What is the next “smart” thing? Consumers always want the next big “it” thing.
Component manufacturers constantly innovate new solutions to help the drive the next “hot” trend or killer application in the electronics industry.
Whatever the next consumer trend may be, other markets and applications that receive less fanfare continue to grow and inspire semiconductor and interconnect innovation.
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is driving connectivity in legacy factories, plants, and warehouses. Embedded vision applications automate inspection and security systems around the world.
IIoT Growth
“Wouldn’t it be great to have instant access to that sensor on the far side of the factory?” This is a question we covered in a previous blog. Answering this question is the foundation of IIoT growth today.
Industrial OEMs are looking to integrate wireless connectivity like 4G LTE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth into mobile sensing (emergency vehicles, company fleet, etc.) and remote sensing (weather stations, smart agriculture, smart cities, etc.) applications.
They need hardware platforms that easily integrate into their hardware architecture. They also need a solution for storing, managing and visualizing all of the new data their constant connectivity provides.
Embedded Vision Growth
Embedded vision provides machines the ability to see, sense, and immediately respond to the external world. Applications run the gamut from visual inspection systems to next-gen security systems.
Embedded vision system development provides unique obstacles for engineers and designers. Integrating multiple video inputs, real-time image processing and visual-based analytics forces collaboration across engineering disciplines. Deciding the computing platform poses one challenge. Another challenge is system-level interconnect selection.
Increased data requires more throughput for embedded video applications. While video broadcast and other video systems applications use 12G SDI solutions from Samtec, optical interconnect solutions are gaining inroads in embedded vision applications.
Samtec’s FireFly™ Micro Flyover System™ provides designers a choice of using either micro footprint high performance active optical engines or low-cost copper interconnects. This allows embedded vision system designers to upgrade from electrical to 28 Gbps optical FireFly™ in their end applications.
A New Tool for IIoT and Embedded Vision
In response to these trends, Avnet has released the cost-optimized MiniZed Platform. This is an out-of-the-box solution giving OEMs a quick path from prototype to production for their IIoT and Embedded Vision applications.
The kit features the following:
- Various memories (DDR3L, QSPI Flash, eMMC mass storage)
- On-board JTAG and debug circuit
- Wireless connectivity (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1 plus EDR and BLE)
- USB 2.0 host interface
- Power Management IC
- Various sensors (accelerometer, temperature, microphone)
- Reset button, user button, user switch, 2 x user bi-element LEDs
Avnet’s cost-optimized MiniZed Platform also contains expansion ports for industry-standard development platforms. Samtec’s SSW right angle headers are used to support Pmod-compatible interfaces. Samtec’s SSQ receptacles support an Arduino-compatible shield interface. The MiniZed also uses several Samtec SNT series shunts for system configuration options.
Samtec’s broad portfolio of interconnect solutions are ideally suited for linking multiple PCB boards and RF signals commonplace in IIoT and Embedded Vision applications.
For more information on Avnet’s MiniZed and Samtec’s interconnect solutions, please see the following links: