Articles
Wireless ICs in Automotive Security Applications
May 18, 2009 1:01 pm | by Gilles Cerede, Melexis Technologies, www.melexis.com | CommentsLet's start with a tough question: What is the difference between TPMS system and PKE system? Nothing! A TPMS system is placed inside the wheel and composed of a sensing device that measures temperature and pressure. When appropriate, for example before starting the engine, the car requests a measurement through a wireless link. If a pressure default occurs in one of the wheels, the car warns the driver through a signal on the dashboard. In PKE applications, the user carries a key fob device which contains an encoded identifier (ID). When the driver enters their car, the car requests the key fob ID through the wireless link. If the ID matches the ID stored by the car,
A Visit to the 2009 Embedded Systems Conference – Part II
May 18, 2009 11:37 am | CommentsWith over 8,000 attendees, this year’s Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) was a pleasant surprise to an industry expecting a low turnout. Held in San Jose from March 30 to April 2, the event had a nice assortment of new tech and devices. Here is our second portion of our two-part coverage of the event.
Making lemonade
May 18, 2009 11:21 am | by Alix Paultre | CommentsThere's an old saying, "you can even get used to hanging, if you hang long enough". This industry has been on a rollercoaster for over a decade, between the Dot-Bomb, the Telecom collapse, the Internet, the housing bubble, the bank crisis, and disruptive technologies, we've been beaten about like a Pinata on Cinco de Mayo.
Design Talk: Prototyping and Design
May 18, 2009 10:29 am | by Edited by Alix Paultre | CommentsThere are always things to consider when prototyping a design. Here are a few essays on the subject to aid you in your efforts.
Comprehensive System Solutions
May 4, 2009 1:56 pm | by Peker Arkadly and Tom Kapucija, Microsemi Corporation | CommentsComprehensive System Solutions Drive LED Backlight Units in TV Displays By Peter Arkadly and Tom Kapucija, Microsemi Corporation Although the LCD TV display market has not experienced as quick a conversion rate to LED backlighting as the laptop notebook segment
Brainstorm - Military Electonics
May 4, 2009 9:46 am | by Edited by Jason Lomberg | CommentsThis Month's Question: Will autonomous devices supplant remote-controlled in the area of military applications?
Sensor Zone May 2009
April 30, 2009 5:45 am | by Steve Tomko and Helge Hornis, Ph.D, Pepperl+Fuchs | CommentsAutomated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS) are at the heart of any fully automated warehousing system. As in all automated solutions, users demand nearly perfect, (i.e., 100%) availability and exceptionally fast operation at the lowest possible price point. While the raw speed of an ASRS along each axis of motion is limited by the selected drives’ components, modern sensor technology
Autonomous military robots: A short survey
April 10, 2009 8:18 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | CommentsThe four soldiers move from their concealed position and “stack” themselves, one behind the other, parallel to the door. The #2 man throws an M84 grenade (flashbang) into the room, then yells “frag out!” The flashbang detonates, and the fire team storms through the “fatal funnel” (door). In those first moments, the #1 man must instantaneously...
Broadband at Light Speed
April 7, 2009 5:35 am | by Alfred Poor, Contributing Editor | CommentsNetflix is rapidly changing its movie rental business from sending polycarbonate discs through the mail to streaming bits across the Internet. Skype typically has about 15 million people making voice and video calls over the Internet at any given time. And more than 5 million people watch more than 5 million hours of free online video coverage
Brainstorm: Do-it-Yourself-Power Page 2
April 6, 2009 11:21 am | by Edited by Jason Lomberg | CommentsMoving forward, what technology will dominate energy harvesting?
GaN based Power Devices Make Possible A New Paradigm in Power Conversion
March 25, 2009 8:30 am | by Michael A. Briere, Executive Scientific Consultant, ACOO Enterprises LLC, under contract to International Rectifier Corp. | CommentsFrom planar HEXFETs to TrenchFETs and superjunction FETs, silicon power MOSFETs have continued to evolve for the last 30 years to satisfactorily serve numerous markets. In fact, during that period, there have been some two orders of magnitude improvement in performance. However, this silicon power device is rapidly approaching maturity
Design Talk: Digital & Analog
March 25, 2009 7:16 am | CommentsTypically, industries use standards to improve product quality and enable component sharing across projects. In practice, such standards achieve wide acceptance since the synergistic effects provide significant benefits to the user community. The hardware and software industry is full of such standards, but there is an exception: the deeply embedded microcontroller market
Sensor Zone: April 2009
March 24, 2009 1:25 pm | by Chris Warner, Executive Editor | CommentsFor the last half-century, sensors based on the Hall effect have provided a low-cost, solid-state option for sensing any object that incorporates a magnetic field. Hall effect sensors are based on the discovery by Dr. Edwin H. Hall in 1879. He found that a thin conductive material, placed in a magnetic field, formed a difference in potential (voltage) at the opposite edges that was
Two Paths Lead to FIR Filters
March 23, 2009 11:07 am | by Jon Titus, Senior Technical Editor | CommentsBecause finite impulse response (FIR) filters use a mathematical algorithm to process information, engineers rely on them when an analog filter just won't do. “FIR filters appeal to people who don't want to become filter designers”, explained Grant Griffin, President, Iowegian International. "They just want to use a filter to solve a problem
Brainstorm: Do-It-Yourself-Power
March 20, 2009 1:10 pm | by Edited by Jason Lomberg | CommentsMoving forward, what technology will dominate energy harvesting?
