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New telecommunications network model for rural areas. Ushered in a new era of development.
Citation preview
www.newelectronics.co.uk
26 May 2015
LIFE SCIENCES • SENSORS • PROGRAMMABLE PLATFORMS • DESIGN PLUS
Architecting the futureDesigning the mobile networks needed
to solve the rural ‘not-spot’ problem
COMMENT 5
IoT security must be
architected from the
beginning and not be
made an option -- but
most engineers don’t
know where to start
NEWS 7
Imagination launches
multidomain based
scalable security
system for next
generation SoCs
165 year old principle
could provide the basis
for a new approach to
non contact
measurement of high
temperature
News from last week’s
PCIM exhibition,
including Fairchild’s
new IGBT technology,
Infineon’s MOSFETs
and GaN Systems’
enhancement mode
power switch
Qualcomm gears up
for the Internet of
Everything as it
launches two IoT
specific chips
COVER STORY 14
Covering the country
With customers complaining about poor or no signal and dropped
calls, mobile network operators are rolling out new technology in
an attempt to solve the rural ‘not-spot’ problem
LIFE SCIENCES 19
An era of transformation
With the life sciences sector witnessing profound changes, what
opportunities are there for test and measurement companies to
meet the needs of this fast moving market?
SENSORS 22
Home security just got a lot smarter
We find out how sensors enable an application that brings a new
level of intelligence and simplicity to the home security market by
listening for unusual noises
EMBEDDED SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT 24
Securing the system
There’s a growing awareness of the need for security in embedded
systems as they get connected to the outside world. We find out
some things to bear in mind
PROGRAMMABLE PLATFORMS 26
Building bridges
As incompatible interfaces become more of a problem, FPGAs
provide system designers with a way to fit ‘square pegs into
round holes’
DISPLAYS 29
HMI designs start to embrace video
With touch based human-machine interfaces deployed in all
manner of market sectors, attention is now turning to providing
enhanced video capabilities
DESIGN PLUS 33
Up to the mark?
Smartphone apps are part of everyday life today – with millions
available for download. But if you’re thinking of building an app,
will it need a CE mark?
Register for
the eZine
Direct to your inbox,
New Electronics’
weekly eZine features
the latest blogs, news,
articles, white papers,
interviews and more.
To register for your
copy, go to the
website.29
CONTENTS
VOL 48 NO 10
www.newelectronics.co.uk 26 May 2015 3
22
8
14
Photo
gra
phy:
Carl F
ox
26
“Our technologies are driving the new era of intelligent connectivity and
computing and we plan to invest heavily in these emerging
segments.” So said Qualcomm’s president, Derek Aberle, at a media event
earlier this month.
Qualcomm is determined, alongside the likes of Intel, Samsung and IBM, to
grow its presence significantly in the fast growing Internet of Things (IoT)
market.
And it’s no wonder that Qualcomm wants a piece of the action. It’s certainly
a growing market and, depending on how it is defined and who you talk to,
estimates suggest it could be worth anything up to $20billion this year alone.
But, as companies rush to get a share of the market, are they ignoring one
key issue – security? And even if security is not being overlooked, are the
security solutions being deployed fit for purpose? Horror stories already
abound of hackers breaking into devices and of vulnerabilities across the
supply chain.
Security is a top three issue for the IoT, according to ARM’s chief
technology officer Mike Muller. Speaking at a NMI sponsored IoT Security
Summit held earlier this month, Muller warned that ‘security must be
architected from the beginning and not be made an option’.
Describing vulnerable security models, compromised communication
protocols and insecure firmware updates, he warned that software complexity
and bugs in any code would lead to serious security flaws.
What has to be of more concern is the fact that most engineers don’t know
where to begin when it comes to security and the growing complexity of
designs is working against them. And who is actually responsible for
addressing security?
Muller described a possible two level approach to IoT security consisting of
a private and public state – the former built with strong security that rarely
changes and the latter, while still secure, developed with an eye to faster times
to market and quicker innovation cycles.
You can be certain of two things though. If your product is successful, it will
be hacked and, as a consumer, you’ll end up paying for enhanced levels of
security.
Neil Tyler, Editor ([email protected])
A question
of trustIoT deployments will not scale
effectively without trust
www.newelectronics.co.uk 26 May 2015
COMMENT
IoT SECURITY
www.beeas.co.uk
ARE YOUREADY?
It’s time to think about the
2015 British Engineering
Excellence Awards
ENTRIES NOW OPEN
25 May 2015 www.newelectronics.co.uk6
www.newelectronics.co.uk 26 May 2015 7
NEWS
SYSTEM SECURITY
Shielding the systemIMAGINATION LAUNCHES SCALABLE SECURITY SYSTEM FOR SoCS.
GRAHAM PITCHER REPORTS.
Imagination Technologies has launched OmniShield, designed to provide scalable and secure protection of
next generation SoCs. The approach is described as a scalable security technology that ensures that
applications which need to be secure are isolated from each other effectively and reliably as well as
protected from non secure applications. Multiple secure domains are created in which each secure/non
secure application/operating system can operate independently in its own separate environment.
Tony King-Smith, Imagination’s executive vp of marketing, said: “OmniShield will play a critical role in
minimising the attack surface area in next generation connected devices. PowerVR IP is already used in
secure heterogeneous environments, thanks to the virtualisation in some Series6XT GPUs. We’ll soon see
OmniShield ready systems based on our other processors. This is the start of a new era of secure SoC and
cloud based systems design.”
The multidomain separation based approach is said to not only ensure security and reliability, but also to
ease development and deployment of applications and services. It also addresses scalability; in a
heterogeneous architecture, application data and resources will be shared between the CPU and other
processors in the system.
Imagination is building OmniShield support into all of its processors. In addition, Imagination and its
partners will provide virtualised root of trust IP blocks for OmniShield, including crypto, Public Key Accelerator,
true random number generators, secure I/O for external TPMs and secure ROM.
A software platform from OneSpin Solutions allows third party companies with limited knowledge of formal technology
to develop and deliver domain specific formal based applications.
Called 360 LaunchPad, the software can be delivered as part of the app by the developer or the app can be
included in the OneSpin App Library, working with its formal products.
“We’re taking our assertion based engine and packaging it so other companies can use it inside their products,”
said Dave Kelf, vp of marketing.
To date, Agnisys and Tortuga Logic have integrated LaunchPad into their products. Tortuga has used it as part of its
Prospect hardware security product line, while Agnisys’ ARV-Formal combines LaunchPad with its Automatic Register
Verification0app to ensure register0operations in an RTL design are formally proven to match a specification.
Kelf said he expected this approach to enable more tools to be created. “We think there could be a couple of
hundred customers in the IP sector,” he concluded.
Software provides launch pad for formal based apps
Micro-camera could
revolutionise smart
sensors
Researchers at CSEM
claim their Vision-in-
Package (VIP) system
combines all necessary
elements into a volume
of less than 1cm³.
Featuring an ARM Cortex M4F,
the VIP also integrates 2Mbyte of Gash, 64Mbyte of
SDRAM and a 2.4GHz RF transceiver, while the HD
camera has a QVGA imager.
Measuring 16.5 x 16.5 x 3mm, VIP communicates
via various ports and can be integrated into existing
platforms using a software development kit.
Industrial semiconductor
sales up by 18%Worldwide industrial semiconductor revenues in 2014
grew to $40.4billion, 18% more than in the previous
year, according to market analysts IHS.
Texas Instruments was the largest industrial
semiconductor supplier, with sales of $3.5bn,
followed by STMicroelectronics and InFneon, while
Micron and ON Semiconductor entered the top 10 at
the expense of Maxim and Cree.
Among the top 10 semiconductor suppliers, nine
achieved sales growth in 2014 – seven returning
double digit growth. Only Renesas saw its revenues
decline.
IHS forecasts a 7% increase in industrial
semiconductor sales in 2015 and a compound
annual growth rate of 6% until 2019.
T: 01322 221144 F: 01322 221188
www.newelectronics.co.uk
Editor Neil Tyler
Online Editorial Tom Austin-Morgan
Assistant [email protected]
Group Editor Graham Pitcher
Contributing David Boothroyd
Editors Chris Edwards
Louise Joselyn
John Walko
Art Editor Martin Cherry
Illustrator Phil Holmes
Sales Manager Marc Young
Publisher Peter Ring
Executive Ed Tranter
Director [email protected]
Production Nicki McKenna
Controller [email protected]
New Electronics, incorporating Electronic
Equipment News and Electronics News, is
published twice monthly by
Findlay Media Ltd, Hawley Mill, Hawley Road,
Dartford, Kent, DA2 7TJ
Copyright 2015 Findlay Media.
Annual subscription (22 issues)
UK £108. Overseas £163. Airmail is £199.
ISSN 0047-9624 Online ISSN 2049-2316
Origination: CC Media, London
Printed in the UK by Pensord Press
Moving on?
If you change jobs or your company moves,
please contact [email protected] to
continue receiving your free copy of
New Electronics
Findlay Media is a member of the
Periodical Publishers’ Association
Researchers from the University of Manchester,
together with graphene manufacturer BGT
Materials, have used compressed graphene ink to
print an RF antenna measuring 14cm x 3.5mm
onto a piece of paper. According to the team, the
antenna performed well enough to make it practical
for use in RFID tags and wireless sensors.
Graphene ink is usually made by mixing
graphene flakes with a solvent, and sometimes a
binder such as ethyl cellulose. However, the team
found that when a binder free ink was printed and
dried, then compressed with a roller, graphene’s
conductivity was boosted by more than 50 times.
The tags are likely to reduce the cost of RFID
tags ‘significantly’, according to the research team.
Graphene RFID antenna
printed on paper
CAP-XX has launched the Thinline series of single cell
supercapacitors, targeted at IoT devices.
To reduce thickness and manufacturing costs, the
company has increased the power and energy density
of its electrode materials, while eliminating folded
edges and copper terminals.
Three 20mm footprints are available in
thicknesses of 0.6, 0.7 or 0.9mm. The 19.5mm wide
A series has a capacitance from 60 to 180mF and an
ESR from 45 to 200mΩ. The 28mm wide W series
has a capacitance from 100 to 300mF and an ESR of
24 to 120mΩ. The 39mm S series has a capacitance
of 180 to 540mF and an ESR from 16 to 75mΩ.
Thinline
supercaps
for IoT devices
Buck controller featuresdirect conversion
Intersil has launched a synchronous
step down PWM buck controller that
can bypass the intermediate step-
down conversion process. According
to the company, the ISL8117
enables direct conversion from 48V
to a 1V point-of-load supply.
Mark Downing, senior vp,
infrastructure and industrial power
products, said: “Customers are
trying to eliminate the intermediate
stage of a two stage conversion.
We’ve found that you can get a 2 to
3% rise in efficiency with just a
single stage conversion down to
point-of-load and this product
enables that.”
The ISL8117 uses valley current
mode modulation with adaptive
slope compensation to enable stable
operation for a range of input and
output combinations. Its input range
of 4.5V to 60V covers all standard
input rails, whilst the output is
configurable from 0.6V to 54V.
System designers can also
adjust the device’s frequency from
100kHz to 2MHz to reduce system
noise and optimise power supply
cost, size and efficiency.
2D materials cancontrol light
Researchers from MIT, IBM’s TJ
Watson Research Center, Hong Kong
Polytechnic University and the
University of Minnesota say they
have used two dimensional
materials to provide an exceptional
degree of control over light.
In its work, the team deposited
a layer of graphene on top of a layer
of hexagonal boron nitride. Although
structurally similar, the materials
interact with light differently, but the
researchers found these interactions
could be complementary.
MIT associate professor of
mechanical engineering Nicholas
Fang believes it should be possible
to use the approach to create
optical waveguides of about 20nm
in size, which could lead to chips
that combine optical and electronic
components in a single device.
BRIEFS Eddies take the heatINDUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY COULD HELP TO MEASURE HIGH TEMPERATURES.
GRAHAM PITCHER REPORTS.
Eddy currents could provide a new way to measure high temperatures in a range of challenging applications.
According to The Technology Partnership, its inductive technique has already been used to measure
temperature over ranges of several hundred degrees Celsius to an accuracy of 1°C.
TTP says it has exploited the fact that eddy currents are dependent on a material’s temperature. It
believes the approach could replace existing contact and non contact methods. “Inductive temperature
sensing is ideal for applications where contact methods are not reliable and where lack of line of sight
access, variable emissivity or high cost limit the use of infrared techniques,” said TTP senior consultant Dr
David Pooley.
Eddy currents were discovered by Foucault in 1851, but the technology was not used for industrial
applications until the 1930s. “It’s very exciting to take a 165 year old principle and discover completely
new applications for it,” said Dr Pooley. “We are continuing our trials to refine the process and explore new
applications and we are already getting a lot of interest from potential partners.”
26 May 2015 www.newelectronics.co.uk
NEWS
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT
8
Tuneable hardmask technology
A new approach to patterning copper interconnects has been
developed by Applied Materials, which believes it will be applicable at
the 10nm node and beyond.
According to the company, as process technology scales, innovation
in hardmask technology is required in order to preserve the pattern
integrity of tightly packed interconnect structures. “Patterning plays a
key role here,” said Sree Kesapragada, global product manager for
metal deposition.
Interconnect alignment is currently handled by titanium nitride
(TiN) hardmasks. However, as process dimensions get smaller, film
density and stress become issues. Cirrus HTX is said to enable the TiN
hardmask to be scaled to meet future patterning needs.
“Hard masks for 10nm and beyond need tensile stress and high
film density,” said Kesapragada. “Cirrus HTX enables tuneable stress
and density. If the film density is low, alignment will be out of spec,
while compressive stress will make metallisation impossible.”
Energy friendly IGBTsFAIRCHILD LOOKS TO CUT IGBT ENERGY LOSS BY 30%.
GRAHAM PITCHER REPORTS.
Fairchild used PCIM to launch a technology which, it claims, will reduce energy loss in its fourth generation
650V and 1200V IGBTs by 30%. The technology is said to use a novel design approach tailored for high and
medium/speed switching applications in industrial and automotive markets.
According to the company, it is applying an advanced high density pitch, self balancing cell build using self
aligned contact technology for extremely high current densities and what it calls ‘favourable’ dynamic
switching features over temperatures ranging from -40 to 175°C. It adds this approach will enable its fourth
generation IGBTs to demonstrate a saturation voltage of approximately 1.65V and a switching loss of 5µJ/A.
“Fairchild’s new approach involves extremely high electron injection efJciency enhanced by a very Jne cell
pitch design and hole carrier injection restricted by a new buffer structure,” said Fairchild Fellow Thomas
Neyer. “These advances yield signiJcant performance advantages and will enable Fairchild to give
manufacturers new solutions for efJciently controlling large amounts of power with our IGBTs.”
Further details for Fairchild’s FS4 IGBTs will be available later in 2015.
www.newelectronics.co.uk 26 May 2015
NEWS
PCIM LAUNCHES
9
Vicor unveiled a range of high density, low proJle
integrated AC/DC front end power modules.
The VIA PFM range, which features a power
density of 8W/cm³, can supply up to 400W to an
isolated PFC regulated 24V or 48V SELV DC output
from an AC input ranging from 85 to 264V.
The 9mm thick VIA PFM can be mounted on the
sidewall of any typical 1U chassis. The modules may
also be conduction cooled to eliminate fans,
improving overall system reliability and minimising
the power system footprint.
According to Vicor, the combination of high
density, high efJciency and low thermal resistance
makes VIA PFM modules suitable for use in
applications ranging from small cell wireless base
stations to automation systems.
Front end modules
X-Fab and gallium nitride start up Exagan have
signed a development agreement to industrialise
the latter’s 650V GaN-on-silicon technology. The
deal will also see high speed power switching
devices produced on 200mm wafers and the
establishment of a European production centre.
“Our strategic partnership with X-FAB is the latest
step in establishing a robust supply chain capable of
providing customers with qualiJed GaN devices in
large volumes for demanding applications,” said
Frédéric Dupont, Exagen’s president and CEO.
The two companies have already processed the
Jrst GaN-on-silicon devices built on 200mm
substrates at X-Fab’s Dresden fab and are
developing the prototype into a process robust
enough for mass production.
Fab partnership
MOSFETs feature ‘GaN like’
performance
Infineon debuted a family of CoolMOS C7 series superjunction MOSFETs.
The 600V capable series is said to offer a 50% reduction in turn off losses
compared to CoolMOS CP, bringing what it claims is a ‘GaN like’ level of
performance in hard switching topologies.
CoolMOS C7 parts, which have an area specific on resistance
(RDS(ON)*A) of 1Ω/mm2, will be made in two 300mm fabs to ensure
security of supply. The family will have a broad range of RDS(ON) values and
package options, including the TO-247 4pin package (pictured). The fourth
pin boosts efficiency in full load by up to 0.4% by eliminating voltage drops
across the source inductance.
The MOSFETs will be available in TO-220, TO-247 and TO-247 4pin
packages with RDS(ON) ratings ranging from 40mΩ to 180mΩ. Samples for
TO-220 FP, DPAK, D2PAK and ThinPAK options, as well as the complete range
of RDS(ON) values, will be available in Q3 2015.
Simplifying
digital power
conversion
Looking to help designers to take
advantage of digital power
conversion, STMicroelectronics
has released the STNRG range of
digital controllers.
STNRG ICs contain ST’s State
Machine Event Driven (SMED)
high resolution PWM generator,
along with an STM8 based
supervisory core. The devices
integrate a 32kbyte EEPROM, a
6kbyte RAM, A/D converter, op
amp, I2C port and GPIO. BeneJts
claimed include high efJciency
under load, enhanced safety,
diagnostics and network
connectivity.
The STNRG family comprises:
the STNRG288A, with four SMED-
controlled outputs; the
STNRG328A, with Jve SMEDs;
and the STNRG388A, with six
SMEDs.
GaN part
handles 60A
GaN Systems introduced a GaN
based high power enhancement
mode device at PCIM. Called the
GS65516T, the part is said to
have a current capability of 60A.
“GaN is real and happening
right now,” claimed Girvan
Patterson, the company’s
president. “Our devices boast
industrial scale power and, since
becoming available commercially
last year, hundreds of leading
companies across the globe have
embraced our technology.”
The E-mode power switch,
which features a topside cooling
conJguration, is based on the
company’s Island Technology die
design. Supplied in a low
inductance package measuring 9
x 7.6 x 0.45mm, the part
supports reverse current
capability, integral source sense
and zero reverse recovery loss.
According to Qualcomm’s president
Derek Aberle, the company is now
looking to grow its presence in the
burgeoning Internet of Things (IoT) market
significantly.
Speaking in San Francisco, Aberle said the
industry needed technology leaders with the
right scale and resources if the Internet of
Everything – as the company refers to the IoT
– is to deliver value.
Qualcomm, long associated with
smartphones, is looking to firmly establish
itself in this growing market. While it has
been working in the IoT sector for the past
few years, Aberle said he is now looking to
push much harder into the market.
“Qualcomm is well positioned to provide
advanced connectivity, computing and
interoperability for devices and machines,” he
said. “Our technologies are already driving
this new era of intelligent connectivity and
computing and we plan to invest heavily in
these emerging segments.”
Rivals Samsung and Intel have released
IoT specific chips, while IBM recently
announced a $3billion investment to create
an IoT business unit.
To emphasise the scope and range of
Qualcomm’s presence, Aberle used his
presentation to describe the companies work
in a variety of projects, including smart cities
– covering areas such as municipal Wi-Fi,
water use, recycling, lighting, transportation,
energy and infrastructure – as well as in
connected healthcare, where Qualcomm Life,
the company’s mobile health unit, now has
around 500 customers and collaborators.
The company is also heavily involved in
developing wearable devices and, according
to Aberle, ‘more than 20million connected
vehicles are currently deployed globally with
Qualcomm Snapdragon LTE and 3G modems’.
Last year, the company generated more
than $1billion from supplying the IoT market,
said Aberle.
Aberle also talked about the company’s
‘vision’ for the IoT. “We want to make devices
so smart that they do not have to be
connected to the Internet to be controlled by
individuals; instead, the device should learn
and adapt to scenarios. If the devices are
smarter, much more of the computing can be
done at the device, instead of up in the cloud.”
The size of the IoT market is open to
debate and, depending on the definition of
the market, estimates of its worth range from
$1bn to almost $20bn this year.
Aberle said that, whatever the figure, the
opportunities for companies like Qualcomm
were enormous and the importance of first
mover advantage would be significant. “We’re
determined that Qualcomm will take a big
slice of the pie for itself,” he suggested.
Qualcomm used the event to launch two
new chips – the QCA401x and QCA4531 –which
it hopes will spur development of IoT products.
The QCA401x, Qualcomm’s flagship IoT chip, is
intended to be used to power devices such light
bulbs, smart TVs and cameras. The QCA4531,
a Linux based Wi-Fi device, will act as a hub
between larger devices.
“Across the board, our technologies are
supporting the Internet of Everything, whether
through more intelligent connectivity or
computing. To ensure success, we need to not
only provide a range of solutions to what is a
very diverse market, but also better understand
how connectivity will drive a much deeper
market engagement,” Aberle concluded.
Qualcomm gears up for the Internet of EverythingLEADING US CHIP-MAKER SETS OUT ITS STALL AS IT TARGETS THIS FAST GROWING
MARKET. NEIL TYLER REPORTS FROM SAN FRANCISCO.
26 May 2015 www.newelectronics.co.uk
NEWS ANALYSIS
INTERNET OF EVERYTHING
10
“Our technologies are
already driving this new
era of intelligent
connectivity … and we plan
to invest heavily in these
emerging segments.”
Derek Aberle, Qualcomm
www.newelectronics.co.uk 26 May 2014 11
More than 10,000 SME manufacturing and design sites
operate within 100 miles of Newcastle and, with inward
investment from larger manufacturers such as Nissan in
Sunderland and now Hitachi in County Durham, the region’s
heartbeat is stronger than ever.
Manufacturing and Engineering North East will showcase the North
East’s strengths and provide a platform for local and national
manufacturers, engineers and their suppliers to meet, learn, solve
problems and do business.
All such companies have the same pressures as manufacturers and
engineers across the nation – too much to do in too little time. At the same
time, there is always the reality of having to keep ahead of the game.
Keeping abreast with technology, business practices, new opportunities –
this all takes time.
The event will comprise four key elements covering the full range of
design, production and manufacturing all targeted to the needs of its
visitors:
• Keynote conferences from market leading engineering and
manufacturing businesses.
• Practical, hands-on workshops sessions.
• An exhibition providing access to market-leading suppliers.
• And, most importantly, it will be entirely FREE to attend for
manufacturers and engineers within the region.
Manufacturing & Engineering North East conference and exhibition is an
event fashioned on a national blueprint and tailored to the region’s needs.
Accepting that engineers do not have hours to spare travelling from North
to South, MENE is an event on the doorstep of those involved in design,
engineering and manufacturing in the North East.
And far from being a scaled down version of a national event, more than
100 market leading suppliers will fll MENE’s sold out exhibition hall (at the
largest venue in the region) with conferences and workshops of direct –
and in many cases unique – relevance to the region.
Ed Tranter, Exhibition Director, commented: “We are tremendously
excited about this event. Since we frst started talking to agencies and
organisations in the region, it has been clear that engineering is a way of
life here – people take massive pride in being part of the sector. That pride
has translated itself to enthusiasm for this event from all its participants –
exhibitors, visitors, conference presenters and the organising team. We
can’t wait to open our doors to this thriving community in July.”
Visit www.menortheast.co.uk and register now.
A fantastic new event – the Manufacturing & Engineering North East exhibition and conference
– has been put together especially to meet the needs of the North East region.
8 – 9 July 2015
Metro Radio Arena
Newcastle
Engineered for the
Conference highlights
Each keynote session provides case studies and insights from
leading industry experts.
Programme highlights include:
• Innovate UK – hear how your company can gain funding and
support as part of Innovate UK’s remit to champion the
development of British industrial innovation
• IP Protection – Newcastle IP company McDaniel & Co will
provide engineers clear advice on how to protect their designs
• Renewable Energy – learn how to get your business designing
and supplying to the renewable sector with the Offshore
Renewable Energy Catapult
• Creative Design – IHC describes the key principles it uses to
deliver award winning engineering designs
• AMRC and the Boeing Training Centre – the Advanced
Manufacturing Research Catapult will outline the development
of the employer-led training programme and explain the benefts
it presents to other manufacturers
• Ebac – this Durham-based white goods manufacturer will
provide insight into the design process
• Pepsico – an inspiring case study in manufacturing excellence
from the Peterlee factory
• EEF – the manufacturer’s association – will provide a master
class on how to attract and retain world class employees
• Automotive – Nissan has reinvigorated the North East
automotive sector and has enjoyed huge success. The North
East Automotive Alliance explains the opportunities and growth
potential for the region’s manufacturers
• Rail Alliance – discover how your business can become part of
the emerging supply chain and take advantage of the billions
being invested in the North East rail sector
It’s free to attend, but conference spaces are limited, so don’t
miss out!
Visit www.menortheast.co.uk to reserve your place.
26 May 2015 www.newelectronics.co.uk12
MENE 2015 PREVIEW
WWW.MENORTHEAST.CO.UK
North East
Practical hands-on
workshops
Across the two days of the event there will be 20
workshop sessions, each designed to drill deeper
into certain technologies so that the engineer can
get practical advice or information about new
services, functions or technologies.
Workshop topics (with presenting companies) include:
• Industrial automation solutions (Fanuc)
• Engineering thermoplastic polymers (KD
Feddersen)
• Bearings for automotive, aerospace and
industrial uses (Schaeffer)
• 3D Printing software and services (Materialise)
• Manufacturing advice (EEF)
• Funding solutions to help businesses secure
assets (Lombard)
• Improve machining processes with CNC Machine
Tool Simulation (CG Tech)
1st MTAAbssacAdvanced IndustrialProducts
Ajax Machine ToolsAmtech RapidPrototyping
ArcoArno UK BeckhoffAutomation
Brownell BTM AutomationC Dugard CG TechChester UKCNC RotaryDelcamDunkermotoren (UK)ECI SolutionsEJOTElectro MechanicalSystems
Elesa (UK) Epicor Software (UK) EPLANEuropean Springs
& Pressings Exel ComputerSystems plc
Fanuc UK FaroFibox Geo KingsburyMachine Tools
GOM UK Harmonic DriveHeasonHEIDENHAIN (GB) Henkel LoctiteHexagon Metrology HK TechnologiesHorn Cutting Tools Hurco EuropeIgusIHC EngineeringBusiness
Industrial ToolingCorporation
Informance Jauch QuartzK.D Feddersen UK K3 SysproKCS Datawright
Kyal Machine ToolsLee Spring LG MotionLohmannTechnologies
Lombard (RoyalBank of Scotland)
MACH MachineTools /TheVigilance Group
Materialise UKMatsuuraMachinery
Maxon MotorsMayr Transmissions MeasurementSolutions Limited
Metool Products Metrology SoftwareProducts
Micro EpsilonMinitecNikken KosakushoEurope
OGPPDJ VibroPerfect Bore Mfg
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www.newelectronics.co.uk 26 May 2015 13
“So the operators offered new commitments and, again,
pleaded with Government and regulators to ease the tough
planning regulations that stop us putting masts of the
necessary height so as to extend network coverage in
these areas.
“What we would dearly like from the Government is a
holistic approach; at the moment, we see a disconnect
between different departments,” Prof Sutton continued.
The compromise means, between them, carriers will be
committed to invest an additional £5billion by 2017 on
infrastructure targeting rural ‘not-spots’ so as to achieve
90% coverage for voice and SMS and 85% for 3G and 4G.
The MNOs also committed to improve the availability of
mobile broadband in rural areas, although this wasn’t
included in the revised licence arrangements.
According to statistics compiled by Ofcom in December
2014, Vodafone covered 82% of the UK land mass, while O2
and EE managed 78% coverage.
So what are these new technologies – and potentially
cost effective solutions – that network operators could
deploy to connect hard to reach subscribers?
As Prof Sutton stressed, new architectures will be
needed. Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV), the current
26 May 2015 www.newelectronics.co.uk14
On holiday in Cornwall last summer, UK Prime
Minister David Cameron found himself in a ‘not-
spot’ and either could not get a signal on his
mobile or suffered constantly from dropped calls.
Subscribers in rural areas cheered; they thought this would
be a ‘something must be done’ moment and their
exasperation might, hopefully, be over.
Shortly after, regulator Ofcom proposed a ‘national
roaming’ scheme that horrified the country’s mobile network
operators (MNOs): it would have forced them to offer the
kind of competitive roaming between networks that is
common when using a mobile abroad.
“We are looking at potential solutions to cover the
capacity and dropped calls issues in rural areas, so
objected strongly to the proposals,” Professor Andy Sutton,
principal network architect at operator EE, told New
Electronics. “The technological fix suggested would not have
resulted in a seamless experience for subscribers and,
frankly, was not a viable technical solution.”
With a rare unified voice, the operators stressed the
scheme could have led to even less reliable signal
availability, reduced a phone’s battery life and posed risks to
the security of their networks. And they claimed that, as
outlined, roaming would not have impacted data
transmission, but only 2G voice calls.
Mobile network operators are rolling out new
technology to solve the rural ‘not-spot’ problem.
By John Walko.
Covering the country
Fig 1: Issues with mobile voices services in the UK
100%80%60%40%20%0%
Every day A few times a week Once a week
A few times a month Hardly ever Never
100%80%60%40%20%0%
Dro
pped c
alls
Blo
cked c
alls
Remote rural
Rural
Urban
Total
10% 16% 3% 14% 38% 20%
13% 8% 15% 29% 19%14%
5% 4% 11% 36% 35%9%
10%6% 4% 11% 36% 33%
Remote rural
Rural
Urban
Total
16%6% 6% 13% 34% 24%
10%10% 7% 19% 34% 20%
10% 6% 13% 35% 31%4%
10%5% 7% 13% 35% 30%
Ph
oto
:s C
arl F
ox
buzzword in the mobile sector, will be brought to bear, as will
software defined networking. Then there are different
flavours of dynamic mesh routing to connect and, crucially,
backhaul traffic between and from remote base stations.
“In the longer term, operators are likely to use 800MHz
spectrum and 4G in rural scenarios and this will align with
the work underway to offer Voice over LTE (VoLTE) to users
everywhere,” said Prof Sutton. He added operators are also
looking at increased use of femto and micro cells, while Wi-
Fi calling could even come into play, though the latter is
more likely to be used to improve in building coverage.
Two UK operators have started to roll out small cell
based solutions.
“We have done a thorough review of what was available
and chose a relatively new and innovative solution from
Parallel Wireless that brings together elements of metrocells
and a Distributed Antenna System approach. Although we
considered a femtocell based approach, it would also have
needed a fixed broadband line in the premises.”
The system’s cells connect to each other in a mesh
network that, in turn, connects, via microwave, to a normal
basestation up to 6km away. The in-band backhaul system
uses a 20MHz portion of EE’s 1800MHz LTE spectrum and
can work over distances of up to 12km and – in the right
circumstances – even 15 km away.
EE believes three or four such cells could cover up to
150 buildings over an area of 1.3km2. Since the gear is
small and unobtrusive, the problem of gaining planning
permission does not come into play.
The micro network supports 4G at 1.8GHz and 3G at
2.1GHz. EE says users could get average data speeds of
20Mbit/s outdoors and slightly less than this indoors.
The basic antenna units are managed by an LTE access
controller that can support both outdoor and in-vehicle cells.
Parallel Wireless suggests its set-up is an early example of
a carrier grade network system, since the orchestration of
the access points is run in software on the controller, which
supports the cellular NFV standard.
This could have important ramifications, as many in the
industry feel such a small cell system could be a catalyst for
virtualisation in the Radio Access Controller, allowing many
sites to be managed Aexibly from a central server. This has
the potential of significantly lower cost and less complex cell
site equipment.
Prof Sutton said EE is planning to deploy the system in
some 1500 rural communities by the end of 2017. The first
www.newelectronics.co.uk 26 May 2015 15
COVER STORY
RURAL MOBILE COVERAGE
“In the longer
term, operators
are likely to use
800MHz
spectrum and
4G in rural
scenarios and
this will align
with the work
underway to
offer VoLTE) to
users
everywhere.”
Prof Andy
Sutton
transmit voice calls in the same way as they transmit data,
by chopping up calls into packets.
“It is coming fast; faster than many people think,” said
Prof Saunders. “And since VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling can use
an IMS handling framework, both could be enabled by the
same investment.” This, he suggests, will be a powerful
business proposition as the network operators plan the full
roll-out of their 4G networks.
Because US operators have embraced 4G more quickly
than their European counterparts, this has allowed them to
‘sunset’ 2G more quickly (see box). This will make them
more cost effective, with one fewer generation of
basestations to maintain and manage and more spectrum
for faster and more lucrative data services.
Meanwhile, 5G is on the way – sometime post 2020, but
possibly much later, according to some in the industry. With
so much still to get right, how 5G could help those in rural
areas still likely to be suffering from non spots is anyone’s
guess.
But as Prof Sutton concluded: “If we get 5G right, maybe
there will not be a need for 6G.”
26 May 2015 www.newelectronics.co.uk
was installed last December in the Cumbrian village of
Sebergham. Intriguingly, there is the possibility the platform
could be integrated into BT’s rural broadband initiatives if –
or, more probably, when – its proposed acquisition of EE is
approved.
Meanwhile, Vodafone is rolling out a rural version of its
Open Sure Signal scheme (ROSS) which, initially, aims to
provide 3G coverage to 100 villages. This is based on a
larger, open access and ruggedised version of its Sure
Signal femtocell that can be fixed onto the side of buildings
and on street furniture. The first location, in the Cotswolds
village of Minchinhampton, went live in November 2014.
The operators suggest that, by using small cell options,
they can offer rural communities a better service for about
one third of the investment that would be needed were they
to go down the route of adding a macrocell and having to
provision in the cost and complexity of backhaul.
This chimes with an assertion by consultancy Real
Wireless, which noted in its 2015 ‘Manifesto’ that ‘small
cells have reached a point where they are cost effective for
MNOs to deploy them in the right context’.
“We did a piece of work recently that compared the costs
of deploying micro and macro cells in vastly differing
geographic and rural scenarios – from the UK to Africa – and
concluded that, in time, costs could be reduced to about
10% of a conventional macro cell deployment, on a per-
person basis,” Professor Simon Saunders, director of
technology at Real Wireless, and formerly founding chairman
of the Small Cell Forum told New Electronics.
He added that, while there are technical challenges, ‘the
critical issue for rural wireless has always been around the
business case’. Real Wireless suggests that ‘until the
business case becomes clear, the initiative for providing
wireless in rural areas will always be on the subscribers
themselves or government and regulators’.
If these small cell architecture based initiatives and
additional infrastructure upgrades are the short term future
– the expectation is that they will halve the number of partial
not-spots and reduce total not-spots by two thirds in most
rural areas – VoLTE could be the long term answer,
according to Prof Saunders.
VoLTE allows MNOs to use their data networks to
16
COVER STORY
RURAL MOBILE COVERAGE
3G or not 3G?
We know what happens to mobile phones – even tablets –
when deemed no longer fit for purpose. But what about the
cellular network infrastructure?
In parts of the world, for example the US and Australia,
some operators are already decommissioning their 2G
networks and, in most cases, refarming the spectrum to
newer generation offerings. But while there has been debate
and planning in Europe, there has been no action.
In the UK, there is talk that 3G networks could – even
should – be switched off before 2G.
“Why not? It is entirely sensible. 2G is the glue that holds
the mobile world together from a roaming point of view as regards voice
traffic. And 2G has been established as the preferred medium for M2M
networking, linking millions of telemetry devices on very long term contracts.”
Professor Andy Sutton, principal network architect at EE told New Electronics.
Many vending machines and credit card validating services rely on 2G and
25% of UK handsets are 2G only. “Embedded 3G device modules did not
really take off and, in any case, 3G is essentially a mobile data network. But,
technically, there is no feature of 3G that we can’t better replicate with the
rapidly deploying 4G networks,” he added.
This assessment is corroborated by a May 2015 report from market
researcher Forward Concepts, which suggests that ‘2G remains the key
foundation, comprising the majority of units shipped in 2014. Though, with
the shift toward broadband technologies, we expect 3G to grow to 40% of
mobile M2M module revenue by 2018’.
Prof Sutton stresses the basestations being deployed by EE will reduce the
spectrum that needs to be allocated for GSM, allowing it to be transferred to
4G as and when needed.
“It clearly makes sense for an operator, such as EE, to refarm a portion of
its 1800MHz spectrum towards 4G, while maintaining some for 2G. I would
foresee us decommissioning 3G networks round about 2019 to 2020,
retaining GSM for a few years longer. I can’t speak for the other operators,
who may have different plans, but it’s certainly an interesting debate within
the industry.”
care. The second is the growing
pressure on companies to reduce
development time so they can
establish an early position in what is
a very competitive market.”
The cost of developing new
devices can be prohibitive and the
risks associated huge.
“That pressure to innovate more
quickly reflects the pressures
traditionally associated with the
consumer sector. That mentality is
now forcing companies to not only
produce working prototypes more
quickly, but also to decide whether a
project is a go or no-go at an earlier
stage.”
The pressure on the domain
expert in life sciences and on the
electrical engineer is certainly
immense.
“In general, for those developing
medical devices, it’s vital that they
see increased throughput, via greater
automation, and a reduction in costs.
They also need to have confidence in
the test environment, especially if
the product under development is
portable. Reliability in the field is
paramount if the device is being
deployed in remote areas.”
A crucial new dynamic in the
design cycle has been, according to
Veeramani, the breaking down of
what he describes as the ‘wall’
between design and test.
“We’ve seen this wall crumble as
both sets of engineers access the
same code and better understand
the work of the other,” he says.
“NI has played its part in breaking
down that wall. LabVIEW, for
example, is a single platform that
can support design, prototyping and
test. A highly reconfigurable I/O (RIO)
architecture, combining Xilinx FPGAs
and PC based technologies in a
platform, it is suited for onboard
processing and real-time analysis.”
Among projects undertaken by NI
was one with Santec to increase the
imaging speed and reduce the size of
an optical coherence tomography
(OCT) imaging system.
The life sciences sector is witnessing profound changes. How can test and measurement
companies help to address the needs of this fast developing market? By Neil Tyler.
“A crucial new
dynamic in the
design cycle
has been the
breaking down
of the ‘wall’
between
design and
test.”
Arun
Veeramani
www.newelectronics.co.uk 26 May 2015
An era of transformation
19
SECTOR FOCUS
LIFE SCIENCES
With rapidly ageing
populations, the rise of
lifestyle diseases and
advances in medical
technology, the life sciences sector is
experiencing what is being described
by many as a period of signiCcant
transformation. Changes are
affecting the clinical, regulatory and
business environments, which means
that pharmaceutical, biotechnology
and medical technology companies
have to adapt the way in which they
conduct their research.
Research conducted by the
Economist Intelligence Unit suggests
that the sector will see growth
running at an annual rate of more
than 5% between now and 2018 on
the back of a strengthening global
economy.
An ageing population is expected
to generate increasing demand for
life science products to treat a range
of age related illnesses, such as
Alzheimer’s, diabetes and arthritis,
while new portable medical
technology will bring more effective
health monitoring to patients living in
some of the remotest regions of the
world.
A fast growing sector
Meanwhile, the market for medical
technology is expected to grow by 5%
per year between now and 2020, with
in vitro diagnostics, cardiac devices
and diagnostic imaging technologies
the three largest segments. But the
fastest growing sector is forecast to
be neurology devices.
There are, however, two opposing
pressures impacting the development
of medical devices, according to Arun
Veeramani, National Instruments’
senior marketing manager for
embedded systems. “The Crst is the
need to produce safe, high quality
devices that are suitable for patient
26 May 2015 www.newelectronics.co.uk
“OCT is a non invasive imaging
technique that enables the
visualisation of tissue with resolution
similar to that of some
microscopes,” explains Veeramani.
There has been increasing
interest in the use of OCT because it
provides greater resolution than
techniques such as magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) or positron
emission tomography (PET). The
process uses a low power light
source and the corresponding light
reflections to create images – a
method similar to ultrasound, but
which uses light not sound.
In Swept Source-OCT (SS-OCT)
applications, a laser scans a sample,
a fast A/D converter acquires the
data and produces a tomographic
image.
The system needs to be capable
of high speed acquisition, complex
image processing and accurate
control of the laser scanning. The
acquisition and control portions of
the system have to be tightly
synchronised if they are to achieve a
satisfactory level of performance.
Processing power
Obtaining the Cnal image requires
signiCcant processing power,
including fast Fourier transforms,
interpolation and DC offset
calculations.
To prototype the new architecture,
Santec used NI’s FlexRIO modular
hardware programmed using the
LabVIEW FPGA Module.
“This is a graphical design
language that allows the FPGA
circuitry to be designed without
needing to know VHDL coding. “It
combines interchangeable,
customisable I/O adaptor modules
with a user programmable FPGA
module in a PXI or PXI Express form
factor.”
For the I/O, Santec used a custom
adapter module combining a
100Msample/s 12bit A/D converter
for acquisition with 50ksample/s
12bit D/A converter for the laser
scanner control.
“Prototyping the system meant a
working solution was created quickly
and it was possible to determine any
changes that were needed,”
Veeramani explains.
“We saw a signiCcant speed-up
when we moved processing to the
FPGA from the PC, which enabled
signiCcant improvement in video
display rates – from 10frame/s per
second to 40frame/s.”
In the conventional system, two
devices were needed. By contrast,
the new platform combined the
acquisition and control I/O in one
module, using the FPGA to
synchronise both functions, making
the device easier to build, cable and
conCgure.
Because of a reduction in size the
device could be made portable,
opening it up to use in a range of
applications.
Another project was with the
Healthcare Technology Innovation
Centre (HTIC) of IIT Madras; since its
formation in 2011, a leading source
of medical research and development
in India.
With a focus on developing
affordable healthcare technologies to
meet clinical needs, HTIC worked
with NI to develop an affordable and
non invasive method of measuring
arterial stiffness – cardiovascular
disease is a signiCcant killer globally
and affects 45million Indians.
HTIC developed ARTSENS –
arterial stiffness evaluation for non-
invasive screening – an image free
technology that investigates arterial
wall dynamics and performs non
invasive measurements of arterial
stiffness using a high frequency
transducer to capture the dynamics
of the arterial wall.
Miniaturised hardware
“The arterial wall’s motions can be
tracked and the user can obtain a
distension waveform, measure the
end diastolic diameter and, along
with the measurement of blood
pressure, can calculate arterial
stiffness,” explains Veeramani.
HTIC developed miniaturised
hardware modules for transducer
excitation and synchronised data
acquisition in house and integrated
them with intelligent computing
modules for real time processing and
online signal analysis to develop a
prototype. HTIC is currently
developing a handheld version of
ARTSENS.
“The use of NI hardware and
LabVIEW software allowed much
quicker experimental setup and
allowed the research team to capture
the echo signals and focus on
understanding the signal
characteristics, without getting
bogged down with the setting up of
the experiment,” said Veeramani.
While testing to meet performance
requirements can be time consuming
it needs to be carried out efCciently
and effectively. As the divide between
the designer and tester blurs, new
products can be brought to market
more quickly, on budget and,
crucially, without compromising on
safety.
A prototype of the
tablet version of
ARTSENS, which is
designed to
measure arterial
stiffness
Scantec’s optical
coherence
tomography system
was prototyped
using NI’s FlexRIO
platform
20
SECTOR FOCUS
LIFE SCIENCES
In the 12 May issue, New
Electronics talked with London
based IoT incubator Breed
Reply about the support it was
providing for companies looking to
address opportunities associated
with the Internet of Things.
One of the start ups it had
identified as a suitable investment
opportunity was Leeds based Cocoon,
which has developed a new home
security application.
Although initially based on
crowdfunding, Cocoon’s management
team has a good track record when it
comes to setting up start ups and
has concluded a number of
successful exits.
One of the founders, Dan Conlon
established cloud storage service
Humyo, which was sold for $18million
to Trend Micro in 2010 and, while still
in secondary school, started the web
hosting company Donhost and sold
that for $11m in 2005.
CEO Sanjay Parekh and the
company’s other founders – Colin
Richardson, Nick Gregory and John
Berthels – have all held various roles
at Humyo and Trend Micro.
Smart security
While there may not be a shortage of
‘smart’ security devices in the market
at the moment, such devices tend to
be relatively simple, combining
motion detection with an Internet
connected camera and supported by
a cloud-based service with
smartphone apps that alert a user
should it detect an intruder.
Cocoon has developed a single
device that uses ‘infrasound’ to
detect movement by listening to
things people can’t hear.
“With this new security device, we
have set about correcting the main
problem with existing sensors, where
there are way too many false alarms
triggered by the suburban sound
track,” explains Conlon.
“We don’t think that current sensor
technology is actually Gt for purpose.
We wanted to improve it, make the
system easier to install and make it
simpler to manage. Most people in
the UK don’t have a home alarm
system; it’s expensive and
complicated. Those that do, often
forget to set their alarm, worry about
false alarms disturbing neighbours or
having to pay the police for erroneous
call outs.
“We’d all had bad experiences with
existing home security technology and
wanted to create something that could
protect the whole household but which
could be plugged in to a wall socket in
much the same way you would a
kettle,” Conlon notes.
Cocoon’s device uses infrasound, a
subsound technology which is outside
the range of normal human hearing.
“Humans hear within the range
from 20Hz to 20kHz. Infrasound is
classiGed as sound below that of
human hearing,” says hardware
engineer Nick Gregory. “Cocoon uses a
powerful microphone to detect
infrasound and this subsound
technology combines sound wave
detection (audible and infrasound) with
digital proGling and machine learning.”
According to Gregory, subsound
technology enables Cocoon to detect
and make sense of the noises created
by activity throughout the home so it
can notify you if anything unusual
happens.
A key beneGt of subsound
technology is that it enables Cocoon
to detect and proGle activity
throughout the home without the need
for additional sensors.
“It means you only need one small
Cocoon device in order to keep the
typical home or apartment secure,
eliminating the need for expensive
wired home security systems and you
don’t have to remember to arm or
disarm it,” Conlon continues.
Infrasonic sound waves
By ‘listening’ to infrasonic sound
waves, the company claims the device
can monitor an entire home, including
detecting intruders through closed
doors and in rooms other than where
Cocoon is situated. This potentially
solves the shortcomings currently
associated with existing
camera/motion detection based
smart home security systems, which
are either limited to a single room or
require the setting up of ‘zones’ using
multiple devices.
“We believe this is a smarter, more
accessible way to deliver home
security,” suggests Conlon. “Not only
is the device a lot simpler, but
machine learning algorithms also
learn what is normal for an individual’s
home and so help to reduce false
alarms. In turn, smartphone alerts
deliver actionable information,
enabling you to take meaningful
action. I’d like to think that we’re
Gnally putting people at the heart of
home security.”
In addition to its infrasonic sound
sensor technology, the Cocoon device
A start up has developed an application that brings a new level of intelligence and simplicity to
the fast growing home security market. By Neil Tyler.
Home security just got a
22
“One small
Cocoon device
can keep the
typical home
or apartment
secure,
eliminating
the need for
expensive
wired home
security
systems and
you don’t have
to remember
to arm or
disarm it.”
Dan Conlon
26 May 2015 www.newelectronics.co.uk
also contains a traditional motion
sensor, microphone and HD camera
with night vision and wide angle lens.
“Cocoon incorporates a HD
camera, sensitive microphone and PIR
sensors. A Freescale i.MX6 SoC is at
its heart, with an Aptina image signal
processor delivering a high quality
video stream from the image sensor,”
says Gregory.
Audio fingerprints
“The i.MX6 was chosen for its
onboard H.264 encoding and AES
encryption, as well as for the ARMv7
instruction set, which allowed us to
develop its software rapidly in higher
level languages such as Golang.” H
While the Cocoon engineering team
is exploring silicon from a wider set of
vendors, Gregory explains that, as the
company began life as a crowdfunded
start-up, it meant that ‘Freescale was
one of just a few manufacturers that
was able to provide us with the
necessary support.”
Cocoon has been set up to analyse
the readings from its sensors
continually. A notable audio event can
then be processed to extract an audio
‘Gngerprint’.
“Different kinds of sounds – for
example, keys being jangled, the
shutting of a door or loud music – all
have different Gngerprints,” explains
Conlon. “In this way, Cocoon can turn
the raw stream of audio data into a
more comprehensible stream of
events, with associated data. These
events can then be analysed to
discover patterns so, as time passes,
Cocoon learns what is normal for an
individual household.”
This data is then analysed and
used to build a model of what events
are expected, tailored to an
individual’s speciGc household.H
“With this model and augmented
by information from an individual’s
mobile app about when they are home
or away, Cocoon can decide if a
sensor event is signiGcant and show it
to the user,” says Conlon.
Security is an important issue and
Cocoon uses the i.MX6, according to
Gregory, because it has features such
as secure JTAG, high assurance boot
and the ARM TrustZone.H
“We’re using a well maintained
Linux distribution and following
security best practice, including client
certiGcates for authentication and end
to end AES encryption to protect
users’ data. The software stack has
been designed with an active update
strategy to facilitate frequent Grmware
updates without the need for user
intervention,” Gregory concludes.
The Cocoon device is currently
going through engineering and
validation testing and is expected to
enter production at the end of 2015.
“Subsound
technology
combines
sound wave
detection with
digital
profiling and
machine
learning.”
Nick Gregory
www.newelectronics.co.uk 26 May 2015 23
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
SENSORS
whole lot smarter
Growing awareness of the
Internet of Things has
brought with it a desire
amongst those building
embedded systems to include some
form of connectivity. But, as some of
those designers have already found
out to their cost, providing
connectivity is one thing; providing
security for such a system is another.
Joe Fabbre, director of platform
solutions with Green Hills Software
(GHS), noted: “The IoT is creating a
buzz and the trend is for most
embedded devices to get some kind
of connectivity. It’s been on the way
for some time and will continue. But
there’s a link; designing in
connectivity also needs security to be
designed in.”
It’s a far cry from the embedded
systems of the past, which were
essentially self contained; unless you
could get physical access to the
system, you couldn’t ‘hack’ it. “With
internet connectivity,” Fabbre
continued, “anyone might be able to
access a system.”
He said one of the problems is
that embedded systems tend to have
a code base that was designed a
decade or more ago. “That was
obviously well before anyone thought
about connecting them up. These
systems weren’t designed with
network security – or any kind of
security – in mind.”
So companies like Green Hills are
faced with two different problems:
one is dealing with these older
systems, helping developers to add
the connectivity they desire; the
other is helping them to build new
systems from the ground up. Fabbre
observed: “Designers are asking
questions like ‘how can we build in
connectivity?’, ‘what features can we
get?’ and ‘how are we going to feed
information back and take advantage
of Big Data?’. Connecting these
systems to the internet could be
dangerous and designers should be
thinking about security.”
But what is ‘security’? Fabbre
said: “The exhibition alongside the
recent RSA Conference (April 2015)
featured hundreds of vendors selling
some kind of security product. A lot of
those were about detecting problems
after they have happened. Antivirus is
an example; it’s typically about trying
to detect failure and closing network
ports if there’s an attack.
“While these products help to
increase security a little bit,” he
continued, “it’s ?ghting a losing
battle. If you have the opportunity to
design a system from the ground up,
you can apply good security
architecture techniques.”
One major issue which Fabbre has
identi?ed is cryptography. “If you want
to communicate using protected
communications – cryptography – it
means you need keys injected into
the system.”
That, he believes, brings hardware
issues. “If you don’t have a secure
place to store the keys, then it’s
relatively easy to defeat a security
strategy.”
He gave the example of a major
car manufacturer. “Its system
featured some encrypted software
and it was possible to look for the
keys by exploring the system via the
CAN bus – and they were found.”
Automotive security is a big issue,
in Fabbre’s view. “It’s challenging
because of the complexity; there are
anywhere from 10 to more than 100
MCUs in a modern car, along with
millions of lines of code. If you can
gain control of something that sends
messages over the CAN bus, you
could wreak havoc.”
Automotive security is also an issue
simply because of the size of the
market. “There are so many cars out
there,” Fabbre noted. “If you’re a
hacker, you look for scale. Maybe you
might just want to use all these
connected computers to send spam,
but a scarier prospect is a hacker trying
to inflict damage. If a hacker could
launch a coordinated attack, it could be
massively damaging – and the same
applies to industrial control systems.”
Where do you start?
So where does a software developer
start? “By identifying the elements of
the system which are security
critical,” Fabbre said, “then working
out how to isolate a breach, should
one occur. The security critical
components of any system should not
be able to be touched by a hacker;
using a separation kernel guarantees
that and enables a security
architecture to be applied.
“In a medical device, it could be
something controlling a pump; in
industrial control, it could be
something controlling valves; in a car,
it’s making sure that whatever things
You want to add security, but where do you start?
By Graham Pitcher.
Securing the
SYSTEM
24
“Virtualisation
allows you to
take the safety
critical part of
an existing
design and put
it into a
protected
partition so it
isn’t exposed.”
Joe Fabbre
26 May 2015 www.newelectronics.co.uk
that have internet connectivity can’t
have access to the CAN bus.”
The automotive example is
particular relevant, bearing in mind
the growing interest in automated
driver assistance systems (ADAS) and
of driverless cars. “ADAS is putting
control of the car into the hands of
computers,” Fabbre pointed out.
The complexity of the automotive
business can also work against
security. “It’s not the OEM which
writes software,” Fabbre said, “it’s a
tier 1 or tier 2. The OEM has to know
where the software has come from.
“You could take an ECU and ask
the OEM what operating system is
running; they may not know. While
OEMs specify requirements,
connectivity and authentication, for
example, they pass those to the tiers.”
Once the critical components are
identi?ed, the next step is to develop
the overall system architecture.
Designers can then start to make
choices about how to provide isolation.
Ask such questions as ‘what hardware
is there?’ and ‘what is the security
strategy for the communications
channels?’. Also determine the
strategy for building the system and
where the keys are stored.”
Human factors
One of the larger issues in security is
people. “A lot of sophisticated
attackers will go after people for the
information they need. Who in your
company or supply chain can submit
?rmware images? What’s your review
process like?”
A potential way of mitigating these
issues is to adopt a device lifecycle
management (DLM, see ?g 1) system;
a way of securing cryptographic devices
during the manufacturing process.
Engineering, manufacturing and IT
departments, for example, will use
DLM to generate software signatures,
certi?cates and unique device keys.
“GHS is getting more involved in
lifecycle management,” Fabbre
pointed out, “and has established
Integrity Security Services to focus
on this area.”
Fabbre’s experience suggests that
a lot of engineers don’t know where
to start when it comes to security.
“What do I do? How can I build a
system that doesn’t have weak links?
Once you have something like DLM in
place and a secure development
process,” Fabbre continued, “Integrity
can come into play. Our focus is on
safety and security, with a lot of
prebuilt components that can give
designers a head start, rather than
working out how to do it themselves.”
Retro?tting security on an existing
system can be done, although it isn’t
an ideal approach. “For high levels of
security, you can’t retro?t,” Fabbre
cautioned. “But there are things you
can do. For example, virtualisation
allows you to take the safety critical
part of an existing design and put it
into a protected partition in Integrity
so it isn’t exposed. Regardless of
operating system, secure boot is
important.”
Fabbre admits security means
different things to different people.
“One thing is certain,” he concluded,
“it’s easy to say, but hard to do.”
A device
lifecycle
management
system is a
way of
securing
cryptographic
devices during
the
manufacturing
process.
www.newelectronics.co.uk 26 May 2015 25
EMBEDDED DESIGN
EMBEDDED SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
Fig 1: DLM offers end to end turnkey security
Operating system
Secure boot toolkit
CPU Crypto hardware
Inte
grity
secu
rity
ser
vice
s’ D
LM s
yste
m
Inte
grity
contr
ol
manage
r
Common NAND interface
Manufacturing
Enterprise keymanagementinfrastructure
Enterprise keymanagementinfrastructure
Embeddedcryptolibrary
Networksecurityproducts
Applications
Supply chainkey manager
Digital signingservice
Engineering Operations
26 May 2015 www.newelectronics.co.uk
The FPGA market is
dominated by two
companies, who battle each
other at the leading edge to
create complex devices for those
designers looking to solve the
challenges presented by advanced
communications systems.
But there are other FPGA
developers and their target markets
are, in general, different. Kambiz
Khalilian director of Lattice
Semiconductor’s industrial and
automotive segments, said: “Our
focus is not on creating the fastest,
largest FPGAs. While Altera and Xilinx
are looking at telecomms, Lattice is
looking at high volume, low cost
applications and at providing an
alternative to ASICs, which many
companies say are too expensive and
therefore are looking for another
solution.”
The strategy, put in place by CEO
Darin Billerbeck, started with the
acquisition in 2011 of SiliconBlue
and its iCE family. Recently, Lattice
acquired Silicon Image for
$600million, bringing a slightly
different range of capabilities to the
company.
The industrial market is an obvious
target for Lattice. “We’re looking at the
market segments,” Khalilian noted,
“working out where we have
strengths.” Amongst the opportunities
which have been highlighted are
interfacing displays and image sensors
to host processors. “The sectors
where we see growth opportunities
include surveillance and cameras in
general,” he continued. “But Lattice is
not an image sensor company; we use
interface technology.”
One of the issues which system
developers face when integrating
displays and image sensors is linking
them together. “Traditional image
sensors have been equipped with
parallel interfaces,” Khalilian
explained. “But the growing demand
for high deBnition has pushed the
need for serial interfaces. However,
there has been no standard for these
interfaces, which means everyone
created their own different ‘Cavours’.”
This seemingly random approach
has created a mismatch; not all
sensors support all interfaces and not
all processors support all interfaces. A
possible solution is to use FPGAs in a
way which recalls how their
predecessors were used as ‘glue
logic’. “Low cost FPGAs can be used
as a bridge between the two,” Khalilian
asserted (see Bg 1).
Lattice also sees potential in
enabling industrial customers to take
advantage of components developed
for mobile devices. “Take image
sensors as an example,” he said. “The
mobile world has standardised on the
MIPI interface and image sensors for
mobile applications use the MIPI CSI-2
interface. But some designers use
industrial sensors and mobile
processors and vice versa.”
Khalilian sees a similar thing
happening with displays. “A lot of
consumer displays are now available
at attractive prices and industrial
application designers want to take
advantage of this. These displays have
MIPI DSI interfaces or Embedded
DisplayPort and create another mix of
interfaces. Because these don’t
match, you can use an FPGA for
bridging – and maybe some additional
processing.”
A further complication comes from
growing demand for solutions with
multiple sensors. “While there may
be multiple sensor feeds into a host
processor,” Khalilian pointed out, “the
processor might only have one
interface; some may support two. But
automotive applications are using Bve
or seven cameras, whilst surveillance
is moving towards panoramic images.
Gesture recognition needs at least
two cameras. All of these
applications increase the need for
Cexible interfaces.”
FPGAs bring a bonus; besides
As incompatible interfaces become more of a problem, FPGAs provide
a way to fit ‘square pegs into round holes’. By Graham Pitcher.
Because these
[interfaces]
don’t match,
you can use an
FPGA for
bridging – and
maybe some
additional
processing.”
Kambiz
Khalilian
Building bridges
26
Fig 1: How an FPGA converts a serial output to a parallel input
Data0PAR_DOUT
4 28
Data14 28
Data24 28
Data34 28
CLK_OUT
CLK_DIV
10-16
CLK
Parallel bus(inc line, frame,
clock)
L_VALID
V_VALID
Deserialiser
Deserialiser
Deserialiser
Deserialiser
Lane aligner Framer
FPGAHost processor with
parallel interface
PLL
www.newelectronics.co.uk 26 May 2015 27
COMMUNICATIONS DESIGN
PROGRAMMABLE PLATFORMS
This CSI-2 to
parallel bridge
board is part of
Lattice’s reference
design portfolio
doing the necessary interface
conversion to link seemingly
incompatible parts, they can also allow
designers to include more
functionality.
“You can do more with an FPGA,”
Khalilian said, “but it depends on what
size device is selected. Simple
interfacing – for example, a MIPI CSI-2
output to a parallel input – can be
handled by an FPGA with 1200 look up
tables. However, using an FPGA with
more capacity allows additional
processing to be undertaken.
Designers can add a larger FPGA and
differentiate their product by adding
new features.”
One such feature is wide dynamic
range (WDR), something which
Khalilian said is being supported by
newer sensors.
“When you take a picture, there are
always bright and dark parts,” he said,
“so it’s always a compromise. WDR
takes multiple images – at least two –
using high and low exposures. Low
exposure shows details in bright
areas, while high exposure shows
details in dark areas. The images are
put together using tone mapping to
create a single WDR image, with all the
details visible.
“It’s a key feature in surveillance
applications,” he continued, “where
you might be looking for people hiding
in the shadows. And it’s needed in
automotive systems in order to detect
all the objects in a Beld of view.”
Processing these images requires a
lot of power and there may not be
enough horsepower available from the
host processor to create the WDR
image in real time.
“It’s a feature in the latest
iPhones,” he noted. “But the
image takes a few seconds
to appear. In a security
application, you have
to do it in real time. So it
makes sense to use an FPGA
for preprocessing and to feed the
results to the host processor.”
He also pointed to low light
enhancement. “In low light, images will
have a lot of noise. This needs to be
removed and the image enhanced. You
could use a small FPGA to do the
minimum amount of work, but some
apps will want to use more algorithms.
In this case, a larger FPGA can be
selected and a complete camera
pipeline implemented.”
USB connectivity – particularly for
the recent USB3 implementation – is
another potential application with
Lattice is looking to exploit. “Our
acquisition of Silicon Image means we
can now offer an ASSP style solution
to the problem.”
Khalilian said the same issues
applied in the connectivity sector as
were found in displays and sensors.
“USB controllers usually feature a
generic interface,” he suggested. “If
you want to convert an image and
output it over a USB3 port, the
controller can’t support all possible
formats, so an FPGA is a good
solution. We also support various
audio and video formats that can be
‘understood’ by a generic USB3
controller.”
Looking to support the time to
market issues which designers of
such systems as mentioned face,
Lattice has a range of reference
designs – not only for FPGAs, but also
at the board level. “Our strategy is to
support engineers with production
ready reference designs,” Khalilian
explained. “In the FPGA world, a
reference design is something that
goes into the FPGA. It’s effectively a
piece of code that is pushed through
the toolchain and can be used with
any part in a particular family.
“But we’re also targeting new
customers with little or no FPGA
design experience. While these
companies might be good at
designing PCBs and selecting
chipsets, they don’t usually have FPGA
designers or tools; they don’t
want to make a big
investment. With a board
level reference design, they
don’t need to program.”
Lattice is likely to be expanding
its interface offerings in the future,
building on the Silicon Image
acquisition. “We’re beginning to think
about programmable ASSPs,” Khalilian
concluded. “These parts will have an
FPGA fabric, but they will also feature
things like hard interfaces that
application developers are specifying.”
The implementation of touch
based human machine
interfaces (HMIs) has
provided users with a
considerably less cumbersome way to
interact with electronic hardware, as
well as helping to improve the design of
the equipment into which they are
being integrated.
A growing number of industry
sectors – from white goods and home
automation systems to industrial
control and security systems – have
started to employ HMIs. The
introduction of technology that can
support simultaneous detection of
multiple touch points means touch
enabled HMIs can be employed across
even more sectors. Meanwhile, HMIs
are migrating to larger format, higher
resolution displays.
Many multimedia, communication,
air conditioning, telematics and
navigation utilities are being built into
in the average car, for example. While
all these need efficient control
mechanisms, automotive OEMs have
started to place far greater importance
on highly intuitive HMIs that can handle
broader functionality, whilst ensuring
safety. As a result, interest is growing
in HMIs that can support touchless
operation – whether through the use of
image sensing or 3D imaging
technologies.
Meanwhile, OEMs are looking to
implement HMIs which can support
more detailed image content and
greater colour depth.
“There are many places where HMIs
that can play video content may prove
desirable,” says Gordon Lunn, FTDI
Chip’s global customer engineer
support manager. “In response,
semiconductor platforms are being
sought that can deliver the necessary
performance, while still allowing the
usual array of stringent design
constraints to be fully respected, such
as limited budgets, space restrictions
and tight time to market schedules.”
“It is well worth keeping an eye on
emerging technologies,” suggests
David Potts, divisional marketing
manager with Anglia Components, “and
manufacturers are delivering
continuous improvements in terms of
appearance, power consumption, size
and functionality. A close relationship
with the manufacturer or its distributor,
for that matter, will ensure the designer
is kept up to date with progress in the
latest display technology.”
Despite the growing number of
sectors embracing touchscreen
technology, the smartphone and tablet
markets will continue to set the bar for
systems designers, both in terms of
functionality and of appearance.
According to Paul Mullen, sales
director with Anders Electronics: “We
are now seeing growing interest in
higher resolution displays with in plane
switching performance similar to that of
the iPad. The trend is now for
smartphone displays to get bigger,
rather than smaller, which means that
production lines are increasingly being
turned to producing larger sizes.
“In this context, how should a
designer approach specifying a display
for their user interface? The starting
point is how is the system going to be
used. Who is using it, what for, and
where?”
Manufacturers of refrigerators and
dish washers, for example, are keen
to add enhanced features to their
products that will make them more
attractive to consumers and thus
increase their unit sales. Whereas
previously they could get away with a
fairly rudimentary HMI – perhaps a
keypad and a seven segment display
With touch based human-machine interfaces deployed in all manner
of market sectors, attention is now turning to providing enhanced
video capabilities. By Neil Tyler.
An example of an
HMI for a washing
machine
www.newelectronics.co.uk 26 May 2015
HMI designs startto embrace video
29
SYSTEM DESIGN
DISPLAYS
26 May 2015 www.newelectronics.co.uk
arrangement – customer expectations
have been raised signiCcantly by the
improved usability of their other
electronic gadgets.
There are opportunities for
integration of larger format displays
with a wide colour gamut, multitouch
operation and even audio-visual
capabilities. In the case of washing
machines, animated content could
convey to the user what stage of the
wash cycle is being carried out. For
photocopiers, next generation HMIs
could allow ofCce workers to access
brief tuition videos that will allow them
to resolve paper jams.
“Video material could be used to
show people how to operate self
service equipment; for instance coffee
machines,” suggests Lunn.
According to Lunn, more HMI
designs are starting to follow what he
describes as a ‘groundbreaking, object
centric approach’ that began to emerge
over the last two years.
“This approach requires far less
memory and less bandwidth for data
transfer,” he explains.
“Through this arrangement, HMI
system designs can be streamlined
substantially by regarding visual and
audio content as objects with
predeCned properties. Objects can
include everything from fonts, bitmap
images, templates and chirps to beeps
and overlays. The large Dash memory
that would normally be needed for
storing image data, as well as the
frame buffer and wide parallel buses
that have to support it, can be
eliminated from the system.”
As a result, component count is
lower, less board space is needed,
power consumption is reduced and
development times can be shortened
signiCcantly.
Another important aspect of this
object oriented methodology is how
well it can deal with animated content.
“With displayed images treated as
objects, rather than complex items
made up of many pixels, animation
functions can easily be accomplished,”
Lunn continues. “All that needs to be
done is to update the coordinates of
the object continuously, rather than
having to redraw the whole image again
and again to accommodate any
movements. Furthermore, a single
object may be repeated in multiple
locations, without having to create
additional content that impacts on the
system overhead.”
This object strategy has been
supported by FTDI Chip’s Embedded
Video Engine (EVE) platform, among
others. The platform ensures that
images can be rendered line by line (at
1/16th pixel resolution), rather than
pixel by pixel, which is where the
reduction in data storage and
bandwidth requirements are achieved.
“Our FT81x series represents the
latest wave of EVE devices,” explains
Lunn. “Each of these ICs can support
800 x 600pixel displays, compared to
512 x 512pixels in previous devices.
This means these ICs can offer greater
image clarity and address displays of
7in and larger. The available memory
has been expanded from 256kbyte to
1Mbyte in order to cope with all the
extra data involved.”
Thanks to algorithm enhancements,
the devices can support smoother
video playback capabilities, which
means HMI designs can now beneCt
from short animations that can grab
the user’s attention or access
instructional Clm material.
Another new feature is the screen
rotation facility. “This expedites turning
through 90°, so landscape and portrait
orientations can be rendered –
advantageous in portable and semi
portable designs. Multiple palettes are
also supported, covering 16 and 32bit
colour with transparency. Extra large
fonts have been added, so there is
greater scope when it comes to using
different text options.
“Further improvements in the
operational performance that can be
derived include the capacity to draw up
to 16 pixels during each clock cycle
(quadrupling what could be done using
the preceding EVE generation) and
JPEG loading that is 1000 times faster
than was previously practical,”
concludes Lunn.
A refrigerator HMI -
manufacturers are
keen to add
enhanced features
to their products
30
SYSTEM DESIGN
DISPLAYS
VCCIO2
B7...B0
PCLK
Fig 1: FT81X block diagram
Interruptgenerator
SPI
Touchengine
Audioengine
Graphicsengine
ROM
RAM
Registers G7...G0
R7...R0
HSYNCVSYNCDEDISP
CTP_RST_NCTP_INT_NCTP_SCL
X+,X–,Y+,Y–
Backlight
MISO/I00MOSI/I01
GP100/I02
VCCI01SCK
GP101/I03CS_NINT_N
GPI02GPI03/AIN
VOUT1V2
X1/CLKX2
VCCPD_NGND
Audio_L
Graphic controlMCU interface
Extras
Memory andprocessing
Audio control
Touch control
B
G
R
Pixel clockgenerator
PWM
Capacitiveresistivetouch
LDO
OSC/PLL
ADC
CTP_SDAPOR
QUALITY HAS
A NEW NAME
Extended Product Range- Wide range of 4:3 format panels from 3.5 inch to 15 inch
- Wide range of wide format panels from 7 inch
- High resolution 19 inch and 21 inch
New Technology
- 3D Direct View
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- Wide operating temperature fl uid
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- New Chinese production capability
- Long production life
- 2 year notifi cation of discontinuation
T: +44 (0)1959 563345
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Where design ideas
come together
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Already, more than 4m such apps are
being downloaded per day.
Seppo Vahasalo is product line
manager, medical devices, with SGS
Fimko. He said that, in many cases, a
medical device is made for a
particular use. “The distinction
between a life style device – for
example, a sports watch – and a
medical device depends upon how
the manufacturer describes that
device.
“The statement ‘track your pulse
rate to adjust your training to an
optimal level’ implies a completely
different device from one which is
said to allow you to ‘monitor your
pulse rate to get an early indication of
heart problems’. The same
distinction also applies to software.”
Developers of medical apps – but
also developers of those which
address such areas as Directives –
which might appear to give advice to
the user, need to pay close attention
to how they describe their apps.
Vahasalo gave an example of
wordings. “A manufacturer is not
always able to take cover behind the
stated intended use. As one
competent authority has observed: ‘If
it talks like a medical device, walks
like a medical device and looks like a
medical device, it does not help that
you call it a recreational device’.
“There are apps used to measure
heart rates and their variations. If the
supplier intends to provide
interpretations and diagnosis of the
results, it may not be enough to state
that ‘this application does not replace
real medical devices. All
measurements made with the help of
this application are introductory and
www.newelectronics.co.uk 26 May 2015 33
BEYOND THE TECHNOLOGY
Apps have rapidly become
‘front and centre’ in many
people’s lives. What
started as a consumer
oriented move has developed into
other areas and now many companies
have apps which provide their
customers with ready access to
information and more. It’s likely to be
the case that users wonder how they
ever managed to get by without them.
The Irst apps were launched
alongside the Apple iPhone 3G in
June 2008 and could be downloaded
from the App Store, which opened at
the same time. The number of apps
available for download has
mushroomed. At the beginning of
2010, the App Store listed around
140,000. By 2014, that number has
risen to more than 1.2million. In
2014, Google’s Play Store was said to
list 1.3m apps and more than
50billion downloads were said to
have been made by users of Android
phones. Windows phones, however,
are less well supported – only around
300,000 are available.
The rise of apps, however, would
not have happened without the
development of smartphones, whose
large touchscreens enabled the
interactivity required.
A range of apps has been
developed for users in the electronics
world. Examples include Electronics
Toolbox Pro, iCircuit and Circuit Lab.
Distributor RS Components has
created a ‘cut down’ version of
Electronics Toolbox Pro, which it calls
the RS Toolbox App. It features colour
codes, calculation tools, look up
tables and is free to download. Digi-
Key says its app is an engineer’s tool
which allows users to search for
components, create parts lists, place
orders and learn about new products.
On the face of it, apps are simply
software and, as such, unlikely to be
governed by any particular standard
or directive. But one area where
problems can arise is with an app
that addresses a medical issue. So
when is an app simply fun and when
does it need to be regulated as a
medical device?
Only a few years ago, joggers
would monitor their heart rate using
some kind of portable device. Today,
wearable electronics devices are
taking over, allowing their users to
keep track of their heart rate,
distance travelled and calories
burned. Often, the data is transmitted
to the user’s smartphone using
Bluetooth Low Energy, where it is
analysed by the app. Such is the
popularity of these apps, the market
is estimated by Research2Guidance
to be worth $58.8bn by 2020.
Up to the
mark?Apps are part of everyday life today,
but if you’re building an app, does it
need a CE mark? By Graham Pitcher.
26 May 2015 www.newelectronics.co.uk
should not be used for a medical
conclusion of any sort’.”
Crossing into the medical realm
Vahasalo said an example of an app
which has been classiIed as a
medical device is uChek from
Biosense Technologies. The pack
consists of test strips approved by
the US FDA, a reference colour chart
and an app for iPhone.
“People will use the test strip with
a urine sample, then take a photo of
the strip with the reference colour
chart. Software will give interpretation
of the test results,” he said.
“But, according to the FDA, ‘since
your app allows a mobile phone to
analyse the dipsticks, the phone and
device as a whole functions as an
automated strip reader’. This means
that the app is not just for fun, but is
seen to be part of a regulated medical
device.
“In Europe, a higher risk class
medical device requires a CE mark
certiIed by a notiIed body; in the US,
such a device requires presales
approval from the FDA.”
According to Vahasalo, Medical
Device Directive 93/42/EEC gives a
good deInition of what is a medical
device. “It should be noted that
standalone software will always be
classiIed as an active medical device
and, because of that, classiIcation
rules 9 to 12 in Annex IX of the
Medical Device Directive will apply.”
MEDDEV 2.1/6:2012, meanwhile,
states that standalone software is
considered to be an active medical
device and adds that standalone
software is deIned as ‘software not
incorporated in a medical device at
the time of its placing on the market
or its making available’.
Alberto Paduanelli, lead auditor for
medical health services with TüV SüD
Product Service, said: “When it
comes to apps, the question is will
the software be considered a medical
device? This document has a very
good Jow chart which guides users
through the process. It asks what the
software does and what is the
intended use. The Jow chart will tell
you whether or not you need to
comply with the Medical Directive.”
The UK’s Medicines and
Healthcare Products Regulatory
Agency (MHRA) is said by Vahasalo to
have some ‘excellent web pages on
the subject’. “Amongst the advice
from MHRA is that whenever a
manufacturer will use words such as
‘amplify’, ‘analysis’, ‘interpret’,
‘alarms’, ‘calculates’, ‘controls’,
‘converts’, ‘detects’, ‘diagnose’,
‘measures’ or ‘monitors’, it raises the
probability that the app will be
considered to be a medical device.”
Of course, doctors, as well as
members of the public, are using
apps. According to the UK’s Royal
College of Physicians, in guidance to
its members: “If you are using an app
that should have a CE mark, but it is
missing, then you are leaving yourself
open to problems and possible
litigation.”K
What about other apps?
Medical devices and software are,
understandably, subject to extensive
legislation and safety requirements.
But if you have developed an app – or
are in the process – do you need to
make sure it doesn’t fall foul of other
European Directives?
Richard Poate, senior manager at
TüV SüD, said: “If someone came up
with an app to control something like
a press, it would involve functional
safety and the software would have to
be tested rigorously. But it’s hard to
think of an app outside of the medical
world that would need to comply with
EC Directives,” he concluded.
34
BEYOND THE TECHNOLOGY
Digi-Key says its app
is an engineer’s tool
that allows them to
search for
components, create
parts lists, place
orders and learn
about new products
The RS Toolbox App,
a ‘cut down’ version
of Electronics Toolbox
Pro, offers users such
features as look up
tables and
calculation tools
Technology Update
@: [email protected]: +1 613-591-3131
BeiDou-3 M1
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Tallysman GNSS Antennas with Accutenna™technology boast market-leading performancefor today’s multi-constellation satellitenavigation world
Future-proof range works with Galileo, GPS, GLONASS, India’s IRNSS, andBeiDou as newly-launched satellites set to expand global choice
Tallysman, a leading provider of high performance, high quality RF and GNSS components, and Telematicssolutions for two way radio systems, has announced that its range of antennas featuring proprietaryAccutenna™ technology is optimised for today’s multi-constellation satellite systems, including theEuropean Space Agency’s Galileo system, China’s next-gen BeiDou, the USA’s GPS, Russia’s GLONASS andIndia’s IRNSS. Additional satellites were launched by the ESA (Galileo 7 and 8) the US (GPS IIF-9) and India(IRNSS-1D) during March, and it is believed that China has also successfully launched its new generationBeiDou-3 M1. The expanding number of satellites will benefit many applications, from next-generation in-car navigation systems to coastguard search and rescue and precision agriculture.
@: [email protected]: +44 (0) 1905 453808
AWS Electronics Group wins significant Automotive business atSlovakia facility
Global Tier one car makers benefiting from cost-effective production in Europe
AWS, one of Europe’s leading specialist contract electronics manufacturers, has announced that a majorTier 1 automotive manufacturer has contracted with the company for volume manufacture of itsassemblies and systems at the companies CEE facility in Slovakia.
“We have won several significant automotive programs recently”, comments AWS CEO Paul Deehan,“which has led to very fast growth at our Namestovo facility in Slovakia. The latest deal is for LED lightingproducts that go into high end vehicles, so the business is both high volume and high quality.”
AWS has continued to invest and grow the the Namestovo plant to take advantage of such opportunitieswith Tier 1 auto suppliers benefiting from low cost manufacturing closer to their end user factories thanS.E Asia.
Major Tier 1 Contract
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@: [email protected] : +44-2392 314 532
Harwin connectors fulfil vital roleduring successful CubeSat launchinto space
University of Warwick’s student team achieve world first
Harwin, the leading hi-rel connector and SMT board hardwaremanufacturer, is delighted to congratulate Warwick Universityon the successful launch its WUSAT-2 satellite earlier this month.The student-run project, which has now built and launched asmall 10x10x10cm CubeSat satellite into space, relies on high-reliability, miniature connectors from Harwin toprovide the vital interconnect used in experimental equipment carried by the satellite.
Overseen by the European Space Agency (ESA) and launched from the Swedish Space Centre as part of thejoint German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Swedish National Space Board (SNSB) REXUS/BEXUSprogramme, the mission, according to Dr William Crofts, Director of Warwick Satellite Programmewww.warwick.ac.uk/ cubesat) at the University of Warwick, went very smoothly.
WUSAT-2 satellite
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@: [email protected] : +44-1209-215424
OMC offers to mount any fibre optic diodein any housing
New ‘mix & match’ service from fibre optic component specialist
OMC, the pioneer in optoelectronics manufacturing, has announceda new service, enabling engineers to choose exactly the right fibreoptic diode for their application and have it mounted in theirpreferred package.
Although the company offers a wide standard range of packaged transmitters and receivers, OMCrecognises that sometimes designers have specific requirements which demand a custom approach.Comments OMC’s Commercial Director, William Heath: “We regularly get approached by people who haveidentified a diode which is a perfect match for their needs, but find that it is not available in a housing, orin the specific housing that they need. As the housing itself - as well as the way the diode is mounted inthe housing - can have serious implications for system performance, we decided to offer a ‘mix andmatch’ service – you specify housing and diode, we’ll look after the mounting process.”
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ACA™ (Active Component Alignment)
Lattice Semiconductor Announces MachXO3LFDevices With On-Chip Flash Memory
The newest generation of Lattice’s non-volatile, instant-on MachXO3FPGA line provides the most advanced, low-cost-per I/O bridging and I/Oexpansion solution now shipping
• The MachXO3LF device adds on-chip Flash memory • With the MachXO3 family, customers now have multiple footprintcompatible options: the MachXO3L device, which offers low-cost reprogrammable non-volatileconfiguration memory (NVCM), and now the MachXO3LF device with Flash memory.
PORTLAND, OR May 11, 2015 Lattice Semiconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: LSCC), the leadingprovider of customizable smart connectivity solutions, today announced the MachXO3LF™ device, thenewest member of its MachXO3™ FPGA family, which provides essential bridging and I/O expansionfunctions to meet the increasing connectivity requirements of communications, computing,consumer and industrial markets.
MachXO3LF Device
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@: [email protected]: 408-616-4017
@: [email protected]: (408) 414-8573
Power Integrations’ New Charger Designfor Smart Mobile Devices ShowcasesHigh Power Density Capability ofInnoSwitch ICs
10 W CV/CC charger easily meets DOE-6 and European CoCVersion 5, Tier 2 efficiency standards at the end of the cable
Power Integrations (Nasdaq: POWI), the leader in high-voltageintegrated circuits for energy-efficient power conversion, today announced RDK-420, a new referencedesign kit for a 10 W CV/CC USB charger based on the company’s revolutionary InnoSwitch™-CH family ofhighly integrated switcher ICs. InnoSwitch ICs combine the primary-side switch together with primary andsecondary controllers and feedback circuits into a single, worldwide safety-rated, surface-mount package.
Innoswitch ICs leverage accurate secondary-side regulation (SSR), using Power Integrations’ high-speeddigital FluxLink™ technology to communicate direct voltage and current measurements across the safetyisolation barrier.
RDK-420
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@: [email protected] : +49 8142 6680 – 0
Kemet’s KPS MIL series ceramic stackedcapacitors for SMPS and pulse energyapplications now available through TTI
TTI, Inc., the world’s leading specialist distributor of passive,connector, electromechanical and discrete components, nowstocks Kemet’s KPS MIL series ceramic stacked capacitors inEurope. Available in commercial, military and space grades,the components are well suited for standard and highreliability switch mode power supply (SMPS) as well as pulse energy applications.
KPS MIL Series ceramic stacked capacitors are qualified to the MIL–PRF–49470 standard and areconstructed using large chip multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), horizontally stacked and secured to alead-frame termination system using a high melting point (HMP) solder alloy. The lead frame isolates theMLCCs from the printed circuit board (PCB) while establishing a parallel circuit configuration.
KPS MIL series
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@: [email protected]: +44-1920-484838
Astute Electronics delivers Near Eye Displayminiature OLED displays from MICROOLED
Low power technology provides sharp images even in low light
Astute Electronics, the leading supplier of electronic components and valueadded services, today announced the signing of a worldwide franchiseagreement with MICROOLED of Grenoble, France, a pioneer in the field of small,high definition, low power OLED displays that target Near-Eye Display (NED) applications such as videoglasses, head-mounted sports devices, camera viewfinders, medical applications and many otherprofessional devices. MICROOLED’s low voltage device architecture features a unique sub-pixelarrangement resulting in highest pixel density and lowest power.
The design of MICROOLED’s displays provides ultra-high contrast, ensuring ‘black is black’ which isessential for high image quality. Unlike other displays, no ‘grid matrix’ is visible, further improvingresolution, and the manufacturing technology enables a wide viewing angle with no loss in contrast orchanges in colour.
NED Miniature OLED
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tCall Marc Young on 01322 221144