STMicroelectronics, a global leader in advanced electronics components, exhibited its latest innovations at the EFY Tech Expo held in Pune on the 24th and 25th of March. The company showcased their state-of-the-art microcontrollers (MCUs), Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, and smart mobility solutions which drew interest from engineers, and industry leaders alike.
As the technologies improve, electronic components are becoming more and more reliable while the efficiency, cost and size have come down. Being one of the trendsetters in the electronics industry, the company continues to release new components for various industries to meet the needs of the market. At the expo, the company showcased their advanced MCUs, which feature high performance, low power consumption, and improved processing speed. These MCUs are ideal for various applications, including industrial automation, consumer electronics, and automotive.
IoT solutions
In addition to MCUs, ST also demonstrated their IoT solutions, which enable devices to connect and communicate with each other through the Internet. Their IoT platform provides a secure and scalable infrastructure that allows for remote monitoring and control of devices. The products displayed included an evaluation board for LORA, and a discovery board for 2.4Ghz which featured communication protocols for Zigbee, Thread, and Matter. Mohit Arora, GPM Wireless Marketing Manager at ST India explained how their new products will help in the localization of goods in an enclosed space such as warehouses.
Smart Mobility Solution
Electronics plays a crucial role in the current automotive industry as almost 80% of all innovations in the automotive industry today are directly or indirectly enabled by electronics. With the vehicle functionality, comfort and safety improving every day with each new car, this directly translates to the increase in semiconductor and electronics content per car. ST has provided a lot of solutions including MOSFETs, drivers, automotive MCUs and automotive-grade sensors to name a few. Key Demos that caught our attention:
Vehicle Tracking System based on ASM330LHHX
Key Features of the vehicle tracking system:
- Extended temperature range from -40 to +105 °C
- AEC-Q100 qualified
- Embedded compensation for high stability over temperature
- Android compliant
- Accelerometer user-selectable full scale up to ±16 g
- Extended gyroscope range from ±125 to ±4000 dps
- Dual operating modes: high-performance and low-power mode
- I²C, MIPI I3CSM, and SPI serial interfaces
- Six-channel synchronized output to enhance accuracy of dead-reckoning
algorithms - Programmable finite state machine
- Machine learning core
- Smart programmable interrupts
- Embedded 3 KB FIFO available to underload host processor
- ECOPACK and RoHS compliant
Key Application:
Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) - Telematics, eTolling
- Anti-theft systems
- Impact detection and crash reconstruction
- Motion-activated functions
- Driving comfort
- Vibration monitoring and compensation
2.5 kW – 48 V battery charger reference design for industrial light electric vehicles (LEVs) and 6 kW high voltage DC-DC converter for EV charging
The STDES-2KW5CH48V reference design offers a charging solution mainly for industrial light electric vehicles (LEVs), such as e-scooters, e-bikes, e-rickshaws, forklifts, and micro e-cars. It is also suitable for AGV robots and power tools. The charger implements two charging profiles: one for Li-ion batteries and the other one for lead-acid batteries, corresponding to the latest trends in battery charging. The reference design is based on a boost power factor correction (PFC) circuit, controlled by the L4984D that provides a high PF of greater than 0.9, followed by a DC-DC circuit based on a full-bridge LLC resonant power converter, controlled by the L6599A. For the output rectification, diodes have been chosen with an LLC transformer secondary winding using the centre-tapped configuration.
Key features of the STDES-2KW5CH48V reference design:
• Multichemistry battery charger design
• CCM PFC and FB LLC converter
• Maximum output power: 2.5 kW
• Input voltage: 85–265 VAC
• Output voltage: 40–60 V with maximum current limited to 42 A
• Mixed analog and digital control
• Peak efficiency: 93.75% end-to-end
• Soft start
• Comprehensive safety mechanism
Key Applications:
• LEV charging
• Li-Ion and general battery charger
• SMPS and robotic mobility
Qi compatible wireless charging system up to 70W using STWBC2-HP transmitter and STWLC98 receiver
This wireless charging demo, including the STWBC2-HP based 100W+ transmitter (PE.SMW0015.21) and STWLC98 based 70W receiver (STDES-70WRXWLC), demonstrates the Qi EPP mode up to 15W and the priority mode up to 70W in RX output. The STWBC2-HP is the high-performance wireless charging transmitter SoC that integrated all the necessary features, only except the N-MOSFET left outside to maximize the flexibility. Together with the WPC-recommended STSAFE-A110 secure MCU, the STWBC2-HP based solution can pass Qi 1.3 EPP following MP-A2 topology. The WLC98 is a monolithic high-efficiency wireless charging receiver SoC, which supports the latest Qi 1.3 BPP and EPP. The reference designs implemented the proprietary ST supercharger protocol, STSC, to support high-efficiency and safe wireless charging up to 70W.
Key features of the wireless charging system:
• Qi 1.3 BPP and EPP-compliant wireless charging transmitter and receiver.
• High-efficiency wireless power transfer up to 70W with STSC.
• High accuracy power control based on up to 1ns PWM on the transmitter main bridge.
• Adaptive Rectifier Configuration (ARC) mode for spatial freedom and coil customization.
• High-reliability over-voltage protection (OTP), over-current protection (OCP) and over-temperature protection (OTP) in receiver and transmitter, maximizing the system safety.
• High-performance Foreign Object Detection (FOD) based on the innovative Q factor measurement circuit and algorithms.
• Support low-inductance receiver coil to maximize the thermal performance.
• Support USB-PD and other adapters in the transmitter.
• Build-in embedded GUI on the receiver to enable standard alone evaluation.
• Ready-to-use turn-key reference designs.
Key Applications:
• Smartphones, Tablets, Laptop
• Small home appliances (vacuum cleaner, robot cleaner, etc.), power tools
• Medical equipment
Serial Page EEPROM
The Serial Page EEPROM is a high-density, page-erasable SPI EEPROM memory that combines flexibility, performance, and ultra-low power. The Serial Page EEPROM with proprietary NVM cell technology delivers fast erase/write performance with high cycling endurance and robust retention. The new architecture allows fast wake-up and byte flexibility, as well as block management and fast quad output while keeping the current surge and energy budget at very low levels. This is the all-in-one non-volatile memory solution for ultra-low power systems that requires an external NVM to boot by downloading firmware before execution in RAM, uploading firmware versions by OTA, and running parameter monitoring, data log, or event recording. The nonvolatile memory solution of Page EEPROM opens new possibilities by incorporating efficient management of different data types such as read-only data, cycled parameters, and firmware in a single device.
Key Features of Serial Page EEPROM :
• Supports serial peripheral interface (SPI) and dual/quad outputs
• Fast read: 50 MHz read single output & 80 MHz fast read single/dual/quad output with one dummy byte
• 32 Mbits of page EEPROM
• Write endurance: 500 kcycles on the full temperature range
• Ultra-low power consumption
• Fast Write/Prog/Erase times
Main benefits of Serial Page EEPROM :
• Optimized initial data upload for reduced manufacturing time
• Faster data access at application power-up
• Reduced system downtime for firmware update OTA
• Flexible data log and event recording
• Ultra-low operating power budget even during intensive use
• Nonvolatile memory BOM reduction by storing code and data in the same device
Serial Page EEPROM simplifies memory integration for faster time to market and higher application value.
During the expo, ST representatives were hands-on to provide technical expertise and answer questions from attendees. The company’s engineers and specialists shared their knowledge and insights on the latest advancements in the electronics industry, as well as how ST’s products can be integrated into specific applications.
Overall, the ST showcased their cutting-edge electronics components to a highly engaged audience. With their ongoing commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction, the company continues to make significant contributions to the electronics industry.
