STMicroelectronics will be showing an evaluation kit that implements both power-line and sub-GHz RF comms for smart grid infrastructure this week at Enlit Europe. Called EVLKST8500GH-2, it combines the company’s ST8500 power-line communication SoC, STLD1 line driver and S2-LP low-power long-range sub-GHz radio transceiver – a chipset which is certified to the v1.4 Hybrid specification of power-line communication industry body ...
Tag Archives: communication
EnSilica wins design-in for Ka and Ku-band beamforming IC
Vites has chosen a beamforming IC from Oxford-based Ensilica for a vehicle satellite communication terminal. The terminal, called Visat-Ka, is intended to provide high-speed connectivity from moving vehicles anywhere on the Earth using low earth orbit (LEO) and other non-geosynchronous (NGSO) satellites. As such, it has to steer its Ka-band phased-array antenna to maintain link gain. As well as satcom-on-the-move ...
Can inter-vehicle communication improve road safety, and help drones cooperate?
French laboratory CEA-Leti looking to find ways to improve road safety through automated vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Its initiative is intended to “contribute to a higher level of vehicle automation and cooperation by expanding the latest developments in vehicular wireless communications that improve reaction time, pedestrian detection and overall vehicle performance”, according to Leti. By “combining learnings from participation in three EU ...
LTE modules get EU’s RED cybersecurity certification
U-blox’ LARA-R6 LTE Cat 1 and LARA-L6 LTE Cat 4 cellular modules have been certified to Radio Equipment Directive (RED) cybersecurity, having passed RED article 3.3 d/e/f requirements using ETSI’s EN 303 645 standard. “As cyberattacks and privacy concerns grow, there’s an urgent need for wireless devices and products to feature enhanced security. With stricter regulations on the horizon, manufacturers ...
Japan-USA-Europe fibre link takes the Northwest Passage
Route planning has started on the pan-Arctic submarine cable that could link Europe, North America and Asia via the Northwest Passage – the latter opening as formerly permanent ice yields to climate change. The idea of the project, dubbed Far North Fiber, is to terminate in Japan, Norway and Ireland, and have branches to Alaska, Canada and Greenland (see map). ...
Passive wireless link transmits only Johnson noise to send data
In what might be the lowest power data transmission scheme ever, researchers at the University of Washington have sent data using the Johnson noise of a 50Ω resistor – or more accurately, the difference in Johnson noise between a 50Ω resistor and an open-circuit. One of the prototypes 5bit/s was sent over ~7.3m with a bit error rate of 0.15%, ...
Novel antenna combines a dish and a phased array
Lockheed Martin has created a novel millimetre-wave dish antenna for satellites and ground terminals, particularly for space-based 5G communication. Called ‘wide angle ESA fed reflector’ (Waefr), it is a hybrid of a phased array electronically steerable antenna (ESA) and a parabolic dish, and is claimed to increases coverage area by 190% compared to traditional phased array antennas, at lower cost. ...
Tissue-based human body communications are OK
Human tissue is a good transmission medium for connecting wireless binaural hearing aids, according to Tokyo University of Science. “For wearables to truly transcend portables, we will need to rethink the way in which devices communicate with each other,” according to the university. “The usual approach of using an antenna to radiate signals into the surrounding area while hoping to ...
Cortex-M33 MCUs focussed on comms and security
Renesas is focussing on comms with the RA6M5 group of microcontrollers. “RA6M5 Group MCUs offer numerous communication interface options, including CAN FD, Ethernet MAC with DMA, USB Full Speed and High Speed, and multiple serial interfaces. This gives designers of IoT systems unmatched flexibility in sharing critical data,” according to distributor Anglia, which is stocking the parts. The new devices ...
More on: China’s lunar comms satellite
Chinese scientists have revealed details of Queqiao, the lunar communications satellite that relays data between the Chang’e-4 moon lander and Earth. Needed because the lander is on a part of the Moon which does not have direct line-of-sight with the Earth, Queqiao has been placed in orbit around the second Lagrange point in the Earth-Moon system. Lagrange points are gravitational coincidences ...