage, so here if we talk about smart cities it has also some challenges.

Pointing out the challenges, Mohapatra explained managing various parameters to keep the ongoing smart cities including maintenance. The other challenges could be change in technology and taking decisions. In transport sector, the EV and its related infrastructure can play a major role; it can finish pollution and traffic issues.

Trivedi says, when we embarked in 2020, none of us could predict the way that the first six months would impact individuals around the globe. Each day, businesses are affected as workers remotely report for duty, finding new ways to connect with colleagues and do business, the security industry is embracing this trend, too. The industry may observe less demand of the general-purpose security & safety products. However, the global

Companies and its offerings

Phoenix Robotix: Phoenix Robotix offers end to end solution ( hardware , software and dashboard) for Industrial IoT to monitor on various parameters to increase the efficiency and performance of multiple assets and Industry.

Videonetics Technology: Videonetics is the world’s first company to develop AI & DL powered Unified Video Computing Platform (UVCP™), which has been magnificently managing video data as well as other sensor-generated multi-sensory data in a single unified framework. Videonetics UVCP™ has been trained with very large & diverse datasets, making it incredibly robust, smart and computationally efficient.

Smart cities’ features will be;

• Planning of ‘unplanned areas’ comprising a range of compatible activities as well as land use close to one another • Expand housing opportunities for everyone • Developing walkable localities, which will help in reducing congestion, air pollution and resource depletion. Also, this will give a boost to the local economy, promote interactions and ensure security.

• Creating or refurbishing roads for vehicles and public transport as well as for pedestrians and cyclists • Developing and preserving open spaces – playgrounds, parks and recreational spacesPromoting various transport options – Transit Oriented Development, public transport as well as last-mile para-transport connectivity • Making governance cost-effective and citizen-friendly by relying on online services to bring transparency and accountability • Giving the city an identity, based on its local cuisine, health, culture, arts and craft, education, dairy, sports goods, hosiery, furniture, textile, etc.

• Applying smart solutions to services as well as infrastructure in development that is area-based, in order to make them better

COVER STORY

Impact of Covid19

pandemic has led to a rapid transformation of our industry as people have started adopting AI based technologies to ensure business continuity, and this trend will only accelerate during the rest of 2020 & beyond. As our country has started reopening various facets of the economy and “Unlock” phase commenced – The economy has started coming back on track and we have started seeing positive trends across various business segments. However, a lot has to be done to achieve the lost ground over last many months since the pandemic started.

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Whereas, Mohapatra says, Phoenix Robotix works in more than 15 cities in India with large integrators like Honeywell, L&T, Acetech, etc. Our USP is end to end affordable IoT solutions and it’s different in the sense of customization.

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DECEMBER 2020

R&S Gains Contract for Supporting Guardia di Finanza

Yokogawa Subsidiary Releases OmegaLand V3.4

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T&M

Subsidiary of Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Omega Simulation has recently announced the release of OmegaLand V3.4, an e n h a n c e d version of the OmegaLand integrated dynamic simulation environment. This core element of Omega Simulation’s plant training simulator provides realistic simulation, and an engineering environment that can swiftly adapt to customers’ varied simulation needs. In line with advances in digital technology, companies are looking to rapidly streamline and improve the efficiency of plant operations by making greater use of digital data and linking systems. In addition, the proactive introduction of digital technology has given rise to the need for dynamic simulators that can be used not just for training, but also to achieve more efficient and stable plant operations by leveraging simulation technology to investigate and analyze process behaviors to improve the control of their plant facilities, as well as provide operational assistance during actual operations.

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Rohde & Schwarz has been granted a contract by Italian shipbuilder Cantiere Navale Vittoria to supply line of sight (LOS) and beyond the line of sight (BLOS) communications systems for the Guardia di Finanza’s offshore patrol vessels.

The final offshore patrol vessel (OPV) is the largest patrol boat ever built for the Guardia di Finanza and will be commissioned in 2022. It will join the large fleet already equipped with R&S Postman (integrated communications system) and external communications systems from Rohde & Schwarz. R&S M3SR Series4100 HF radios use the SOVERON communications architecture. They are innovative, versatile software-defined radios (SDR) that can be upgraded with HF wideband functions. The powerful radio platform can be expanded at any time and is a safe, future-ready investment.

Keysight New Infiniium EXR-Series Keysight Technologies has released the new Infiniium 8-channel oscilloscope technology, which is now available via both distribution and direct channels.

Powerful, intuitive to use and easy to own, the new Infiniium EXR-Series extends the power of Keysight’s Infiniium MXR oscilloscope family to customers that want to buy through the company’s global network of distributors.

The Infiniium MXR-Series and EXR-Series feature multiple instruments integrated into a single platform for higher engineering productivity and ease-of-use. Both platforms offer advanced software applications and features that simplify debugging, power measurements and remote collaboration.

Key features of the Infiniium EXR-Series: • Enables designers to work with higher bandwidth signals simultaneously across more analog and digital channels.

• Fully upgradeable from 4 to 8 channels, from 500 MHz to 2.5 GHz, and up to 7 total instruments in one lightweight, bench-top device • Reduces troubleshooting time for random errors and dramatically improves test workflow, enhanced by remote team collaboration for engineers to quickly move from symptom, to root cause, to solution, speeding time-tomarket and reducing labor cost

VIAVI Improves OneAdvisor-800 AllIn-One Tool

VIAVI Solutions has enhanced the VIAVI OneAdvisor-800 all-in-one tool to streamline cell site maintenance of 5G and 4G technologies. With the addition of 5G NR and 4G LTE signal analyzer functionality to the awardwinning OneAdvisor-800, field technicians can efficiently deploy, integrate and troubleshoot today’s multi-technology networks with a single instrument.

Even as communications service providers (CSPs) face mounting pressure to deliver on the promise of 5G, demand still exists to maintain and deploy essential LTE services. The VIAVI OneAdvisor-800 consolidates all key 5G and 4G cell site installation and integration tests, with support for fiber, coaxial cable, PIM detection, frontal, and spectrum/signal analysis. In addition to the efficiency of an all-in-one device, built-in automated workflows guide technicians through each test process and automatically store test results, further streamlining cell site certification and optimization.

Key Features: • 5G NR Signal Analyzer: Comprehensive signal analysis measurements for 5G, including beam analysis and carrier scanner for single or multiple 5G channel verification.

AUTOMOTIVE

DECEMBER 2020

Journey of innovation The inside story of the

world’s first millimeter-wave radar system on chip, Part 2 When a team of TI innovators created the world’s first millimeterwave radar system on a chip, they enabled our customers to integrate radar technology into automobiles, giving more people access to safer vehicles.

The JDI nickname didn’t originate with mmWave, says Baher, the team’s leader. It was a team that had earned the nickname during its time in our company’s Wireless business, starting in 1998.

Vijay speaks with a sense of nostalgia as he recalls the mmWave R&D team nickname.

“It was called JDI,” he says.

That stood for, “Just do it.”

“The JDI acronym stuck with the team, and in a sense, it was a metaphor for, ‘If it is doable – we are the ones to do it,’” Baher remembers. “It carries with it courage and intensity, but also a lot of depth and caring with expectation of firsttime success.”

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And that was exactly the attitude required to deliver on what would become a nine-year innovation journey to build the world’s first automotive mmWave radar system on chip.

“At the time, CMOS (complementary metal–oxide– semiconductor) analog design was considered impossible,” says Vijay, an innovator on the core team. “There were a lot of people inside TI, some of them TI Fellows, who used to tell me, ‘You cannot do high-precision analog design in CMOS.’” Like many other innovators in our company’s history, they did not back down from a challenge. During their R&D journey, they secured 24 patents and created a technology that made it possible – for the very first time – to integrate affordable TI mmWave radar systems into mid-to-low end vehicles to improve safety.

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“Just Do It is the way we ran the team,” says Srinath, one of its core innovators. “We just went ahead and did it. To do this, one needs confidence in their skill set and also the ability to manage the risks and fear of failure.”

For members of the team, the project was personal.

Brian, one of the core innovators, lost his best friend in a tragic car accident.

“Back in 2006, my childhood best friend was driving home from an Ultimate Frisbee tournament, and a coyote ran across the highway,” Brian says. “He swerved, lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the median. The two front seat passengers died.

“I genuinely believe that highly automated driving as a technology has the potential to avoid such fatal accidents.”

When the mmWave innovation program began, Brian says, the number one cause of death for people in his age bracket was accidents, including automobile accidents.

“The potential environmental, economic, and quality of life benefits from assisted and autonomous driving is matched by

DECEMBER 2020

When the team set out to create TI mmWave technology, the quest was all about enabling higher levels of safety in more affordable cars. That was a goal that many TI engineers had been thinking of for decades.

“We converted what used to be a military technology into something that we can actually put in our hands. Almost at our fingertips,” Vijay says. “And it can now be produced in dollars rather than in thousands of dollars or millions of dollars.”

A team during the 1980s proposed automotive radar to TI’s leadership. But the technology never gained traction at the time because, at $500, it wasn’t competitively priced.

It is fitting, Baher says, that the mmWave project originated as one of the first R&D endeavors in Kilby Labs, a research center named for Jack Kilby, who invented the integrated circuit at TI in 1958. The project crossed multiple disciplines, including devices, modeling and processes, circuit design and architecture, packaging technology, system knowledge, radio-frequency (RF) imaging, antennas, and the mathematics of imaging – in extreme operating conditions.

“When many boundaries need to be crossed, innovations are ample,” Baher says.

When the project began in 2009, it was an exploration of how to build complex mmWave systems, how to productize them, and how to do all this in CMOS technology, says Brian.

The team accepted the steep challenge of designing in CMOS because they knew that this foundational piece was what would make the technology affordable to the masses. It was the one thing that would allow them to bring radar detection capabilities, which were once very costly, to a technology that could easily be incorporated into a $20,000 car.

The team had the right mix of expertise to start with, says Baher, its leader.

“We had the right attitude. We had solid fundamentals, a

Integrating technologies

After developing the business case, the engineers kicked off a new project in mid-2012 to develop an automotive radar chipset. The market at the time was already being disrupted because Europe had changed the regulations that govern automotive radar.

Before 2012, forward-looking or long-range radars in the vehicle operated at a frequency of 77 GHz. And corner radars, which are used for blind-spot detection, were primarily at 24 GHz. Europe changed the regulations to sunset the 24-GHz spans, which meant they had to transition to 77 GHz. The first working system was built in 2013, with test chips, in partnership with an original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

“After that, we started defining and implementing our first production silicon,” Brian said. “So it took about two years of additional technology development, and then three years to build the product.”

AUTOMOTIVE

Enabling higher levels of safety

desire to learn new things, and we were not afraid of tackling new areas in a short time,” he says.

Once the team proved the ability to build the system on a CMOS platform, they were able to integrate a lot more digital content.

“Instead of having multiple separate front-end elements and then a microcontroller and a DSP, we were able to provide that all in one device – a system on chip,” Brian says. “And then, with the front-end radar transceiver, we were able to build enough intelligence in so that the chip was able to do basically all of the radar configuration and signal processing on top.”

This made the radar much simpler to use because it did not require direct intervention from an external host during its operation, but still retained all the flexibility required in the final system.

The team also spent time innovating low-cost test solutions and how to redefine the way the device would monitor itself.

The self-monitoring feature was crucial because it would mean that our customers could enable the highest levels of functional safety, Brian says.

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very few other technologies. Radars are only one small piece of highly automated driving, but they are an essential one.”

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DECEMBER 2020

Simplifying radar

Deploying radar once demanded extensive RF design and expertise. Integrating the right antenna, RF, analog, digital processor and a proper interface required a costly and cumbersome design. But TI mmWave technology has opened the door to many creative plug-and-play solutions. In addition to standard automotive applications, many industrial and commercial applications can readily benefit from an easy-touse TI mmWave sensor. For instance, TI mmWave technology can be used to detect when an elderly person falls to alert a caregiver. It can enable robots to navigate complex factory environments. And it can detect an intruder through walls as part of a security system. To learn more, see Part 1 of this series.

Before TI mmWave technology, only high-end vehicles offered radar-enabled safety systems. This affordable solution allows a radar sensor to be incorporated into low-cost vehicles, helping to make automobiles safer.

“We had to struggle from product definition through system implementation, device implementation and finally demonstration, but it was all worth it,” Srinath says.

A family of technologies

But the benefit of this team’s work doesn’t stop in automotive applications. A little more than a decade after their initial project kicked off, these innovators have created a family of technologies enabling an array of applications, from incabin sensing in vehicles to robotic maneuvering in factories to monitoring the vital signs of a room full of people with no physical contact.

Since 2012, the mmWave design team has grown to a significant team within our company, working on related technologies and developing a full product portfolio. That team has added approximately 50 new patents beyond the core team’s original 24.

“Many people have contributed key innovations and combined their focused effort to make all of this happen,” Baher says.

“Our success stands on all of their shoulders.”

The focus of the mmWave team today is to continue expanding the use of radar technology beyond traditional markets. The products they create solve vision-sensing challenges across the globe.

AUTOMOTIVE

“It all started with automotive, but the team is focused on understanding the needs of today and anticipating the needs of tomorrow to continue expanding use of affordable radar technology,” Baher says.

A passion to create a better world

At TI, our passion is to create a better world by making electronics more affordable through semiconductors. We do this through the years, as generations of incremental and breakthrough innovations build upon one another to make electronics smaller, more efficient, more reliable and more affordable. Technologies like TI mmWave.

“We needed to bring life-saving technology to more cars.

And we did it. We democratized radar by bringing down the cost and simplifying the usage so that you don’t have to have a Ph.D. to use it,” Vijay says.

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Book Now

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(The article is an original piece written by Texas Instruments.)

DECEMBER 2020

AI and ML, 5G and IoT: Major Technologies in 2021

Compared to a year ago, CIOs and CTOs overwhelmingly (92%) believe their company is better prepared to respond to a potentially catastrophic interruption such as a data breach or natural disaster. What’s more, of those who say they are better prepared, 58% strongly agree that COVID-19 accelerated their preparedness.

eTruck Market Moving to Zero emission

IDTechEx has published a new report about “Electric Truck Markets 2021-2041”, providing a COVID-19 adjusted, 20-year outlook for both the medium-duty (MDT) and heavy-duty truck (HDT) markets, with separate forecast lines for the batteryelectric vehicle, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), and fuel cell electric vehicle M&HDT, both at the global scale and for key regions: China, the US and Europe. Forecasts are presented in unit sales, battery demand (GWh) and market value ($ billion).

The California Air Resources Board adopted new standards which mandate that 75% of new Class 4-8 ridged truck and 55% of new tractor truck sales must be zero-emission by 2035. With 11.6% of the US truck fleet (1.7 million trucks) in California, this

REPORT

Manufacturing (19%), healthcare (18%), financial services (15%) and education (13%) are the industries that most believe will be impacted by technology in 2021, according to CIOs and CTOS surveyed. At the same time, more than half (52%) of CIOs and CTOs see their biggest challenge in 2021 as dealing with aspects of COVID-19 recovery concerning business operations. These challenges include a permanent hybrid

The adoption of IoT (42%), augmented and virtual reality (35%) and video conferencing (35%) technologies have also been accelerated due to the global pandemic.

legislation will be a significant driver not only for the Californian electric medium and heavy-duty truck (M&HDT) market, but act as a catalyst for the US, whilst setting a benchmark for the rest of the world.

IDTechEx believes it is increasingly self-evident that the future of the industry cannot rely on the deployment of traditional combustion engines. Drastic emissions reductions are required from the transport sector, both to protect the global climate and to improve urban air quality. Battery electric (BEV) and fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) trucks offer OEMs the avenue to an ultra-low on-road emission future.

In recognition of the tightening legislative landscape for exhaust emissions and growing demand for cleaner transport technologies, truck OEMs are now investing heavily in electric drive train programs. For example, Daimler has set a target for 2039 of tank-to-wheel CO2 neutrality for all new vehicles it sells in the US, European, and Japanese markets. To meet this aim, it is developing electric trucks (eTrucks) at a range of sizes, from a 7.5-tonne eCanter to a 40 tonne Freightliner eCascadia. The company has also been conducting realworld trials of the technology with partners around the world.

Likewise, MAN, Scania, Volvo, Renault, IVECO, DAF, Paccar and Navistar are all conducting eTruck trials, with several models in limited production.

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IEEE has published the results of a survey of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) in the U.S., U.K., China, India and Brazil regarding the most important technologies for 2021. Overall the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the speed of their technology adoption and the industries expected to be most impacted by technology in the year ahead.

remote and office work structure (22%), office and facilities re openings and return (17%), and managing permanent remote working (13%). However, 11% said the agility to stop and start IT initiatives as this unpredictable environment continues will be their biggest challenge. Another 11% cited online security threats, including those related to remote workers, as the biggest challenge they see in 2021.

Technology Adoption, Acceleration and Disaster Preparedness due to COVID-19 CIOs and CTOs surveyed have sped up adopting some technologies due to the pandemic: • More than half (55%) of respondents have accelerated adoption of cloud computing • 52% have accelerated 5G adoption • 51% have accelerated AI and machine learning

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DECEMBER 2020

We Have Pioneered A Concept Called ‘Cognitive RAN’ Saankhya Labs is India’s premier wireless communication Solutions Company is working to make 5G technology a reality for India. As defined, 5G is a complex technology accounting various challenges and opportunities. New applications are set to evolve in the market as 5G becomes more mainstream. Parag Naik, Co-Founder and CEO, Saankhya Labs shares his thoughts with Niloy from BISinfotech. Parag a well-known veteran extensively discusses on various aspects including the role of semiconductors to their offerings, future of wireless technology. R&D and introduces the term ‘Cognitive RAN’. All well-wrapped in this edited nub.

BIG PICTURE

Parag Naik

Co-Founder and CEO, Saankhya Labs

based on Open RAN.

1. According to you, the vital role of semiconductors We are developing an Open RAN based cognitive scalable with the augmentation of 5G technology?

5G RAN solution which includes Multi-Band Remote Radio Units As 5G technology adoption matures, competition is kicking in and every player in the value chain will strive to bring in their differentiated products/services against competition.

As a key building block of mobile networks, semiconductor chipsets are major drivers of such differentiation. 5G technology offers a whole range of user experience benefits, from higherspeeds, higher capacity, better coverage and longer battery life. Innovative applications such as Industrial IOT, Smart Vehicles and Augmented Reality will be introduced as market acceptance picks up. 5G timeline also coincides with new trends such as open infrastructure standards, disaggregation, and cloudification of deployment architecture that has created space for new semiconductor and equipment suppliers. This will help bring in more innovation into 5G solutions.

with advanced analytics capabilities and a RAN Intelligent Controller platform. This will help in optimization of spectrum usage. Our 5G Remote Units will be available from Q1 of 2021.

At present, we are in discussions with - US-based customers and partners to take our product into the US market.

Saankhya Labs is India’s premier wireless communication solutions company, which is working on developing 5G technology.

We foresaw “Software-defined” wireless architectures long before the industry did and are well placed to execute on 5G, with our core offerings centered around Radio Access Networks (RANs). Saankhya Labs has embarked on a journey of making cutting edge 5G Radio Access Network solutions for the global market. We have already started working on the design and development of 5G Radio products and have also started investing in future-looking 5G product offerings.

We are focusing on building a 5G Radio Access solution

In 5G technology, there is a lot of emphasis on open and virtualized networks. Some of the trends we will see soon are:

We also provide radio units and chipsets (current and future) for vRAN based deployments. In addition, we have pioneered a concept called ‘Cognitive RAN’ that allows ML techniques to be applied to RANs, improves capacity and reduces op-ex for operators. This is a patented technology which is currently under development. We have 65 international patents on various aspects of the technology.

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3. The future lies in the hands of wireless technology, 2. What are Saankhya Labs’ offerings to woo and foster how you see the development of 5G technology and 5G technology? what challenges it embeds for chip manufacturers?

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1. Open and digitized networks: This breaks vendor lock-in and promotes a Linux-like model in the hardware world.

2. Dis-aggregation: Operators can build networks through Lego-like blocks from multiple smaller vendors instead of relying on one big vendor for an end to end solutions. This will offer higher flexibility.

3. Virtualization: Running network components as software components on generic hardware.

DECEMBER 2020

Upgrading to new hardware is an expensive proposition.

Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) want to implement nextgen networks with a minimal upgrade to current hardware.

Similarly, consumers would want mobile phones which support both 4G/5G networks. So, chip manufacturers must develop chipsets that are flexible and support next or previous generation waveforms.

The future RAN will be more Cognitive and Intelligent, and therefore, next-gen chipsets must support these AI and Cognitive functions.

Although mm-wave 5G will be fast, it will require a massive increase in the number of towers because of the limited range of frequencies. This increase in the number of towers will lead to an increase in power consumption. It stands to reason that chipsets for 5G must be power efficient to reduce the OPEX of the operators.

6. What key changes 5G brings to chipset architectures and the best practices to overcome the initial glitches?

Every new generation of telecom technology has been built on enhancement in semiconductor chipsets. This includes up-gradation to new levels of performance and support to new applications. In the case of 5G, the key changes would be massive MIMO, beamforming, higher bandwidths, newer spectrum bands in FR1 (sub-GHz) and FR2 (beyond 24GHz).

These would be made possible by user equipment (handheld) chipsets, macrocell and microcell chipsets.

One recent trend that is coinciding with 5G is the new network deployment architecture based on disaggregationcloudification-open architecture. It has opened up the entire supply chain ecosystem for 5G equipment, where earlier, only 3-4 major vendors dominated the market. Cloudification now means that data centers can host a large part of the network, with centralized computing power, with optical fiber connectivity to a lean radio unit mounted on mobile towers.

4. How can be the true value of 5G be realized, in a scenario where next-gen applications are memory output hungry, craving high-performance while determining compact yet low-power solutions?

Another change is driven by Open standards like O-RAN, with Newer applications that are enabled by 5G connectivity would require higher computing resources. One way of addressing this is by ensuring that semiconductor chipsets in the user device will support more computing and memory capacity, running more processor cores at faster clock speeds, while consuming lower power. This is possible using more advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes, moving from the current state-of-the-art 7nm to 3nm in the future.

Another possibility (due to disaggregation, cloudification of the network, and a high-speed/low-latency 5G connectivity) is to redistribute the compute load between the user device and cloud-based network infrastructure.

5. Is India ready for 5G? Is R&D, indigenous capability, ecosystem ready to spur in the market?

The Prime Minister has given a clarion call for Atmanirbhar Bharat. Given the current geopolitical situation, it is imperative that we develop homegrown 5G solutions. Some mobile operators are already working on using indigenous solutions for 5G implementation.

well-defined interfaces between network components like Centralized Unit (CU), Distributed Unit (DU), and Radio Unit (RU). These require a new class of chipsets to support them and will lead to a proliferation of hardware from multiple vendors, who will supply the Operators.

To keep flexibility and scalability across/within data centers, we need platforms that enable virtualized and re-targetable solutions. This is another major opportunity for 5G chipset and software architectures, going forward.

5G chipsets will ride on the steady and continual advancement of semiconductor manufacturing nodes from 16nm and 7nm, down to 3nm, over the next 5 years. With more powerful applications, there will be need for more processor cores running at faster clock speeds, at lower supply voltages and consuming lower power to improve battery life.

7. IDC states that the volume of global data will increase 10x to 163 zettabytes (or one trillion gigabytes) by 2025, leading to more demand of integrated chips (ICs) as data storage, analysis and process will play a central In 5G, there is a focus on open and virtualized networks. Until role in 5G and IoT infrastructure. Your comments and now, the market was dominated by 3-4 large vendors and thoughts on the same.

MNOs were also bound by these operators. With 5G, they will be able to use equipment from different vendors, which will give them greater flexibility. This has opened doors for smaller

BIG PICTURE

Chip manufacturers must develop chipsets that can support open and virtualized systems. This includes licensing, availability of code, and platform dependency.

companies to enter the field.

Indian companies are focusing on developing solutions for open and virtualized RAN. They are getting a lot of traction from MNOs, both in India and abroad. There much focus on R&D and production of IPR in the industry. However, such an endeavour can’t take place in isolation. The government must also introduce schemes and policies which encourage investment in R&D. Only with such policies will India be able to realize its potential fully.

The explosion of global data with the advent of 5G is something that telecom networks must embrace all over the world. The largest contribution of this traffic is video. Saankhya Labs has

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4. Cognition: Networks are getting intelligent and are responding to their radio environment dynamically. This allows for better responsiveness and higher capacity.

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DECEMBER 2020

a unique technology enabled by its strong semiconductor portfolio, that enables layer three convergence of Broadband and Broadcast and can be nicely dovetailed as part of the 5G System’s service-based architecture. This technology can be used to efficiently offload video traffic, thereby relieving congestion on cellular networks.

Apart from the schemes which are merely aligned towards manufacturing, the government can also do more to build the indigenous MSME ecosystem by focusing on supporting R&D and innovation. When Indian companies have a strong IP base, they can better compete with global MNCs. For companies like ours, this will go a long way in aiding us as

8. Any vital innovation and R&D Saankhya Labs is we continue to develop innovative and technology-driven undergoing for 5G technology? solutions locally. Our technologies can be exported globally Saankhya has a slew of differentiated software and hardware products for 5G. These are indigenously developed and are in various phases of build-out. A brief overview of the Saankhya 5G product portfolio is listed below.

and this would be in line with the Government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat plan.

especially the low and mid bands like Band 71, 29, and 40. It can be customized for other bands as well. The solution will incorporate a unique front haul compression technique to reduce op-ex for operators.

2. RAN Analytics Platform – It is a software product under development for network automation and capacity optimization. The product is in line with the ORAN specification of the Radio Interface Controller. It will be implemented as a VNF and allows easy integration.

3. 5G Open DU – This is a ground-up design for the vRAN hardware platform. India’s answer to an open and dynamic hardware platform, it saves operators a lot of cap-ex and op-ex. This platform is a product of the deep expertise of Saankhya’s team in designing DSP based RAN hardware.

The solution consists of • Software platform to execute modems • Chipsets based on open DSP architecture designed by SL • An open DU hardware server blade or an aggregated box 4. AI-RAN – It is a 6G AI-based cognitive RAN platform being developed by Saankhya Labs. Cognitive RAN is the nextgen RAN which eliminates the limitations of current RANs like Static Provisioning of Network, Lack of Virtualization of Interface and Lack of Digitization at Edge and Physical Layers.

The network continuously learns and adapts in real-time to generate hyper-personalized waveforms for all devices. This gives optimal performance for all users, all the time. The AI RAN designs modulation schemes on the fly, based on stated cost functions. It applies “deep learning” to figure optimal use of resources and uses COTS Hardware to virtualize the interfaces between the components of RAN.

The key to the success of Saankhya Labs is a relentless strive towards innovation. We are a very forward-thinking company.

We foresaw “Software-defined” long before the industry did. We are India’s first fabless semiconductor solutions company and we have developed the world’s first production SDR chipset.

Over the years, we have grown from a mere fabless semiconductor company to an end to end wireless communication solutions company. We have designed and developed a full spectrum of accessible and future-ready communication solutions for tomorrow and beyond. These include next-gen solutions for broadband, broadcast, fixed wireless access and satellite IoT.

BIG PICTURE

10. Over the years, what has made Saankhya Labs a reliable fabless semiconductor company? Your business 1. 5G RU – This is an ORAN based 5G NR Infrastructure model for India and ahead strategies to vanquish a device. The solution includes support for various 3gpp bands, major chunk of this bullish market?

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9. Government has taken major decision to Make in India chips under EMC 2.0, PLI schemes and financial incentive of 25 per cent of capital expenditure for the manufacturing of goods. How do you see this approach?

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We welcome the various schemes announced by the government to boost the electronics manufacturing industry in India. Taking into account the current business scenario and the geopolitical situation, this is a very good approach by the government. Promoting domestic manufacturing of electronic components and semiconductors will go a long way in building #AtmanirbharBharat.

We are focused on both the Indian as well as the global market.

We have successfully deployed our communication solutions in markets across the globe. These include Satellite-based locomotive tracking system in 3000 trains of Indian Railways, fixed wireless access solutions, and broadcast solutions in various countries across the globe.

We are in talks with telecom operators in India as well as in the US and Europe regarding the deployment of our 5G solutions.

We have also partnered with a leading broadcaster in the US for our broadcast solutions. Additionally, we are looking to market our satellite IoT solutions in the global market.

DECEMBER 2020

5 Ways in which NVMe-oF is Enabling Businesses As businesses contend with data's perpetual growth, they need to rethink how data is captured, preserved, accessed, and transformed. NVMe has a significant impact on businesses and what they can do with data, particularly Fast Data for real-time analytics and emerging technologies.

1) NVMe Lets You Sprint in Running Spikes

Though flash storage has always been faster than disk drives, the interface has still held it back since it has been deployed in mainstream data center environments. SAS and SATA were a good starting point because it enabled SSDs to look like the disks they were replacing. But those interfaces were designed for disk and can't handle the performance capability of flash storage. It's a bit like asking an Olympic sprinter to wear ski-boots.

The introduction of the NVMe interface for SSDs was the next step. It is designed for flash with increased bandwidth, efficiency, and parallelism that can exploit NAND's inherent low latency.

Western Digital’s Ultrastar DC SN840 data center SSD is thirdgeneration solution with a vertically integrated in-house NVMe controller, firmware, and 96-layer 3D TLC NAND technology. With low latency and dual-port high availability, it's a future-ready solution that lets you power new, data-intensive applications.

2) Extending NVMe Performance Outside the Server

To benefit from the speed of NVMe, SSDs need to sit on the PCIe bus, close to the processors, or locally attached. The PCIe bus cannot be extended outside the server, and so while each server can be individually accelerated, that leads to mini silos of SSDs that cannot be easily shared between hosts.

Enter NVMe-over-Fabrics, or NVMe-oF, the next step in data center infrastructure improvement. NVMe-oF allows NVMebased storage to be shared between hosts at comparable performance to locally attached SSDs.

Director- Sales, India, Western Digital

3) Faster or Less Expensive – Pick Two

SSD based Storage platforms (JBOFs) with NVMe-oF technology supports significantly higher performance-intensive workloads at a lower price. Western Digital is projecting around 17% savings compared to a conventional SAS JBOF. This stems from our vertical integration and silicon-to-systems mindset.

Western Digital’s OpenFlex Data24 NVMe-oF Storage Platform extends the high performance of NVMe flash to shared storage.

It provides low-latency sharing of NVMe SSDs over a highperformance Ethernet fabric to deliver similar performance to locally attached NVMe SSDs. Industry-leading connectivity, It is an in-house design, including the RapidFlex™ NVMe-oF controllers and ASICS.

4) Easy Adoption with Advanced Connectivity

OP-ED

NVMe is the protocol of today, but it's also the foundation for next-gen IT infrastructure. New solutions on the market point to why it's time for businesses to take advantage of NVMe and reap the benefits of NVMe-oF today – here are five reasons.

Khalid Wani

A JBOF is a common approach to sharing storage, where multiple servers can share the resource. Storage can be allocated and reallocated according to the needs of the applications. And, some ways to do this are more comfortable than others.

The OpenFlex Data24 is a 2U enclosure that holds up to 24 DC SN840 NVMe SSDs for a raw capacity up to 368TB. It also contains up to six RapidFlex NVMe-oF controller cards. These cards offer several advantages for connectivity, including ultra-low latency, 100Gb Ethernet (a screaming performance that you can likely already leverage today), and low power.

Up to six hosts can be directly attached without a switch, but the connectivity increases dramatically with a switched fabric for greater flexibility and maximum utilization.

5) High Composability

Efficiency is the name of the game, and composable disaggregated infrastructure is where the industry is headed.

For us, it is part of our broader thinking about how new data infrastructure should look. Not just composable, but also open and interoperable.

•Vol - 02 / 12

The NVMe protocol capitalizes on parallel, low latency data paths to the underlying media, like high-performance processor architectures, offering significantly higher performance and lower latencies than legacy SAS and SATA protocols. It not only accelerates existing applications that require high performance, but it also enables new applications and capabilities for real-time workload processing in the data center and at the Edge. Designed for high performance and non-volatile storage media, NVMe is the only protocol that stands out in the highly demanding and compute-intensive enterprise, cloud, and edge data ecosystems.

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DECEMBER 2020

Introduction to Conducted Emissions of EMC Samson Yang

Field Application Engineer MORNSUN POWER

The conducted emissions (CE) test is a common test item in the EMC test. As a field application engineer at MORNSUN POWER, I'm pleased to share what I know about EMC knowledge with engineers, and sincerely hope it will help with the power supply design of your system.

POWER FEATURE

1. Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)

First, let's take a look at what EMC is. The full name of EMC is electromagnetic compatibility, which refers to the ability of equipment or system to work normally in its electromagnetic environment and not to produce intolerable electromagnetic interference to any other equipment in its environment. In daily life, thunder and static electricity can be seen everywhere. At ordinary times, common electronic equipment and natural phenomena will produce electromagnetic interference.

How to make electronic equipment work normally in such a complex electromagnetic environment without affecting the surrounding electromagnetic sensitive equipment is the EMC we want to research.

EMC is composed of EMI(Electromagnetic Interference) and EMS(Electromagnetic Susceptibility), as shown in Figure 1.

EMI refers to external disturbance generated by equipment, mainly including conducted emissions, radiated emissions and other test items. EMS refers to the anti-interference ability of the equipment itself, mainly including surge, EFT, ESD and other test items.

Figure 1

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2. Conducted emissions (CE)

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Conducted emissions is a test item in electromagnetic interference (EMI), which reflects the interference of electronic products to the power grid through cables.

Figure 2

2.1 Test equipment

As shown in Figure 2, this is the equipment schematic diagram of the conducted emissions test project, and EUT represents the product to be tested. LISN is a test coupling network, the receiver is a test receiver.

Taking CISPR32 as an example, the internal schematic diagram of LISN is shown in Figure 3. The power supply supplies power to EUT through the input filtering large capacitance C1 and the filtering inductance in LISN. However, the high-frequency noise generated during the operation of EUT is coupled to a matching impedance of 50 ohms through a small capacitor C2 and is captured by the receiver.

Figure 3

2.2 Determination procedure

We can judge the measurement results of conducted emissions through the judgment flow chart in Figure 4. Of course, it's complicated to understand in this way. Therefore, the judgment conditions in Figure 4 are interpreted as follows.

DECEMBER 2020

2.3 Example of judgment

For example, as shown in Figure 6, let's use the above judgment flow chart to judge. The average test results of the green waveform are all less than the green average limit line, and the peak test results of the blue waveform are less than the red quasi peak limit line. Therefore, the judgment result is qualified.

Figure 4

However, as we all know, the quasi peak measurement takes a long time. In order to shorten the determination time, we can choose other measurement methods with shorter test time.

Figure 6 As shown in Figure 7, from the data point of view, it failed the ClassB test. Because the green waveform exceeds the green average limit line by 1.18db at the frequency of 1.4MHz, the result can be directly judged as a failure.

Let's first learn several basic relationships, as shown in Figure 5. The peak value is greater than the quasi peak value, and the quasi peak value is greater than the average value; in addition, the quasi peak value limit is higher than the average value limit.

POWER FEATURE

A. The final judgment method When (quasi peak value < quasi peak value limit) & (average value < average value limit), if the above conditions are met together, the conducted emissions result is judged as qualified.

Figure 7

Conclusion

B. Fast judgment method In case one, when the peak value is less than the average value limit, we directly determine that the conducted emissions are qualified.

In case 2, the peak value is greater than the average value limit but less than the quasi peak value limit; and the average value is less than the average value limit. If the above conditions are met, we can also judge that the conducted emissions are qualified.

Have you learned it? Come and practice it!

At MORNSUN, we have broad portfolio covers multiple power ranges and includes AC-DC converter, DC-DC converter, transceiver module, and SiC/GaN driver power supply, etc. All of these products feature compact size, high power density, excellent EMC performance, reliable technical specifications and leading efficiency. If you are looking to design a power supply for your system with ease, then MORNSUN has the solutions for you. For more information, please visit www. mornsun-power.com.

â&#x20AC;˘Vol - 02 / 12

Figure 5

It can be seen that through the rapid determination method, as long as the measurement results of peak value and average value are compared with the quasi peak value limit and average value limit, we can quickly judge the test results of conducted emissions.

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MICs

DECEMBER 2020

Himanshu Rawal Senior Enterprise Account Manager, Ansys

All You Need To Know About Memory Integrated Circuits This article is a starting point on the subject of Memory. It touches all the memory types available in the market. Also, people who are looking for a career change or to learn something new will find this useful. In fact, there are a lot of opportunities to learn in this domain and one can even make a career in this domain.

â&#x20AC;˘Vol - 02 / 12

Memory

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In computing, memory refers to a device that is used to store information for immediate use in a computer. Memory can contain the data to be processed as well as the instructions of how the data must be processed.

DECEMBER 2020

On-Chip Memory A typical chip has multiple blocks (CPU, Logic, DSP, Audio, Microcontroller, Bluetooth, Ethernet etc.). It highlights different types of on-chip memory. It is observed in most of the chips that more than 50% of chip area is memory. There are over 45 companies worldwide, which design these memory types.

These memory types vary from few kilobits to a maximum few megabyte. Memory companies design these memories in different process technology nodes (example 45m, 32nm, 20nm, etc.) and fabricate it before offering a silicon proven memory to their customers. The basic memory cell that stores a single bit of data comprises of six transistor structure. This is the fastest memory available among all other types of memory available. Designing of this memory type involves schematic drawing, simulation, layout drawing, Physical verification checks, EMIR checks, ESD checks etc.

Off-Chip memory: DDR, LPDDR, GDDR, HBM RAM is a common word that we use in day-to-day conversation while sharing the specs of a hardware. For example, we say, “My phone has 6 GB RAM, storage of 64GB, expandable up to 256 GB”. RAM stands for Random Access Memory. For the battery-operated devices, Low Power DDR standard has evolved and today, the industry is shipping LPDDR5 and LPDDR6. For GPU’s, GDDR and HBM was invented.

This memory comes in different forms, factors and different packaging options. A lot of opportunities exist in the domain of SI/PI.

The memory flow and memory tree in the pictures show the hierarchy through which the processor gets access to the memory. As we go down the pyramid, the speed at which data can be exchanged with processor reduces. As we go down the pyramid, memory capacity goes up, and price per bit of the memory goes down.

Storage memory: HDD, SSD, SD

Storage memory options are available in different formats and in different capacity from several companies like Sandisk, Intel, Hynix etc. This memory is also called NAND based Flash memory.

New research in memory

A few companies are working on redefining the memory tree.

There is an opportunity to create a layer between DRAM and SSD and this new type of memory will have a higher capacity than the DRAM and will have higher speeds than the SSD.

Packaging Memory

The industry is inventing new methods to integrate memory with the logic/processor die. Here are some examples of existing packaging architectures: chip on Wafer on Substrate (CoWoS), Wafer on Wafer (WoW), Integrated Fan Out (InFO), InFO-Package on Package (InFO-PoP), InFO-MS, etc. This area will continue to expand and will give opportunities to people willing to build career in this domain

The Future

Looking forward to this industry trend, there is a growing need for people to learn the art of simulating their design with multiphysics analysis. Ansys is leading in this domain and supporting multiple companies to be successful.

MICs

Types of Memory

Memory flow and Memory Tree Himanshu Rawal ,Senior Enterprise Account Manager, Ansys Himanshu Rawal, has worked with semiconductor companies for over 16 years in different roles. During these years, he interacted with groups for whom writing low power RTL, maximizing the verification coverage, Design for Manufacturability, maximizing Yield, Electro-migration, ESD checks, Physical verification was important. He holds a B.E degree from Maharishi Dayanand University and has completed his M.Tech from Manipal Institute of Technology.

•Vol - 02 / 12

About the author:

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DECEMBER 2020

ST, Schneider Electric Work on AI Enabled IoT Sensor

•Vol - 02 / 12

UPDATES

Infineon, GTAT Partners for Supplying SiC Boules

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Infineon Technologies and GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) have signed a supply agreement for silicon carbide (SiC) boules. The contract has an initial term of five years.

With this supply contract, the German semiconductor manufacturer adds a further element to secure its growing base material demand in this area. SiC is the basis for power semiconductors that are particularly efficient, robust, and cost-effective at the system level. Under the brand name, CoolSiC Infineon already markets the industry’s largest product portfolio for industrial applications and is rapidly expanding its offerings towards consumer and automotive products. SiC has mainly been used up to now in photovoltaic inverters, industrial power supplies, and the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. This is where the advantages of SiC at the system level, compared to classical silicon solutions, have already come into play. Other industrial applications such as uninterruptible power supplies and variable-speed drives are increasingly making use of the new semiconductor technology. Also, electric vehicles show enormous potential for application options, including the main inverters for the drive train and onboard battery charging units.

STMicroelectronics and Schneider Electric have collaborated to demonstrate a prototype IoT sensor that enables new building-management services and efficiency gains by understanding building-occupancy levels and usage. The two companies have partnered to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into a high-performance people-counting sensor, which overcomes the challenge of monitoring attendance in large spaces with multiple entrance points. Schneider Electric will demonstrate this IoT sensor as a guest ST Live Days, during the IoT&5G session on November 19, 2020. The advanced IoT sensor has been developed by combining the high expertise of ST’s AI group and the deep sensor-application expertise of Schneider Electric to identify and embed a high-performing object-detection neural network in a small microcontroller (MCU).

Vishay Stocks Modelithics Broadband Microwave Global Models Vishay Intertechnology has now been stocking new broadband Microwave Global Models for Vishay Sfernice CH-series resistors in the 02016, 0402, and 0603 case sizes. The new models are available within the Modelithics COMPLETE Library and mmWave & 5G Library.

Modelithics’ measurement-based models offer part value, substrate, and solder pad scalability. They are validated up to 67 GHz and accurately predict parasitic effects based on the model parameter settings, making them well-suited for high-frequency applications.

The Modelithics model libraries integrate seamlessly with popular electronic design automation (EDA) tools, including Keysight Technologies’ PathWave Advanced Design System (ADS), Keysight Technologies’ PathWave RF Synthesis (Genesys), Cadence AWR Design Environment Cadence Virtuoso Spectre RF, Ansys HFSS and Sonnet Suites. As a Sponsoring Modelithics Vendor Partner, Vishay’s customers will receive a free 90day trial of Vishay data in the Modelithics component library.

NXP, AWS to Extend Connected Vehicle Opportunities

NXP Semiconductors has formed a strategic relationship with Amazon Web Services (AWS) focused on extending the opportunities of connected vehicles. The collaboration aims to deliver a secure, edge-to-cloud compute solution for next-generation vehicles that can enable new cloud-powered services to benefit carmakers, their business partners and consumers alike. New collaboration aims to deliver a secure, edge-to-cloud compute solution for next-generation vehicles that can enable new cloudpowered services to benefit carmakers, their business partners and consumers alike.To realize the promising services of future connected vehicles, the automotive industry requires a new type of computing solution with centralized access to vehicle-wide data that can work securely and collaboratively with the cloud. The integration of AWS edge and cloud services with NXP’s new S32G vehicle network processor for service-oriented gateways addresses the challenge.

DECEMBER 2020

Electrolube Elects New European Sales Manager

Indium, Denodo to Deploy Data Virtualization Capabilities

Indium Software has partnered strategically with Denodo. With this partnership, Indium will enable enterprises in their digital transformation journey thereby improving business performance by helping them take timely decisions and reduce costs. Using the Denodo Platform, Indium aims to help businesses virtually integrate their varied data sources. This facilitates ease of data access for business users by developing a smart, stable, scalable infrastructure for data management, governance & security.

Indium’s collaboration with Denodo helps effectively use Data Virtualization to tap key capabilities like real-time connectivity, high performance and data services publishing.

Denodo provides diverse connectivity to traditional data sources like databases, legacy systems and new sources like big data, web, social media and cloud.

u-blox, telematic for NetModule NG800 Automotive

UPDATES

Maxim Integrated has introduced MAX17320 high-accuracy fuel-gauge and protection circuit that extends run-time on multi-cell battery-powered products while also monitoring against self-discharge hazards. The MAX17320 is a pack-side fuel gauge and protector IC for 2 to 4 series Lithium-ion (Li+) cells (2S-4S) and is part of a family of ICs equipped with Maxim Integrated’s patented ModelGauge m5 EZ algorithm that delivers 40 percent more accurate stateof-charge (SOC) readings than competitive offerings, eliminating the need for battery characterization for most common Li+ cells. This fuel gauge also offers the industry’s lowest quiescent current (IQ), which is 85 percent lower than the nearest competitor and features SHA-256 authentication to safeguard systems from counterfeit batteries. The MAX17320 warns the system and disables a leaky battery before a potentially hazardous outcome. This is in addition to the most advanced battery protection that uniquely allows fine-tuning of voltage and current thresholds based on various temperature zones. The IC also provides a secondary protection scheme that permanently disables the battery by assisting a secondary protector or blowing a fuse in severe fault conditions.

u-blox has partnered with telematics applications in the development of modular, multifunctional automotive gateways. NetModule’s NG800 automotive gateway platform, available for various products, features the u blox TOBY-L2 cellular module, the u-blox NEO-M8L GNSS receiver, and in some products, the u blox JODY-W1 Wi-Fi module. NetModule designed its NG800 automotive IoT gateway to offer robust communication between a vehicle’s onboard electronics and connected cloud-based applications enabling a broad spectrum of automotive use cases, including e-mobility monitoring, fleet management, and remote vehicle diagnostics. The NG800, which combines LTE Cat 4 cellular communication, Bluetooth low energy short-range radio, and GNSS positioning with dead reckoning, also features a Molex CMC 48 pin connector to accept wired inputs such as CAN, RS-232, automotive Ethernet 100BASE-T1, and Fast Ethernet 100BASE-TX. Housed in a robust IP69classified case, the NG800 is designed to withstand harsh handling, making it tough enough to be mounted on the vehicles’ exteriors.

•Vol - 02 / 12

Maxim Releases Industry’s First Li+ Fuel Gauge IC

Electrolube has appointed Carolyn McAllister as the new European Sales Manager. With a degree in Chemistry from the University of Nottingham, Carolyn joined the company six years ago and initially worked as part of the Research and Development team, working closely with Electrolube’s Technical Director of Coatings, Phil Kinner, to develop some cutting edge Conformal Coating solutions for the market.

Commenting on her promotion, Carolyn said, “I am delighted with the new opportunity to further expand Electrolube’s broad range of electro-chemicals across Europe, helping customers find the best solutions for their application and product requirements and building relationships with new and existing customers.”

Ron Jakeman, Group Managing Director of Electrolube, comments: “Carolyn is a real asset to the company and has a proven track record, making her the perfect candidate for the job.

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TECHNOVATORS

DECEMBER 2020

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Kaundinya Panyam VP Marketing, Invento Robotics

From Famous Robot ‘Mitra’ to Empowering Robots in the Indian Market Robots are playing huge role in today’s market. Today, we have numbers of companies which widely focus on robots and making it more convenient for its customers, Bengaluru based Invento Robotics is one of them. It was founded

by Balaji Vishwanathan. He started his career in Microsoft Redmond more than a decade ago. Invento Robotics’ first prototype ’Mitra’ was inaugurated at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in 2017

by PM Narendra Modi & Ivanka Trump in Hyderabad. Since then, it has been working with multiple Fortune 500 companies like Standard Chartered, Accenture, Bosch, etc. During an exclusive interaction with Nitisha from Bisinfotech, Kaundinya Panyam-VP Marketing, Invento Robotics shares the details about its latest robots and its demands.

DECEMBER 2020

Please share offering of Invento Robotics catering the current market demand?

Currently we see a lot of man power crunch due to the pandemic & alarming concerns from the healthcare staff to be able to practice better standards. We have tried to adapt our technology of the robots being able to talk to the customers & navigate autonomously to help the healthcare force. Our robots screen visitors at the Fortis, Apollo, Yatarth hospitals. They also collect the critical patient information & connect them with the doctor with a 2 way video call & collect the feedback of the patient’s experience.

The impact of covid19 on robotics industry? What will be your plans to cope up with such issues?

COVID in a way accelerated the adaptation of robots - as they don’t spread viruses & are efficient in screening patients at the hospitals. We have ramped up our supply chain to be able to supply to the demand. Also we are starting with Telehealth clinics to advance the healthcare reach.

What kind of new technology adoption we will be seeing in upcoming years?

We believe that the technology adaptation will be driven by the key factors like: 1. Decentralised - Online/Contactless engagements

2. Personalised services to the customers driven on data & Machine learning 3. Automated & personalised concierge services

What kind of challenges and scopes you see in robotic industry?

Following are the challenges: 1. Infrastructure development - Indian ecosystem to support an end to end manufacturing of components inside the country. As the companies which have international supply chain will suffer with lockdowns.

2. Acceptance towards the robots 3. Availability 4g connectivity - to make the robot placements in public places more seamless.

Lastly major trends you see catapulting and dominating the technology innovation in coming time?

• Google & Microsoft NLP & speech recognition systems which made the conversations easier than before. More importantly, engines like GPT3 will make the robot interactions both very wide & deep.

• Autonomous navigation technology being built: fleet management technologies like Freedom robotics, etc. enable the robot manufacturing companies to focus on core problem statements & collaborate for Value added services.

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DECEMBER 2020

Mouser and Bourns Partner for New eBook Offering Power Conversion Components Mouser Electronics has collaborated with Bourns for a new eBook, exploring best practices for working with power conversion components. In “Achieving Enhanced Performance and Reliability”, Bourns and Mouser offer a series of technical articles designed to help readers choose the right components for specific power applications, including multiple related to high-voltage energy storage.

The growing importance and prevalence of technologies such as electric vehicles, renewable energy sources, and advanced communications networks require reliable components to support developments in energy storage and power conversion.

“Achieving Enhanced Performance and Reliability”, the new eBook from Mouser and Bourns, presents deep dives into topics including rechargeable batteries, battery management systems (BMS) in high-voltage energy storage, and reducing winding loss in a ferrite inductor.

Bourns’ SRP0xxx shielded power inductors feature a metal alloy powder core and flat wire, delivering exceptional temperature stability, low core loss, and low DC resistance. The HCT AECQ2000-compliant power transformers offer elevated isolation from high-voltage hazards, making them an ideal choice for automotive battery management systems, automotive gate drivers, and digital input modules.

Future Electronics Offers Advanced E-Commerce Solutions

New Yorker Stocks Advanced Aluminum Casting Alloys

INDUSTRY KART •Vol - 02 / 12

58

The new eBook includes convenient links and ordering information for Bourns power conversion products designed to meet the needs of these emerging technologies. The SRP-C high-current, shielded power inductors meet the high density current requirements of modern consumer electronics applications, offering low buzz noise for DC/DC converters and power supplies.

Future Electronics has applied its E-Commerce knowledge and experience to supply chain solutions.

Many companies today offer supply chain management.

Future Electronics is uniquely-equipped with a collection of services and innovative E-Commerce solutions to develop customized supply chain programs.

FIRST® (Future Inventory Replenishment Systems Technology) is the industry’s leading, high-performance program designed for next generation supply chain solutions. FIRST® provides immediately-accessible visibility of dynamic data, bonded inventory, available-to-sell inventory and more.

Seamless Planning and Execution through the integration of data between customers’ and suppliers’ demanding planning systems. Future Electronics provides a cloud-based supply chain planning and execution method that supports manufacturing replenishment from multiple angles.

Integrated MRP Forecast Sharing with Auto Release is a demand planning system, and the most optimal tool to drive demand signals and replenishment through the entire supply chain.

Future Electronics understands the changing global supply chains, which is why the electronic components distributor is uniquely-placed to help all customers reach their end manufacturing goals.

New Yorker Electronics has partnered with Amfas International and now provides high-tech Advanced Aluminum Casting Alloys.

Amfas, an expert supplier of custom fabricated metal and molded plastic components, manufactures two types of aluminum casting alloys for New Yorker Electronics customers: HighSAL (for High Strength) and HighTAL (for High Thermal Conduction).

HighSAL is ideal for applications where tensile strength is a priority. This cast alloy has an Ultimate Tensile Strength which surpasses alloy 6061-T6. Its maximum UTS is 360 to 380 MPa with a Yield Tensile Strength (YTS) of 300 to 320 MPa and an elongation of greater than 1.5-percent and a Brinell hardness number between 130 and 150. The HighSAL cast alloy is widely used for mobile phones, tablet PCs, wearable devices and any other applications requiring high tensile strength.

The Amfas HighTAL castings are produced with an alloy that is best used where heat dissipation has an acute impact on the design. This high thermal conduction rating was only previously available in wrought materials, with the disadvantage that only extruded or stock material could reach such thermal transfer ratings. Even then, any customization required heavy machining to achieve customized shapes. HighTAL has a thermal conductivity rating of 130-140 W/m∙K before heat treatment, 180-190 W/m∙K after heat treatment. Its electrical conductivity is 21-23 m/K∙mm2 before the heat and 26-30 m/K∙mm2 after.

DECEMBER 2020

Richardson Presents Fuji Electric’s 7th Generation (X-Series) IGBT Modules previous generations.

Product series includes 650/1200/1700V, 10-1800A, offered in small PIM, EconoPIM™, 6-Pack, Dual, Dual XT, EconoPACK™ and PrimePACK™ packages With over 90 years of experience, Fuji Electric is a leading developer of industrial products such as IGBT power modules, intelligent power modules, discrete rectifier diodes, and discrete MOSFET & IGBT devices.

“Fuji Electric’s X-Series comes in a wide array of package types and voltage ranges making it ideal for our customers," said Greg Peloquin, Executive Vice President of Richardson Electronics' Power & Microwave Technologies group “The X-Series features and benefits coupled with our team’s expertise - I am confident we will be able to deliver a best-in-class solution.”

“Our 7th Generation X-Series IGBT Technology combined with the excellent support from Richardson Electronics’ Power & Microwave Technologies group provides our valued customers with the highest level of commercial and technical support,” said James Usack, Division General Manager, Fuji Electric America

Digi-Key Electronics Partners with Mag Layers USA

element14 Presents Project14 Recycle & Retrofit Challenge

Digi-Key Electronics has announced the distribution of Mag Layers USA MMD series molded power inductors. This partnership is part of Digi-Key’s global Marketplace initiative to broaden the product offering now available for customers, making Digi-Key more of a one-stop-shop than ever before. Mag Layers USA’s molded power inductors have a magnetic metal powder core and internal wire coil in a shielded construction for today’s DC/DC applications and power supplies. The MMD series of inductors are produced on state-of-the-art manufacturing lines utilizing second generation automotive grade robotics.

These shielded power inductors feature soft saturating core materials in consumer, industrial and automotive grades.

The typical applications for the MMD Series include laptop, desktop and server power, as well as high current power supplies, battery powered devices, and PMIC applications.

The MMD series are RoHS/Reach compliant, halogen free, low resistance and offer high current ratings. Mag Layers USA offers sizes from 4x4mm to 17x17mm.

element14 has reported its latest Project14 design contest, themed around reducing electronics waste by up cycling vintage electronics.

Members of the online community will have the opportunity to repurpose any unused appliance to make it into something new, unique and useful. By upcycling electronics that no longer serve a purpose, members of the community are able to celebrate the best parts of vintage electronics while improving them to make them function in today’s electronics environment.

A monthly design competition open to makers and engineers of all backgrounds and skill levels, Project14 was developed to promote shared learning and cooperation among members of the element14 Community.

Participants are asked to document their progress through a series of blogs, with the best executed projects eligible for a chance of winning a $200 credit for use at Newark in North America, Farnell in Europe or element14 in Asia Pacific.

All Project14 challenges are based on suggestions from element14 community members, with each month’s theme selected by a public poll. The Recycle & Retrofit challenge was inspired by a workshop on Vintage Up-cycling hosted

by Enrico Miglino To enter the Project14 Recycle & Retrofit Design Contest, participants simply need to register an account at the element14 Community and submit a blog entry detailing their idea and how they plan to develop it.

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INDUSTRY KART

Richardson Electronics has recently announced the availability of Fuji Electric’s 7th generation (X-Series) IGBT modules.

Fuji’s 7th Generation IGBT modules represent the latest IGBT chip technology and are specifically designed to complement requirements needed for the latest power conversion applications including energy savings, miniaturization, and increased reliability. Key features are: The module has been optimized by thinning the thickness and miniaturizing the structure of the IGBT chip and diode chip that makes up the module, reducing power loss when compared to previous generations. Applications have seen inverter loss reduced by 10% and chip temperature improved by 11°C. A newly developed insulating board has improved the heat dissipation of the module, allowing a footprint reduction of 36% while reducing power loss and suppressing heat generation when compared with previous generations.

Higher temperature operation: This new series is rated for continuous operation at 175°C allowing up to 35% more output; doubling power cycling capabilities compared to

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DECEMBER 2020

Infineon Presents SECORA Pay with Coil-OnModule

Infineon introduces contactless payment innovation, SECORA Pay with Coil-on-Module (CoM) package which comes with a newly developed antenna.

Features: • Industry-wide thinnest payment module with a copper wire antenna.

• Allows cost-efficient card manufacturing for mass deployment.

Applications: Designed for cards made from recycled ocean plastic or wood.

Availability: Available Now

Maxim MAX77655 SIMO Power Management IC

NEW LAUNCH

Maxim Integrated launches MAX77655 single-inductor multiple-output (SIMO) power management IC (PMIC). The MAX77655 SIMO PMIC addresses this space-constraint issue by sharing one inductor among all four supplies in a single 3.95mm2 IC. Features: • Highest Density: Offers 85 percent higher power density • Smallest Size: Cuts power management board size by 70 percent by integrating four supplies, while using only a single inductor

Applications: Highest-density power solution for extremely compact nextgeneration devices.

Availability: Available Now

Microchip Presents PIC18 Q84 MCU Family

Microchip Technology has launched its PIC18 Q84 family. The first PIC18 microcontroller (MCU) family that can be used to transmit and receive data through a Controller Area Network Flexible Data-Rate (CAN FD) bus.

Features: • Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) that handle a variety of tasks without requiring CPU intervention.

• Microchip’s PIC18 Q84 family cuts both time and cost when connecting systems to a CAN FD network.

Applications: Automotive and industrial designs

Availability: Available Now

NXP New S32K3 MCU family

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NXP Semiconductors launches the S32K3 microcontroller (MCU) family. The newest addition to its S32K product line. The S32K1 family, released in 2017, marked an important turning point in addressing software’s central role in automotive development.

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Features: • Simplify software development with an enhanced package that spans security. functional safety and low-level drivers.

• Enables software reuse among multiple applications to reduce the complexity of vehicle software development.

Applications: Designed for automotive body electronics, battery management and emerging zone controllers.

Availability: Available Now

DECEMBER 2020

ST Wireless-Charging IC STWLC88 STMicroelectronics has revealed the world’s fastest Qi wireless charging IC, STWLC88.

Features: • Delivers as much as 50W of power.

•NST’s state-of-the-art 50W wireless-power IC charges smart phones two times faster than the previous-generation device.

• ST customers to utilize the complete turnkey Tx/Rx solution consisting of the STWLC88 and the STWBC2 digital controller to achieve high power efficiently and safely while remaining compliant with Qi specifications.

• The STWLC88 can also operate in high-efficiency transmitter mode to allow high-power charge-sharing mode.

Applications: Charge smart phones, tablets, laptops, and other personal electronic devices without cables

Availability: Available Now

TDK New Power Capacitor ModCap TDK Corporation has released ModCap− a modular capacitor concept for DC link applications.

The newly developed power capacitors are available for rated voltages of 100 V to 2300 V and cover a 365 µF to 2525 µF capacitance range.

Applications: • Compact converters for traction • Renewable energies • Industrial applications

Availability: Available Now

NEW LAUNCH

Features: • Modular concept • Wide voltage range from 1100 V to 2300 V • Wide capacitance range from 365 µF to 2525 µF • A maximum 90 °C hot spot temperature

Vishay New Automotive Grade Proximity Sensors Vishay Intertechnology has revealed two new fully integrated Automotive Grade proximity sensors with high resolution up to 20 µm for force sensing applications. They each combine a photodiode, amplifier, and ADC circuitry in a 4 mm by 2.36 mm surface-mount package with a low 0.75 mm profile.

Features: • Package type: surface-mount • Dimensions (L x W x H in mm): 4.0 x 2.36 x 0.75 • AEC-Q101 qualified

Applications: • Force feedback applications • Proximity / optical switch for consumer, computing, automotive and industrial devices

Availability: Available Now

MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G Smart Phone Chipset MediaTek has unveiled its new Dimensity 700 5G smart phone chipset, a 7nm SoC designed to bring advanced 5G capabilities and experiences to the mass market.

The addition of the Dimensity 700 to MediaTek’s Dimensity family of 5G chips gives device makers a full suite of options for 5G smart phone models – from flagship and premium to mid-range and mass-market devices – making 5G more accessible for consumers everywhere.

Applications: 5G smartphones

Availability: Available Now

•Vol - 02 / 12

Features: • MediaTek 5G UltraSave • Premium 90Hz Display • Up to 64MP Cameras & Night Shot Enhancements • Multiple Voice Assistant Support

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DECEMBER 2020

EBV Elektronik, ACEINNA to Deliver Sensing Solutions

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UPDATES

EBV Elektronik has signed a distribution agreement with ACEINNA, a worldwide leader in the development of innovative Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and current sensing technologies that are essential to nextgeneration cars, robots and other autonomous applications.

“With ACIENNA in our line card of technology manufacturers, we have a perfect addition to provide comprehensive solutions for our customers developing autonomous vehicle navigation/guidance and high-performance power supply & management technologies. ACEINNA’s technology solutions support a wide range of automotive, industrial, automation and communication applications, enabling EBV to deliver an even broader range of leadingedge technology solutions to our customers,” said Thomas Staudinger, Senior Vice President Sales & Demand Creation EBV Elektronik.

"This partnership between EBV and ACEINNA is a big step forward for the industry," said Dr. Yang Zhao, CEO at ACEINNA. "By working together, we are making it much more efficient and easier for engineering teams to efficiently research, source and obtain the best possible sensing solutions for the design of next-generation autonomous vehicles and power management applications."

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AutonomIQ, Happiest Minds to Offer Autonomous Testing Solutions

Happiest Minds Technologies and AutonomIQ have partnered to accelerate the enterprise digital transformation journey using autonomous testing capabilities.

This solution combines artificial intelligence, machine learning and intelligent automation capabilities of AutonomIQ's autonomous testing platform along with Happiest Minds expertise of digital technologies, solutions and services, along with domain expertise to reimagine business processes for customers and their ecosystem.

"Improve software agility without compromising software quality has been one of the core design principles behind the product vision of AutonomIQ," says Ram Shanmugam, Co-Founder & CEO of AutonomIQ. "We have seen customers moving from Selenium to AutonomIQ and achieved upto 10x improvement in Automation Script generation & self-healing of the Scripts.

TE Connectivity in Dow Jones Sustainability Index Listing TE Connectivity has once again earned its position in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

This achievement marks TE's ninth consecutive year on the Index and follows the release of TE's first-ever enterprise-wide corporate responsibility strategy, One Connected World.

TE's One Connected World strategy and its 2030 ambitions, launched this past summer, create a roadmap for improving TE's sustainability performance and how sustainability will be prioritized over the next ten years.

Some of TE's notable sustainability achievements include: • 74% of TE sites finished the year with zero or one recordable incident, a 65% improvement since FY2010 • Reduced overall energy use intensity by 40% and greenhouse gas emissions by 25% since FY2010 • Collected 114,000 responses to TE's annual Conflict Minerals Report, helping TE and its suppliers continue to make responsible sourcing decisions

Micron Dispatches World’s First 176-Layer NAND

Micron Technology has begun volume shipments of the world’s first 176-layer 3D NAND flash memory, achieving unprecedented, industry-pioneering density and performance.

Together, Micron’s new 176-layer technology and advanced architecture represent a radical breakthrough, enabling immense gains in application performance across a range of storage use cases spanning data center, intelligent edge and mobile devices.

Representing Micron’s fifth generation of 3D NAND and second-generation rep la c ement-ga t e a rchi tecture, Micron’s 176-layer NAND is the most technologically advanced NAND node in the market. Compared with the company’s previous generation of high-volume 3D NAND, Micron’s 176-layer NAND improves both read latency and write latency by more than 35% — dramatically accelerating application performance. Featuring approximately 30% smaller die size than best-in-class competitive offerings, Micron’s 176-layer NAND’s compact design is ideal for solutions using small form factors.

WHAT IF WE COULD DRINK THE OCEAN? ADI software and expertise is helping to bring reverse-osmosis technology to more people, making the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oceans drinkable.

Analog Devices. Where what if becomes what is.

See What If: analog.com/WhatIf