“In today’s healthcare environment, medical equipment manufacturers are
being driven to reduce costs while continuing to develop superior products
that respond to increasingly complex medical device needs,” said Anthony
Kalaijakis, strategic medical market manager, Molex. “The effectiveness and
reliability of healthcare devices and systems rely on the robust design,
engineering and performance of their underlying electronics. With its
MediSpec portfolio of products, Molex is leading the way in the convergence
of electronic product integration into medical applications and delivering
the technology solutions for the next generation of healthcare.”

MediSpec products benefit from long-standing Molex expertise in a variety of
cutting-edge technologies vital to the healthcare industry including:
* Moulded Interconnect Device (MID) 3D circuits and antennas
* Capacitive touch and membrane user interface switch panels
* Copper flex circuits and assemblies.

Factory automation systems are now being deployed with Industrial Ethernet
connectivity instead of traditional serial fieldbuses. Although Industrial
Ethernet brings many advantages in terms of network management,
compatibility and flexibility, it is well known that Ethernet is inherently
non-deterministic. As the application of Industrial Ethernet grows, it is
becoming apparent that conventional solutions have difficulty dealing with
critical messages when network traffic increases, resulting in unpredictable
packet delays, excessive latency, or even connection failure. In laboratory
tests, several commercially available Industrial Ethernet devices were
tested with a 2 ms cycle time under varying network traffic conditions.
Most devices failed to maintain the desired cycle time as the network
traffic was increased and some lost their connection altogether. Devices
based on PriorityChannel technology were able to respond well within 160µs
of the desired cycle time, regardless of the amount or type of other network
traffic. Even in situations where sustained traffic bursts or “storms” were
present, PriorityChannel continued to respond to real-time messages on time,
every time.

PriorityChannel technology is a combination of silicon and software that has
been optimized for Industrial Ethernet applications. Innovasic currently
offers the technology for EtherNet/IP and Profinet Class B. Solutions are
available as plug-in modules, design-in network interfaces, or fully
customizable developer solutions, says the company.

USB and SD memory cards are receiving increased attention as a storage
medium for audio and multimedia files due to their fast read/write speeds,
greater convenience, and easier portability compared with CDs and DVDs.
Steadily decreasing costs are another reason they are becoming more
mainstream. Rohm offers a lineup of single-chip USB audio decoders for
different file formats, along with a well-received series for car audio
featuring greater ESD resistance. The number and type of applications
utilizing USB and SD memory is only expected to grow in the future, for
example by adding encoding capability that allows the user to record and
listen to music while driving without requiring dedicated equipment.

The BU94702AKV meets market needs by enabling MP3 and CD-ROM playback and
USB memory recording on a single chip. Additional features include USB/SD
memory card host functionality, MP3/AAC/WMA decoder, FAT file system, and a
music search function (file browser) that allows track selection during
playback. Also, built-in LDO and DAC circuits enable easy configuration of
an audio system by simply connecting a power supply audio amp, and speakers.
Compact and lightweight, the VQFP80 package makes it possible to add audio
functionality to a wide range of applications beyond audio-only devices,
such as alarm clocks, relaxation products (i.e. massage chairs), electronic
dictionaries, and digital cameras, says the company.

Currently on the portal, designers can access detailed information about
latest products like the low cost, low power PIC32 MX1 from Microchip,
Arduino and an exclusive feature-rich development platform based on
Stellaris ARM Cortex-M3-based microcontrollers from Texas Instruments.
Engineers can explore the miniaturisation trend in lighting solutions with
the industry smallest LEDs, and get a sneak peak of emerging development
tools such as the Linux based Beaglebone.

Now, element14 members can register on the New Technology portal to request
updates and collaborate in various product groups. Reviews are then posted
with enriched product related data plus other content such as comparative
blogs and videos. This provides designers with the resources necessary to
implement the latest technology in their applications. Designers can rest
assured that they will have access to this information through element14’s
award-winning social platform that was just ranked the most effective
electronics industry brand online by Heardable, Inc., says the company.

“A recent study by Technology Forecaster Inc (TFI) showed that one of the
key challenges engineers face, in the time starved development and design
phase of a project, is accessing accurate and complete information to keep
them up-to-date with evolving technology,” said David Shen, group SVP and
global head of technical marketing, Premier Farnell. “element14 already has
a strong offering through The Knode, regular webinars, events, and other key
enhancements such as the newly launched The Drawer, but the New Technology
portal further helps designers access comparative information and understand
emerging technologies across different regions.”

It is therefore important for organisations to seek out providers that can
simplify the process. To capitalise on the growth in this space, they need a
convenient, cost-effective, and easy-to-install solution for adding wireless
connectivity to their embedded designs.

Finding a provider that offers the flexibility to suit specific wireless
requirements, with the ability to add connectivity modules to any product
quickly and easily, is an important place to start.

By Martin Poppelaars, VP EMEA sales, Lantronix

With this technology, manufacturers can deposit the conductive Indium Tin
Oxide (ITO) sensor lines directly onto the cover glass. It only requires one
panel, so tablets can be made much thinner, with less material costs and
fewer manufacturing steps.

The CY8CTMA884 enables the cover glass to be directly laminated to the LCD
with a very thin adhesive layer and no added shield layer. Many other
solutions fail in this configuration because the increased electrical noise
from proximity to the screen interferes with the ability to correctly
interpret touches. Cypress’s proprietary noise immunity technology and high
signal-to-noise ratio enable flawless performance in this configuration.

“We’re pleased to enable our customers to enjoy the benefits of
sensor-on-lens technology, including thinner devices and lower costs,” said
Derek Richardson, senior director of Cypress’s Large Touchscreen Business
Unit. “TrueTouch led the industry by providing the first single-chip
solution for large touchscreens, and we are doing so again with superior
noise immunity and signal-to-noise ratio enabling economical and sleek new
tablets.”

The high-performance, single-chip CY8CTMA884 TrueTouch solution for large
multitouch touchscreens up to 11.6 inches offers 60 sensing I/O channels
with support for up to 884 nodes on the screen, more than any other
single-chip solution. Additional sensing channels are essential for greater
accuracy, linearity, support for smaller sized fingers and the ability to
resolve multiple fingers close together.

The CY8CTMA884 offers all the benefits users have come to expect from
TrueTouch devices, including 10-finger touch support, low power consumption,
grip and palm rejection, high accuracy, and fast scan times. Cypress ’s
large-screen TrueTouch platform expands its leadership position in
small-screen portable electronics – such as handsets and portable navigation
devices – into large-screen portable PC products and tablets. The devices
are in full production, says the company.

NXP plans to create an automotive-grade product portfolio for the Ethernet physical layer based on BroadR-Reach, leveraging NXP’s expertise in automotive electronics, in the industry’s quality requirements, as well as its strong application know-how. Major car manufacturers are designing with Ethernet as a high-bandwidth, low-cost networking technology complementary to existing in-vehicle network technologies such as CAN, LIN, LVDS and FlexRay.

As automobiles evolve into ever more sophisticated and connected electronic environments, there is increasing demand among OEMs and design engineers for an in-vehicle networking technology that can handle high-bandwidth applications without being excessively expensive. Broadcom BroadR-Reach Ethernet technology has significant cost advantages over other high-bandwidth automotive networking technologies such as LVDS, based on its ability to operate over single unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cabling. Not only is single UTP less expensive and lower in weight than shielded cabling, the technology is already in use by CAN- and LIN-based control systems, enabling BroadR-Reach to run over existing in-vehicle networks.

One of the key applications driving high-bandwidths in vehicles is camera-based security, a safety feature that may become mandatory for new vehicles in countries such as the US in the future. Currently, there are many instances when the driver doesn’t have a complete view in manoeuvring the car − for example, when backing out of a tight space or reversing down a drive. This may lead to damage to the car or injury to pedestrians. By networking a series of cameras mounted on the outside of the vehicle, the driver can get a 360-degree view of what’s happening around the car displayed via the dashboard. Other high-bandwidth applications that Ethernet could support include networked infotainment.

Another advantage of using Ethernet as an in-vehicle technology is that it is a globally recognized standard that supports IP-based networking. This makes it much easier to adapt existing IP software and applications from the consumer and business markets for automotive use, speeding the development of the connected vehicles of the future, says the company.

“We’re very excited that NXP, as a key supplier of innovative in-vehicle electronics, has chosen to license BroadR-Reach,” said Dr. Ali Abaye, senior director of PHY product marketing, Broadcom Corporation. “Licensing BroadR-Reach to other semiconductor suppliers will encourage wide-scale adoption of 100 Mbps Ethernet connectivity as the standard in automotive networking applications.”

Rob Hoeben, director of marketing and business development for Ethernet, NXP Semiconductors, said: “We see Ethernet as the best choice for high-bandwidth in-vehicle networks and believe that BroadR-Reach is the superior technology in this field. As such, we have chosen to partner with Broadcom rather than undertake a parallel R&D program. This enables us to reduce development costs, and also to bring new technologies to the automotive market more quickly. We believe that licensing BroadR-Reach will give a major boost to its adoption as a de facto standard for automotive Ethernet. Based upon the BroadR-Reach IP from Broadcom, we will develop our own automotive-grade PHY products.”

The development of the new sealed connectors reflects growing awareness of
pedestrian safety within the automotive market. In 2009, pedestrian safety
became an integral part of the Euro NCAP rating scheme for new vehicles. As
a result, a new generation of SRS systems is emerging, located beyond the
vehicle cockpit. Such applications demand connectors that can deliver
absolute reliability, whilst withstanding extremes of temperature, humidity,
vibration and the potential ingress of moisture and dust.

For optimum design flexibility, FCI has created a choice of products that
can be tailored to individual requirements. Both the Pyrofuse and UC-sealed
provide IPx9K rated sealing protection, selective gold plating and a wide
-40C to +85C operating temperature range. Wire lengths, gauges and types can
be customized to meet application-specific demands.

The Pyrofuse series is a completely new product design that features a fully
serviceable locking system to enable disassembly from the ignitor interface.
Other benefits include resistance welded termination, an increasingly
popular option for customers looking for superior mechanical and electrical
stability over extended lifetimes. Based on FCI’s proven range of squib
connectors, the UC-sealed series does not require a retainer assembly, as
the connector mates directly to the 11mm initiator. Utilising UC-type
locking legs and crimp technology, it represents an extremely
price-competitive choice for harsh environments.

FCI’s new sealed squib connectors are ideally suited to a range of
pedestrian safety systems currently being developed and implemented by major
OEMs. These include ‘hood lift’ applications, which are particularly
relevant to vehicles where hard structures such as the engine block are
located in close proximity to the hood. In the event of pedestrian
collision, the use of pyrotechnic devices on both sides of the hood allows a
softer impact zone to be created, minimizing the risk of serious injury.
Also under active development are windshield airbags, notably to protect
pedestrians from the hard areas where the glass meets the ‘A’ pillar. Sealed
connectors also meet the rigorous demands of battery cut-off applications
within engine compartments. Other potential systems being investigated by
OEMs to improve pedestrian safety include front bumper airbags, says the
company.

Code Composer Studio IDE provides a single user interface to take developers
through each step of the application development flow. It includes a suite
of tools that simplifies software design for embedded processing
applications by accelerating software code development, analysis and
debugging through a common development environment. Code Composer Studio IDE
v5 is compatible across many devices in TI’s broad embedded processing
portfolio, including single and multicore digital signal processors (DSPs),
microcontrollers, video processors and microprocessors, says the company.

Improvements to Code Composer Studio IDE v5 that speed time to market
include:
* Simplified user interface shows developers what and when calls are needed
to ease and speeds development.
* More succinct download and installation for only what is required for
designs, eliminating unnecessary time spent on unused components and
enabling developers to quickly add support for new devices.
* Eclipse open source framework enables developers to customize their
environment through available third-party plug-ins to speed troubleshooting,
analysis and profiling of embedded designs.
* Resource Explorer is an integrated browser that facilitates use of
extensive example code from TI’s controlSUITE, StellarisWare, Grace 1.1 for
MSP430 microcontrollers and other software platforms.
* Video tutorials explain how to get the most out of features.
* Straightforward migration from previous versions of Code Composer Studio
IDE enables software reuse.

Additional Code Composer Studio IDE features and benefits:
* Superior code development environment speeds design and troubleshooting
with an advanced editor and features such as code completion, code folding,
local history of source changes, markers and the ability to associate tasks
with source lines. Developers can also directly view images and video in
their native formats.
* Advanced GUI framework simplifies data and project management through the
creation of perspectives with full customization of menus, toolbars and
‘fast views’ that enable developers to define the functionality and views
appropriate to specific tasks, such as editing or debugging a program across
multiple processors.
* Multi-processor debugging intelligently manages status and information
from multiple cores without the confusion that arises when each core
requires its own separate debugger. More than 1,200 third-party plug-ins
support product development including static code analysis, source code
control, modeling and scripting development.
* Flexible project environment gives developers control over the compiler
and SYS/BIOST software kernel foundation version used with each individual
project allowing projects in maintenance mode to continue to use the tools
they were deployed with while enabling new projects to take full advantage
of the latest improvements in technology.
* Debug server scripting interface enables the automation of common tasks
such as code validation and profiling.
* Update manager tool automatically manages tool updates.

A team at the Japanese academia and industry R&D Partnership for Future
Power Electronics Technology (FUPET), consisting of participants from Fuji
Electric, Nissan Motor, Sanken Electric and Toshiba, aims to deliver power
converters that operate at high temperature with high output power density.
Using SiC JFETs from SemiSouth Laboratories, the team developed a
three-phase 500cc inverter that delivers 15kW output power when connected to
a three-phase motor with a conversion efficiency of 99%. Featuring a
compact, optimized cooling system, the power modules can operate at up to
200C. (See reference 1 below).

“We believe this is the world’s highest output power density for a
small-volume inverter,” said Satoshi Tanimoto, chief researcher at FUPET’s
R&D Center. “SemiSouth’s JFETs have been instrumental in helping us maximize
efficiency and power density.”

SemiSouth’s JFETs are compatible with standard gate driver ICs, and feature
a positive temperature coefficient for ease of paralleling; extremely fast
switching with no ‘tail’ current at up to a maximum operating temperature of
150degC and a low RDS(on)max. Devices are available in TO-247 packaging and
in some cases they are also available in die form for integration into
modules.

Jeff Casady, president and CTO, said: “The FUPET team achieved these results
at 50kHz which is their minimum frequency target, and the module also has a
very low inductance module with only 5 nH. It is exciting to see the results
that can be achieved using our technology.”

The FUPET team aims to achieve an inverter with 40kW/l output power density
next year.

Reference 1: Shinji Sato et al, Yusuke Zushi, Kohei Matsui, Yoshinori
Murakami and Satoshi Tanimoto: ICSCRM2011, Tu-P-23.