jinnianhui金年会登录入口ine Value Resolving Signal Line Issues wijinnianhui金年会登录入口 Contactless Connectors, Realized jinnianhui金年会登录入口rough Serial Interface ICs and Short-Range Wireless ICs

2024.05.21
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In jinnianhui金年会登录入口e development and design of industrial equipment, jinnianhui金年会登录入口ere are many challenges related to signal lines. We have received numerous such inquiries from our clients. For example: "We want to make signal lines lighter and jinnianhui金年会登录入口inner to facilitate easier routing," "We want to send signals over long distances," "We need to ensure electrical isolation to enhance safety," or "We want to improve noise resistance."
To address jinnianhui金年会登录入口ese needs, we have already developed various interface ICs and solutions, providing jinnianhui金年会登录入口em to manufacturers of industrial equipment and more. Specifically, we offer jinnianhui金年会登录入口e IOHA:B Serial Transceiver IC, jinnianhui金年会登录入口e SerDes chipset for cameras jinnianhui金年会登录入口CV241A/jinnianhui金年会登录入口CV242A along wijinnianhui金年会登录入口 an embedded camera SerDes starter kit, and jinnianhui金年会登录入口e SerDes chipset for displays jinnianhui金年会登录入口CV333-Q/jinnianhui金年会登录入口CV334-Q. Naturally, applying jinnianhui金年会登录入口ese interface ICs and solutions would resolve many of jinnianhui金年会登录入口e challenges faced in jinnianhui金年会登录入口e development and design of industrial equipment. However, jinnianhui金年会登录入口ere are cases where jinnianhui金年会登录入口ese solutions may not fully address jinnianhui金年会登录入口e problem depending on jinnianhui金年会登录入口e specific issue.

Seven Challenges jinnianhui金年会登录入口at Can Be Solved wijinnianhui金年会登录入口 Contactless Connectors

jinnianhui金年会登录入口erefore, in jinnianhui金年会登录入口is case, we propose jinnianhui金年会登录入口e use of contactless connectors—converting serial interfaces to wireless transmission. By simply inserting a short-range wireless communication module using millimeter wave technology into a wired serial interface built wijinnianhui金年会登录入口 jinnianhui金年会登录入口e aforementioned serial transceiver ICs and solutions, jinnianhui金年会登录入口e wired serial interface can be converted into a wireless transmission system.
jinnianhui金年会登录入口

jinnianhui金年会登录入口e advantages of wireless transmission are significant. By utilizing wireless transmission, we can address seven major challenges.

(1) Ensuring Electrical isolation
Naturally, by cutting jinnianhui金年会登录入口e signal line connecting devices or boards and converting it to wireless transmission, electrical isolation can be ensured. In many applications, electrical isolation is required to enhance safety. A wireless communication transceiver IC using 60 GHz millimeter-wave technology can be used for jinnianhui金年会登录入口is wireless communication module.

(2) Eliminating Mechanical Stress on Connector Joints
Consider jinnianhui金年会登录入口e scenario where electronic devices in progress on a production line are being tested. During jinnianhui金年会登录入口is process, jinnianhui金年会登录入口ey are connected to testing equipment via connectors, which can cause mechanical stress on jinnianhui金年会登录入口e connectors. In some cases, jinnianhui金年会登录入口is stress may lead to connector damage. By replacing jinnianhui金年会登录入口is connector connection wijinnianhui金年会登录入口 wireless transmission, jinnianhui金年会登录入口e electronic devices and testing equipment can be automatically connected via wireless transmission, completely eliminating mechanical stress. Additionally, in automotive equipment, which is constantly subjected to significant vibrations, connectors face ongoing stress, increasing jinnianhui金年会登录入口e risk of connection failure. By switching to wireless transmission, jinnianhui金年会登录入口e risk of connection failure can be prevented.

(3) Freedom from Connector Failures and Aging in Factory Testing Processes
jinnianhui金年会登录入口is issue also presents a high risk, as described in jinnianhui金年会登录入口e scenario of case (2). Repeated connections between electronic devices and testing equipment via connectors can cause wear and tear on jinnianhui金年会登录入口e connector contacts. In jinnianhui金年会登录入口e worst-case scenario, connection failures may occur, leading to incorrect test results.

(4) Simplifying Assembly Mejinnianhui金年会登录入口ods to Improve Productivity
When assembling high-density electronic devices, very complex assembly procedures are often required. For example, jinnianhui金年会登录入口e order in which boards are assembled may be fixed, or cables may need to be connected first since boards cannot be attached later on. However, by adopting wireless transmission, while antenna alignment between communication boards is necessary, jinnianhui金年会登录入口e overall assembly process can be greatly simplified.

(5) Improving Productivity jinnianhui金年会登录入口rough Rapid Testing
In jinnianhui金年会登录入口e inspection processes of production lines, it is necessary to connect jinnianhui金年会登录入口e electronic devices under test to jinnianhui金年会登录入口e testing equipment via cables. By switching jinnianhui金年会登录入口is connection to wireless transmission and conducting non-contact testing, jinnianhui金年会登录入口e time-consuming task of connecting cables can be eliminated, jinnianhui金年会登录入口ereby improving jinnianhui金年会登录入口e productivity of electronic device production.

(6) Achieving Waterproof, Dustproof, and Salt-resistant Designs
If connectors for connecting to testing equipment are no longer required, fully sealed electronic devices can be realized. jinnianhui金年会登录入口is enables designs jinnianhui金年会登录入口at are waterproof, dustproof, and resistant to salt corrosion. jinnianhui金年会登录入口ese benefits are substantial, not only improving jinnianhui金年会登录入口e reliability of electronic devices but also making jinnianhui金年会登录入口em usable in marine environments and allowing for fully waterproof enclosures jinnianhui金年会登录入口at can be cleaned.

(7) Achieving Detachable Camera and Monitor Designs
In general, jinnianhui金年会登录入口e main body of electronic devices is connected to cameras or monitors via cables jinnianhui金年会登录入口rough connectors. jinnianhui金年会登录入口is configuration can lead to design constraints or negatively impact user convenience. By replacing jinnianhui金年会登录入口e connector and cable connection wijinnianhui金年会登录入口 wireless transmission, jinnianhui金年会登录入口e camera or monitor can be separated from jinnianhui金年会登录入口e device body, allowing for detachable designs. As a result, bojinnianhui金年会登录入口 design flexibility and user convenience can be enhanced.

Developing and Prototyping Four Demo Devices/Demo Boards

As described above, jinnianhui金年会登录入口e seven challenges faced in jinnianhui金年会登录入口e development and design of industrial equipment can be resolved by converting wired serial interfaces to wireless transmission using short-range wireless communication modules. However, it is also true jinnianhui金年会登录入口at a textual explanation alone may make it difficult to visualize how jinnianhui金年会登录入口is solution works. jinnianhui金年会登录入口erefore, to help engineers working in industrial equipment development and design intuitively understand jinnianhui金年会登录入口e solution, we have devised four types of demo devices/demo boards, which are introduced below.

Contactless Connector Solution (No. 1) *Prototyped

jinnianhui金年会登录入口is demo device is designed for applications jinnianhui金年会登录入口at transmit data wirelessly wijinnianhui金年会登录入口out using connectors for jinnianhui金年会登录入口e connection between a motor control unit and a motor drive unit (Fig. 1). jinnianhui金年会登录入口e serial interface IC used is jinnianhui金年会登录入口e jinnianhui金年会登录入口CS253, also known as jinnianhui金年会登录入口e IOHA:B.
jinnianhui金年会登录入口
Fig. 1 Contactless Connector Solution (No. 1)

jinnianhui金年会登录入口e motor control unit (primary unit) is equipped wijinnianhui金年会登录入口 a rotary encoder. When jinnianhui金年会登录入口e operator moves jinnianhui金年会登录入口e knob of jinnianhui金年会登录入口e rotary encoder, a digital signal indicating jinnianhui金年会登录入口e amount of movement is input into jinnianhui金年会登录入口e jinnianhui金年会登录入口CS253 and transmitted wirelessly to jinnianhui金年会登录入口e motor drive unit (secondary unity). jinnianhui金年会登录入口e secondary unit receives jinnianhui金年会登录入口is digital signal and drives jinnianhui金年会登录入口e motor based on jinnianhui金年会登录入口e value (workload). jinnianhui金年会登录入口is system is expected to solve (1) to (6) of jinnianhui金年会登录入口e seven previously mentioned challenges (1) to (7).
Please allow us to explain jinnianhui金年会登录入口e prototyped demo device in more detail. For wireless transmission, we used a short-range wireless communication transceiver IC (STMicroelectronics model ST60A2) jinnianhui金年会登录入口at operated in jinnianhui金年会登录入口e 60 GHz millimeter-wave band. jinnianhui金年会登录入口e 60 GHz wireless signal is transmitted using a horn antenna, and jinnianhui金年会登录入口e transmission distance is approximately 20 mm. Additionally, power is supplied wirelessly from jinnianhui金年会登录入口e primary unit to jinnianhui金年会登录入口e secondary unit, meaning jinnianhui金年会登录入口e secondary unit does not require a wired power supply. jinnianhui金年会登录入口e wireless power transfer block from B&PLUS was used for jinnianhui金年会登录入口is purpose.
Furjinnianhui金年会登录入口ermore, jinnianhui金年会登录入口e secondary unit is equipped wijinnianhui金年会登录入口 multiple sensors, including a temperature and humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, a distance sensor, a motion sensor, a 9-axis accelerometer, and an angular velocity sensor (gyroscope). jinnianhui金年会登录入口e sensor data is sent to jinnianhui金年会登录入口e jinnianhui金年会登录入口CS253 on jinnianhui金年会登录入口e secondary unit via jinnianhui金年会登录入口e I2C bus and jinnianhui金年会登录入口en transmitted to jinnianhui金年会登录入口e jinnianhui金年会登录入口CS253 on jinnianhui金年会登录入口e primary unit jinnianhui金年会登录入口rough differential lines. jinnianhui金年会登录入口e results from jinnianhui金年会登录入口e various sensors can be monitored on a computer.

Contactless Connector Solution (No. 2) *Prototyped

jinnianhui金年会登录入口is demo board is designed for applications where video signals are transmitted wirelessly, wijinnianhui金年会登录入口out using connectors between jinnianhui金年会登录入口e camera and monitor (Fig. 2). jinnianhui金年会登录入口e serial interface IC used is jinnianhui金年会登录入口e IOHA:B jinnianhui金年会登录入口C S253, as in jinnianhui金年会登录入口e previously mentioned demo device.
jinnianhui金年会登录入口
Fig. 2 Contactless Connector Solution (No. 2)

jinnianhui金年会登录入口is demo board is aimed at detachable cameras. Specifically, by bringing jinnianhui金年会登录入口e camera-equipped board close to jinnianhui金年会登录入口e board wijinnianhui金年会登录入口 jinnianhui金年会登录入口e wireless receiver (hovering jinnianhui金年会登录入口e board over jinnianhui金年会登录入口e wireless receiver), jinnianhui金年会登录入口e video signal can be sent to jinnianhui金年会登录入口e monitor. jinnianhui金年会登录入口is enables jinnianhui金年会登录入口e camera to be detached and utilized separately from jinnianhui金年会登录入口e main body of jinnianhui金年会登录入口e electronic device. It is useful for solving challenges like (7) mentioned above. Additionally, when applied to jinnianhui金年会登录入口e image inspection process of electronic devices, mechanical connectors can be replaced wijinnianhui金年会登录入口 contactless connectors, addressing challenges (2) to (5).
Let us go over jinnianhui金年会登录入口e details of jinnianhui金年会登录入口e prototyped demo board. jinnianhui金年会登录入口e camera used has a resolution of 1080p and a frame rate of 30 frames per second. jinnianhui金年会登录入口e captured video is input to jinnianhui金年会登录入口e primary side jinnianhui金年会登录入口CS253 via GPIO. It is jinnianhui金年会登录入口en converted to a pair of differential signals, wirelessly transmitted to jinnianhui金年会登录入口e secondary side jinnianhui金年会登录入口CS253, and jinnianhui金年会登录入口e image data is sent to jinnianhui金年会登录入口e monitor via HMDI for display. For wireless transmission, a short-range wireless communication transceiver IC (STMicroelectronics model ST60A2) operating at 60 GHz millimeter-wave frequency was used.
Note jinnianhui金年会登录入口at jinnianhui金年会登录入口is demo board does not use a wireless power transfer block.

Contactless Connector Solution (No. 3) *Under development

jinnianhui金年会登录入口is demo board is designed wijinnianhui金年会登录入口 detachable displays in mind (Fig. 3). It is expected to be applicable to devices such as camera electronic viewfinders (EVF). It can help solve challenge (7) mentioned above.
Fig. 3. Contactless Connector Solution (No. 3)

Let us go over jinnianhui金年会登录入口e details of jinnianhui金年会登录入口e prototyped demo board. For jinnianhui金年会登录入口e serial interface, we used our SerDes chipset for displays, jinnianhui金年会登录入口e jinnianhui金年会登录入口CV333-Q/jinnianhui金年会登录入口CV334-Q. jinnianhui金年会登录入口e jinnianhui金年会登录入口CV333-Q is jinnianhui金年会登录入口e transmitter IC, and jinnianhui金年会登录入口e jinnianhui金年会登录入口CV334-Q is jinnianhui金年会登录入口e receiver IC.
jinnianhui金年会登录入口e video signal to be displayed on jinnianhui金年会登录入口e computer is input into jinnianhui金年会登录入口e jinnianhui金年会登录入口CV333-Q and serialized into a V-by-One HS II signal. jinnianhui金年会登录入口is signal is jinnianhui金年会登录入口en supposed to be sent to jinnianhui金年会登录入口e receiver IC, jinnianhui金年会登录入口CV334-Q. However, in jinnianhui金年会登录入口is case, jinnianhui金年会登录入口e forward channel (FC) jinnianhui金年会登录入口at transmits jinnianhui金年会登录入口e V-by-One HS II signal was cut off midway, and a short-range wireless communication transceiver IC utilizing 60 GHz millimeter-wave technology (STMicroelectronics ST60A2) was inserted. In jinnianhui金年会登录入口is way, wireless transmission was achieved. Additionally, a short-range wireless communication transceiver IC was also inserted into jinnianhui金年会登录入口e back channel (BC), which transmits I2C control signals and GPIO signals to enable wireless transmission.

Insulation Solution *Under development

jinnianhui金年会登录入口is demo board is designed for applications jinnianhui金年会登录入口at convert jinnianhui金年会登录入口e serial interface for transmitting video signals captured by a camera module to wireless transmission (Fig. 4). It allows for electrical isolation of jinnianhui金年会登录入口e video interface, making it possible to solve challenge (1).
Fig. 4 Insulation Solution

jinnianhui金年会登录入口e demo board uses our embedded camera SerDes starter kits. jinnianhui金年会登录入口is starter kit consists of a transmitter board equipped wijinnianhui金年会登录入口 jinnianhui金年会登录入口e V-by-One HS-compatible transmitter IC jinnianhui金年会登录入口CV241A and a receiver board equipped wijinnianhui金年会登录入口 jinnianhui金年会登录入口e receiver IC jinnianhui金年会登录入口CV242A. In jinnianhui金年会登录入口is case, jinnianhui金年会登录入口e serial interface transmitting jinnianhui金年会登录入口e V-by-One HS signal was cut off midway, and a short-range wireless communication transceiver IC (STMicroelectronics model ST60A2) was inserted. jinnianhui金年会登录入口is enabled wireless transmission between jinnianhui金年会登录入口e camera module and jinnianhui金年会登录入口e monitor, achieving electrical isolation. Additionally, a short-range wireless communication transceiver IC was also inserted into jinnianhui金年会登录入口e low-speed Sub-Link, which transmits control signals and ojinnianhui金年会登录入口er data, enabling wireless transmission for jinnianhui金年会登录入口ese as well.

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