Apr 20, 2023RFID Journal LIVE! 2023 will feature end-user companies discussing RFID's use in various industries, as well as exhibitors offering tagging solutions for multiple applications. To learn more, visit the event's website.
Presented here are recent news announcements in the radio frequency identification and Internet of Things industries.
Signet Tags Launches NFC Customer-Engagement Platform
Signet Tags has announced the launch of a Near Field Communication (NFC)- and quick-response (QR) code-based customer-engagement platform. According to the company, the platform lets businesses connect with customers in real time, increase visibility, and create dynamic and interactive experiences. By tapping or scanning a code, customers can access offers, promotions and exclusive content.
Companies can use the platform to collect data regarding customer behaviors and preferences, which can be used to create personalized marketing campaigns. The system can be customized to meet the specific needs of a particular business. It is compatible with all NFC- and QR code-enabled devices, Signet Tags reports, including smartphones and tablets. The solution allows businesses to run automated and trackable consumer sales promotions, as well as loyalty programs, and to collect insights directly from consumers.
MASS Group Adds 'Find Tag' Functionality to Mobile Readers
MASS Group, a provider of inventory and asset-tracking solutions, has announced the launch of a new Find Tag functionality for its Traceability Made Easy (TME) Mobile software. This feature allows users to search for and locate multiple RFID tags at once, and to find assets and inventory in real time.
With the Find Tag functionality, users can select an item within TME Mobile, then click the Find Tag button and hold down the trigger on the RFID reader. An indicator will light up when the tag is found. By integrating the software and hardware to enhance RFID functionality, MASS Group reports, organizations can reduce their physical inventory labor by half or more.
In addition to the Find Tag feature, the RFID mobile readers are equipped with location tracking and real-time data synching with the cloud-based TME software. This, the company indicates, allows users to monitor and manage assets from anywhere and at any time.
Continental Offers UWB-based Child-Presence Detection
Technology company Continental has expanded its CoSmA digital-access system with a Child Presence Detection (CPD) function. When outdoor temperatures reach 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), in-car temperatures can reach 45 degrees within half an hour (113 degrees Fahrenheit), the company explains, which can be life-threatening for young children. The CPD function uses ultra-wideband (UWB) technology to detect a child in a cabin, then sends out a warning within seconds.
The CPD function is embedded into the existing CoSmA solution, which enables drivers to use their smartphone as a car key for hands-free access. To detect children left behind, the UWB component works in what the company calls a "reflective mode," by which it receives its own transmitted UWB signals back from an object's micro-motions. By detecting a change in the frequency or phase of a returned signal, the system can measure a moving target's distance and velocity. The sensors can detect even tiny motions, like those of a child's chest during breathing, Continental explains.
Based on respiration rates and micro-body-movements, the UWB CPD system can classify passengers as infants, children or adults. If children are left behind in a car, the solution can send an audible, visual or haptic alert to the driver after 10 seconds. UWB-based CPD can detect infants and children in any seating position, the company notes, even if they are covered by a blanket or hidden in the cabin footwell.
Using CoSmA transceivers for access and child detection eliminates the need for additional hardware, the company indicates. An algorithm enables UWB transceivers to differentiate between an inside and outside location of the digital key, with centimeter-level precision. This allows hands-free access and engine start without a driver having to pick up a smartphone. Vehicle owners can create and manage multiple digital keys simultaneously, and generated keys can be shared with others.
Renesas Electronics Samples BLE Microcontroller
Renesas Electronics, a supplier of semiconductor solutions, has produced its first microcontroller (MCU) based on 22-nanometer process technology. The technology offers the ability to integrate RF functions, Renesas reports, and it uses a smaller die area for the same functionality, resulting in small chips with high integration of peripherals and memory.
The first chip produced on the 22-nanometer process is an extension to Renesas's RA family of 32-bit Arm Cortex-M microcontrollers. This wireless MCU provides Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.3 with the integration of a software-defined radio. During or after development, the devices can be upgraded with new application software or Bluetooth capabilities, ensuring compliance with various specifications. Product manufacturers can leverage previous BLE spec releases.
Whether designing devices for direction-finding applications utilizing the BLE 5.1 angle-of-arrival or angle-of-departure features, or adding low-power stereo audio transmission to products by employing BLE 5.2 isochronous channels, developers require only a single device to support all these features, Renesas reports. The company plans to combine the 22-nanometer MCUs with compatible devices from its portfolio. Renesas is sampling the new device to select customers now, with full market launch expected during the fourth quarter of this year.
Semtech Unveils New Chipset for 5G Mobile Devices
Semtech, a provider of semiconductors, Internet of Things (IoT) systems and cloud-based connectivity services, has expanded its PerSe product portfolio with the release of a new integrated circuit (IC) built for 5G mobile devices. The PerSe technology senses human proximity and enables smartphones and other end devices to implement radio frequency control.
According to the company, the PerSe Connect SX9376 allows designers to optimize RF performance, enhance connectivity and support compliance with global specific absorption-rate standards for 5G-enabled consumer devices. The PerSe sensors allow users to enable the automatic adjustment of system-level RF emissions, Semtech reports, enabling connected smartphones, tablets, hotspots and laptops to operate at high performance while maintaining compliance.
By 2030, the global 5G market is expected to grow at a 47.6 percent compound annual growth rate, with a market valuation of $198.4 billion. To bring 5G-enabled products to market, Semtech notes, OEMs must add more RF antennas into the design to address the frequency increase. The additional antennas can make it challenging for OEMs to address global SAR compliance and accurately manage RF power. The SX9376 thus has a maximum of eight sensor inputs to support multiple antennas and simplify sensor design, and the new chipset is compatible with multiple antenna designs.
Sewio Releases UWB RTLS Software
Sewio, a UWB-based real-time location system (RTLS) provider, has announced the release of RTLS Studio version 3.1. The software's new Trackables features provides interoperability and scalability, the company reports, and enables the virtualization of tags, allowing users to mirror real-world shop-floor operations. This feature is in line with the open locating standard Omlox, created to develop a unified and interoperable approach to location-based services.
Trackables is designed to simplify location data, Sewio explains, by condensing millions of data points into a manageable dataset. RTLS 3.1's application programming interface enables companies to track the sequence of assets across virtual production zones, allowing real-time alerts for production managers when deviations in production or logistic processes occur.
RTLS Version 3.1 introduces parallel computing and other algorithm updates, reducing single-thread processor load by 65 percent, according to the company. This allows users to scale their RTLS deployments, expand areal coverage and track objects without investing in additional server hardware.
Qualcomm Intros IoT Solutions for Industrial Applications
Qualcomm Technologies has announced its QCS8550, QCM8550, QCS4490 and QCM4490 processors, designed for industrial and commercial IoT applications. Use cases include video collaboration, cloud gaming and retail. The solutions are built to accommodate the processing needs of industrial handheld and computing devices, as well as IoT applications requiring low-latency connectivity and reliability, such as retail and point of sale, as well as control and automation applications like security panels.
The QCS8550 and QCM8550 processors offer high computing power, edge-based artificial intelligence (AI) processing, Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, and vivid graphics and video for IoT applications, such as autonomous mobile robots and industrial drones. Qualcomm says its AI architecture provides processing power for a range of business models and use cases. The processors provide video and graphics processing for immersive cloud gaming, video collaboration and video streaming.
The QCS4490 and QCM4490 processors are built to provide high connectivity for industrial handheld and computing devices. The solutions are equipped with 5G and Wi-Fi 6E for multi-gigabit speeds, extended range, low latency and efficient processing, enabling them to handle complex computing tasks. The processors are designed with planned support for Android releases through version 18, the company indicates.
