Safety options for automotive chips in use

The automotive industry is changing rapidly to address the stringent requirements for safety and security of vehicular systems. Requirements are not only coming from customers, but regulatory authorities are also pressuring for greater safety and security in vehicles. The requirements include high bandwidth networks, improved data security, enhanced functional safety, and reduced energy consumption. The ISO 26262 standard defines functional safety for automotive equipment applicable throughout the lifecycle of all automotive electronic and electrical safety-related systems. The standard is an adaptation of the Functional Safety standard IEC 61508 for in-vehicle computers. Embedded systems need to be protected against any real-time defects to make it safe for use. Real-time defects can include internal and external errors (e.g., the vehicular communication network). Automotive data security ranges from in-vehicle computer protection to enabling secure communication with external devices such as smart phones, MP3 players, or navigation devices. Security also means protection against hackers. After gaining access, a hacker could control everything from the entertainment system to braking.

refer to: http://www.edn.com/design/automotive/4421704/Safety---security-architecture-for-automotive-ICs

Demands for industrial automation

With the modern demands of industrial controls networking aplliance, it is imperative that we keep our clocks in synch across all of the devices in the network. Between the PLC, the SCADA system (PC or otherwise) and even the remote devices, many of these devices maintain real-time clocks (RTCs) on an Ethernet network for protocol support purposes. Therefore, we need to make certain that each of these devices synchs to one another lest the RTCs conflict, leading to packet losses and clashing time stamps. An extremely useful, and often implemented but forgotten, feature of modern intelligent devices is a protocol called Simple Network Time Protocol, or SNTP.

Prior to SNTP networking aplliance on modern industrial devices, engineers were forced to utilize some form of messaging to pass integers relating to the appropriate pieces of the time and date across their respective industrial protocols. Although this worked, it was tedious and very prone to errors, operator or otherwise. Furthermore, the precision was insufficient due to the nature of the messaging protocol, since milliseconds, or sometimes even seconds, could pass between the time the message was sent and when it was received. However, without another way, this was the only method left to controls engineers.

refer to: http://www.automation.com/leveraging-it-technology-for-industrial-controls-applications

Intel Core processor family adds its newest member!

The 4th generation Intel Core processor family is bringing the Internet of Things to the factory floor. With 2x faster signal processing, the processors support analytics applications like machine vision and equipment monitoring. Newly solutions secure communications tie together the factory floor, control room, and supply chain. And the up to 60 percent faster graphics and flexible I/O permit industrial equipment manufacturers to combine previously separate hardware, reducing cost and complexity.

Throughout history, new fanless embedded systems have transformed the manufacturing industry. From the invention of steam engines to the introduction of computerized controls, these technologies have led to enormous leaps in productivity and quality. Today we are at another turning point. The introduction of embedded systems and Internet of Things technology are enabling unprecedented data sharing and analysis, turning previously disconnected manufacturing systems into an efficient, highly responsive whole.

refer to:

http://embedded-computing.com/articles/transform-factory-the-intel-core-processor/

Method to improve efficiency

They work in harsh environments, and they get little or no recognition. But their impact on power plant efficiency can be significant. Valves and actuators are critical in almost every aspect of single board computer. They are used in a wide range of applications, including pollution control, feed water, cooling water, chemical treatment, bottom ash and steam turbine control embedded systems. They are exposed to a variety of chemicals, abrasive materials and very high temperatures. They are critical in optimizing efficiency, and they are often the final control element in the operation of a power plant.

Although the basic technology for most valves and actuators has remained unchanged, innovative applications and design modifications for problem solving have led to notable improvements in actuator technology. These improvements can reduce costs by supporting the control valve's ability to throttle accurately, thereby providing better performance for high-pressure steam bypass, turbine bypass and other critical power plant operations. Actuators regulate mass and energy flows by adjusting valves, flaps and cocks.

refer to: http://www.power-eng.com/articles/print/volume-117/issue-8/features/opportunities-to-improve-efficiency.html

Feedbacks from our embedded computer clients

Let's see what our customer say about the product:


“It might sound curious, but maybe the most important part of a embedded computer. It is a good software support,” Budelmann continues. “The best hardware is useless if there is no BSP, or if the supported software is outdated. Writing the BSP on your own is normally too expensive and time consuming, so users should regard this important point when identifying and evaluating new COMs.”

“If it is a mobile application with low to medium computing performance requirements, then Qseven is the right choice,” says Christian Eder, Marketing Manager at congatec AG headquartered in Deggendorf, Germany (www.congatec.com). “Medical systems typically require special functionalities such as ultrasonic control or high levels of isolation in order to protect patients in case of a malfunction. Standard SBCs typically do not feature that. The embedded computer logical consequence is to create a custom carrier board that takes all specific functionalities and complete it with a standard COM. Once this combination is certified, it is quite easy to upgrade or scale to other CPUs while the certification remains or just needs to be updated. This provides a lot of freedom to choose the best-fitting CPU and graphics for a given application.”

refer to: http://smallformfactors.com/articles/qseven-coms-healthcare-mobile/

VITA Technologies among embedded industry

VITA Technologies reached out to the supplier community to ask “What is your vision of the embedded board/systems business five years from now? What does it look like to you, from an application, technology, and business perspective?”

The responses I got back were very interesting to me. They reinforce my embedded system observations on a trend to mass customization in the industry that I have commented on for several years. While many suppliers have not quite acknowledged the inevitable movement to mass customization, others have embraced the trend. They have adjusted their product strategies to better address the changing needs of customers who desire products that can be effectively and efficiently modified for their most specific needs. They have adjusted their embedded system  strategy to develop products that lend themselves well to customization, and can be implemented quickly and cost effectively.

refer to: http://vita-technologies.com/articles/technically-trends-mass-customization-fpgas/

Embedded computer versus cloud computing

Department of Defense (DoD) officials trying to keep the lights on in today’s budget constrained environment love how cloud embedded computer can reduce data center operational costs, bricks and mortar expenses, and staff overhead. Virtually storing data instead of physically in a hard drive is very appealing – especially to younger military personnel who have grown up with virtual technology such as the iPhone and the iCloud. However, military cloud services – just like military smartphones and tablets – will need to be much more secure.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines embedded computer as “a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.”

refer to: http://mil-embedded.com/articles/cloud-security-the-dod/