Other Parts Discussed in Post: DLP4620S-Q1 Originally authored by Mike Firth The future of head-up displays (HUD) has been rapidly changing as vehicles become more electrified and connected. Specifically, augmented reality (AR) HUDs have become a ce...

Ultrasonic lens cleaning: A solid-state technology you didn’t know you needed

If you’re old enough to have owned a portable CD player, you might remember how the music would skip if the CD got scratched or dirty. Or maybe you remember how VHS tapes had winding issues, tape deterioration and poor image quality. Flash memory made these complicated mechanical storage methods obsolete…

This article originally published in Electronic Products.

Electric-vehicle designers can increase the safety and reliability of traction inverter systems by monitoring the gate voltage threshold.

When a consumer purchases a vehicle, they assume that the design engineers did their due diligence to create a safe product. In order to achieve a necessary level of safety, especially in regard to International Organization…

Other Parts Discussed in Post: AWRL6432, IWRL6432Radar-based sensor ICs are becoming a popular sensing technology due to their long-range capabilities, high-motion sensitivity, and privacy capabilities. With their high accuracy, radar sensors are wid...

Satellite power design has a complex set of trade-offs given that the design has more variables, and the number of semiconductor options are significantly smaller than those in commercial applications. A satellite’s primary power supply is especially important, since if it fails…

Almost all modern-day industrial systems involve an AC/DC power supply, which takes energy from the AC grid and delivers it to electrical equipment as a well-regulated DC voltage. With power consumption increasing around the globe, the associated energy loss in the AC/DC power-conversion process becomes a significant component of the overall energy cost equation for power-supply designers, especially those working on…

Other Parts Discussed in Post: TMS320F2800137Increasingly, businesses and individuals are looking for ways to reduce their energy footprint and increase the use of renewable sources. Where should we focus to make the biggest impact? Over 65% of globa...

Many consumers now have several smart home products, including smart locks, cameras, sensors, smart home hubs, lighting, appliances and thermostats. Unfortunately, a lack of interoperability between various manufacturers makes it more difficult to control smart devices from a single terminal or application.

While the promise of an interconnected and controllable home feels within our grasp, ecosystem fragmentation is…

The previous installment in the real-time control series dove into the functional block of processing. In this installment, I will discuss the actuation stage (updating the system) of real-time control, and why this stage is important for reliable system output operation.

For example, in motor-drive applications, you might be monitoring and measuring speed, position…

For nearly two decades, the Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) specification has been the interconnect standard for both consumer and industrial applications, enabling high-speed interface between processors, solid-state drives, and various technologies or end points. You can attribute its widespread adoption to several factors:

• The PCIe ecosystem is a nonproprietary specification, with open resources that…

Electronics intended for space missions face unique conditions and challenges – specialized integrated circuit (IC) packaging can help mitigate some of those challenges. We at TI have historically developed devices for commercial (non-space) use first; only after verification in a plastic package did the engineering team start on the ceramic…

The number of semiconductors in nearly every application is multiplying, and many of the design challenges facing electronics engineers all tie back to the need for greater power density. A few example applications come to mind:

• Hyperscale data centers: Rack servers are using an incredible amount of power, challenging utility companies and power engineers…

Inductive and Hall-effect sensors provide precise and accurate measurements that are extremely important for low-latency human machine interfaces (HMI) in surgical equipment, such as highly accurate speed control in surgical drills. When compared to systems with mechanical-based triggers, designs using inductive and Hall-effect sensors can provide safety and performance benefits in HMI systems.

The growing market trend for electrification and the expansion of the electric vehicle industry present new challenges to the battery formation and test market, which remains the biggest bottleneck for the mass production of lithium-ion batteries. In response, design engineers are looking for ways to increase the channel density of test equipment, improve overall system efficiency, and decrease system cost. One such…

Other Parts Discussed in Post: AM2634-Q1 The electric vehicle (EV) traction inverter is the core of the EV. It converts DC from the high-voltage battery to multiphase (usually three-phase) AC to drive the traction motor, and also controls power regen...

The previous installment of this real-time control series focused on the sensing functional block of the real-time control signal chain (Figure 1). It’s easy to misunderstand the second functional block, processing, and assume that it is only tied to the core central processing unit (CPU) frequency or million instructions per second (MIPS), focusing purely on data crunching. In this series installment, I’ll demonstrate…

As demand for data increases, so does demand for servers and data centers, and thus higher demand for power. Industry trends suggest that power per rack, which was 4 kW in 2020, will be as high as 20 kW in 2025.

Given limited physical real estate available for data centers and servers, the delivery of more power in less area is known as a high power density requirement…

(Originally published in 2019 by Sree Alvarado) One of the more exciting aspects of the emerging new space market is the launch of high-volume low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites that are small and economically feasible, but also radiation-tolerant and...

As the demand for smart, automated and eco-friendly end-equipment continues to grow, industrial and automotive technologies are becoming increasingly electrified. With this trend also comes an increased emphasis on ensuring electronic systems not only meet standards of EV performance but safety standards as well. In the automotive space specifically,…

Real-time control is the ability of a closed-loop system to gather data, process that data, and update the system within a defined time window. As a continuation of the article, “What is ‘Real-Time Control’ and Why Do You Need It?,” I’ll take a closer look at the first functional block of real-time control systems – sensing (gathering…

Think about the current applications of Bluetooth® in our daily life and then envision a world that is even more connected. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group estimates that annual shipments of Bluetooth-enabled devices will exceed 7 billion in 2026. As innovative engineers, you have the opportunity to help meet the market demand for more integration of Bluetooth in medical devices, toys, personal electronics, smart…

Other Parts Discussed in Post: WL1837MODGina Hann co-authored this article. Available for both commercial and residential use, a typical electric vehicle (EV) charging station design includes energy metering, AC and DC residual current detection, iso...

With increasing competition between electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers to develop models with lower cost and longer drive range, power system engineers are under pressure to reduce power losses and improve traction inverter system efficiency, which can improve driving ranges and provide a competitive advantage. Efficiency relates to lower power losses,…

High-voltage industrial and automotive systems such as factory automation equipment, grid infrastructure applications, motor drives and electric vehicles (EVs) can generate several hundred to thousands of volts, which poses a significant safety risk to humans and can reduce equipment lifetimes. This article explains how to keep these HV systems safe by utilizing the…

Other Parts Discussed in Post: AM4379In industrial factory automation designs, IO-Link has evolved into a popular protocol for sensors and actuators to improve factory efficiency and reduce downtime. The IO-Link master is a crucial component of an IO...