Charging Mobile Devices from Shutdown PCs Becomes Reality with Unique USB Chips

14 days ago by electronics 0 Geneva, July 30, 2013 STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, has perfected advanced features in its latest PC USB chips that significantly reduce the environmental impact of charging mobile devices.

As smartphones and media players typically connect to a PC for data exchange, users are tending also to charge their devices from PC USB ports. Indeed, the International Electrotechnical Commissions (IEC) universal phone-charger standard[1] promotes USB charging by making use of the USB interface specification. The IEC says[2] the standard could help reduce the 51,000 tons of redundant chargers produced each year and cut the mobile industrys annual greenhouse gas emissions by 13.6 million tons.

STs new STCC5011 and STCC5021 go a step further in saving energy and reducing CO2 emissions by allowing users to charge mobile devices from a USB port even when the computer is in software-controlled shutdown mode. Using a unique attach-detection feature, which is patented by ST and operates when the PC is shut down, the chips (called charger emulators) can detect when a mobile device has been connected. This enables the PCs power supply to be activated for charging. The chips also monitor current to turn the power supply off when charging is complete and thereby maximize the energy savings. Other charger emulators require the PC to be in working or sleep mode to charge the device, which consumes more power than when the PC is in shutdown mode.

Charging in PC shutdown mode with the STCC5011 or STCC5021 improves the energy efficiency of USB charging and makes it more convenient for end users. Moreover, when the

USB port is active and waiting for a device to be connected for charging, STs chips consume only 1/16 of the power of other charger emulators. This allows PCs to offer convenient USB charging with minimal impact on power consumption or PC battery life during normal use. Both chips have circuitry to avoid discharging the PCs battery, which allows even the most mobile of users to charge devices safely while using the PC on battery power alone.

The STCC5011 has a 1A charge-current limit suitable for Apple iPod and iPhone. The STCC5021 has a limit of 2A for charging iPad as well as iPod and iPhone. Both chips are compatible with the USB battery charging standard BC1.2, USB2.0, USB3.0, and Chinese telecommunications standard YD/T 1591-2009, which mandates use of USB charging to reduce electronic waste and protect the environment. They also support proprietary chargers such as BlackBerry charging mode, as well as Apple divider mode (for 1A and 2A charging, as described above).

Major features of STCC5011/5021:

Pin-selectable charger-emulation profiles USB2.0-compliant USB data switch with 1000MHz bandwidth Low-resistance (60m) integrated power switch Built-in safety protection Charging-indication output in DCP (Dedicated Charging Port) and CDP (Charging Downstream Port) modes

Operation in PC Advanced Configuration & Power Interface (ACPI) modes:

Support for remote wakeup in ACPI S3 mode (PC sleep mode) Device attachment detection in ACPI G2 mode (shutdown/soft-off, or S5)

The STCC5011 and STCC5021 are in production now, available in the VFQFPN 16-pin 3 x 3 x 0.8mm package, priced from $0.75 for orders over 1,000 pieces. For further information on STs USB charger emulators please go to http://www.st.com/usbcharging

ROHM Innovations for Better Tomorrow

12 days ago by electronics 0

Innovations for Better Tomorrow

ROHM Semiconductor Initiatives for the Automotive-electronics Sector

Initially developing a large number of ICs for car audio, ROHM Semiconductor has been expanding its product range as car-navigation/infotainment spread over the market. Further to it, seeing an increase in automotive electronics for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) include telematics and all types of communications in vehicles, between vehicles (e.g. car-to-car), and between vehicles and fixed locations (e.g. car-to-infrastructure), ROHM is accelerating the IC development for car-body electronics and Power-train ECU, and will keep releasing more new products as cars are getting more comfortable, safer and ecological.

LED-drivers in automotive

An essential aspect of the control is the power management provided by integrated circuit (IC) LED drivers.

The usage of lighting-emitting diodes (LEDs) in automotive applications is increasing for many of the same reasons that LED lighting is penetrating non-automotive sectors. LEDs are more efficient and smaller in size, have a substantially longer life, allow considerably greater design freedom for improved esthetics, and more. In brake-lamp applications, the fast turn-on of LEDs provides an added margin of safety to warn the driver of the car behind. LEDs can respond as much as ten times faster than traditional incandescent bulbs. In addition to this safety aspect, the color of LED lighting is more natural making it safer for forward illumination. The ease of controlling LEDs also makes them a natural for intelligent-lighting systems that adjust based on vehicle sensor inputs. An essential aspect of the control is the power management provided by integrated circuit (IC) LED drivers. Advantages of LED-drivers Automotive applications for LEDs include interior lighting (such as dome, dash and foot-well lighting), indicator and telltale lights and infotainment LCD-backlighting, as well as exterior (signaling) functions such as tail-lights, turn-signals, brake-lights (including center high-mount stop lamps (CHMSL), parking-lights, side-marker lights, fog-lamps and daytime-running lights (DRLs). More recently, a few vehicle manufacturers have introduced LED headlamps on production models based on high-brightness (HB) LEDs. In some cases, the capabilities of an LED driver can enable more than one application to be addressed with the same LEDs. With the low power consumption of LEDs compared to conventional lighting, an estimated 0.2 liters of fuel per 100 km and about 4 grams lower CO2 emissions per kilometer are being cited as the ultimate advantage of replacing incandescent lighting with LEDs in the DRL application alone. In electric and hybrid vehicles (EV/HEV), an 85% reduction in energy consumption from LED usage instead of incandescent bulbs translates into increased mileage range. As a result, there are several compelling reasons to implement LEDs in automotive applications. Capabilities of LED-driver ICs LEDs require a constant-current to produce consistent lighting. Consequently, this forms the basic operating requirements for an LED driver. The accuracy of the current source determines its customer appeal. Current fluctuations that can occur with voltage supply variations in vehicles must be avoided. Linear regulators provide a simple control and do not require electromagnetic interference (EMI) filters. However, their power dissipation can become excessive for higher power applications. Buck dc-dc converters are commonly used in vehicles as the next step up from a linear regulator. When the driver must control several LEDs in series, a boost converter topology is used. In some cases, a buck-boost topology provides the capability to address a variety of application requirements including the ability to handle voltage extremes. LED drivers can be designed to offer a combination of series and parallel LED control. Devices with this capability built-in provide circuit designers flexibility to control LEDs in different applications with a single driver rather than requiring different devices that increase qualification testing.

Dimming the light level is a common requirement for interior lighting. However, exterior lighting has applications for brighter and normal requirements from the same LEDs. For example, brake lights/tail-lights, low-beam/daytime-running lights (DRLs) and high-beam/lowbeam headlights are bi-level lighting. In some cases, lighting design may be able to address both situations with the same LEDs with the right LED driver IC. For the harsh automotive environments, several protection circuits are required to prevent device failure under fault conditions.

Considerations in automotive design

Unlike other market segments like consumer, automotive applications have several tougher requirements that are reflected in industry standards and purchasing specifications. These unique criteria include temperature and humidity range, voltage range, ability to withstand harsh chemicals, electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) as well as reliability requirements dictated by qualification testing. For example, the automotive passenger compartment temperature range is -40 to 85C. The automotive voltage range extends from normal operation of 9 to 16V (nominally 14V) to charge the 12.6V battery under an ambient temperatures from Arizona to Alaska, and includes extreme conditions such as reverse battery (-12V), jump-start conditions of continuous double battery voltage (+24V) to fault conditions such as load-dump, which occurs when the battery is disconnected from the alternator, and other voltage transients. An unclamped load-dump can be as long as several hundred milliseconds and can easily exceed 80V, but today many manufacturers have centralized load-dump clamping circuits and subsequently require that components must withstand the transient for levels of 60 or 40V. In addition to higher voltage requirements, cranking conditions cause lower voltage that require protection for worst case situations. High reliability in automotive applications is indicated by the need for protection circuitry such as overvoltage, under-voltage, reverse polarity, over-current, short circuit and over-temperature protection in many ICs. Also, the components life must be verified by testing to meet the vehicle manufacturers target life and warranty requirements that could be 10 years or 100,000 miles. In general, automotive IC qualification requirements are reflected in tests such as the Automotive Electronic Councils AEC- Q100 series for integrated circuits (ICs), but individual automotive suppliers and carmakers can require tighter criteria and even further testing.
LED driver IC versus Discrete circuit to drive LEDs

A power IC process with analog, digital as well as power circuitry allows device designers to integrate the LED power switches with the control circuit as long as the package can dissipate the power. Integrated LED switches reduce the number of components saving board space and simplifying inventory and manufacturing. As power levels increase, such as the LED drivers for HB LEDs or when the option for driving LED arrays is desired, a driver, or pre-driver, that controls external discrete output devices provide flexibility with the output switches selected

based on the circuit requirements. As a result, a single LED driver can cover the requirements of several applications.
ROHM Semiconductors LED driver solutions for Automotive Applications

ROHM Semiconductor has highly-integrated LED driver IC solutions for passenger compartment and forward illumination applications. Driver ICs have integrated switches or in some cases, pre-drivers designed to switch external power MOSFETs. These products demonstrate the different approaches that are provided for automotive applications. Lineup specific driver ICs dedicated to application with LEDs: As low current consumption is more required for a car, the number of LEDs used is going up. Thus ROHM is providing a broad line-up of the specific application dedicated driver ICs from the Serial-in Parallel-out LED driver for indicators on the cluster panel or center display, the Backlight LED driver used for TFT panel and others, the LED source driver for the rear, turning, combination or other lamps, to the LED headlamp dedicated driver.
White Back light LED Drivers for LCD Panels

These high voltage LED drivers, making direct battery drive possible. In addition, an integrated boost/buck DC/DC converter ensures safe, stable operation even during battery jitter/vibration. Multiple protection circuits, including LED open/short detection, are also built in, providing greater system reliability.

Serial-in Parallel-out LED Drivers for Indicator

With the 8ch/12ch output types in the line-up, allow to drive a larger number of LEDs. Secure the high reliability design with the 35V high rated voltage at the LED current output pins in case of the short to Vcc mode.

LED source Drivers for Rear and Combination Lamps

These high voltage (50V), high current (200mA), high accuracy (3%) LED source drivers feature PWM dimming control optimized for rear-lamp LED driver.

White LED Drivers for Head Light and DRL

High voltage (50V) LED driver integrates a step-up/down DC/DC driver for compatibility with a number of LED configurations. In addition, an internal PWM dimming circuit enables control without a microcontroller.

Automotive Headlamps/ Day-Running-Lights (DRLs) Solutions

LED driver suitable for high-beam, low-beam and daytime running light circuits; controls dimming without PWM input; provides range of protection functions; unique buck/boost topology more efficient and requires fewer external components ROHMs BD8381EFV-M, high-brightness LED driver IC for automotive forward illumination applications. With this new flexible IC, designers can now specify the same driver for use in high-beam, low-beam and daytime running light (DRL) circuits. The BD8381EFV-M current-mode buck/boost controller provides stable operation over a wide input voltage (5-30V) and removes constraints on the number of LEDs in series connection. Integrated protection monitors voltage, current and temperature. LED open and short circuit

detection is also provided. The BD8381EFV-M has an internal PWM controller so dimming functions can be implemented with a simple external CR circuit. This same circuit can be implemented to limit output current in case of LED over-temperature detection. ROHM said, Instead of having to select a different drive for each headlamp function, designers can now use one device. Because of its buck/boost configuration, it can handle series LED connections numbering from just one to several. For more information about the expanding portfolio of automotive LED drivers in ROHM Semiconductors power management portfolio visit our website (www.rohm.com) or contact your local ROHM Semiconductorsglobal sales offices.

Geometric Launches the First CAM Product Fully Embedded within Solid Edge
Geometric Limited, a leader in advanced manufacturing software, today introduced CAMWorks for Solid Edge software, the first embedded CAM solution for the Solid Edge 3D design system from Siemens PLM Software, a leading provider of product lifecycle management

(PLM) software and services. CAMWorks for Solid Edge brings proven, state-of-the-art machining capabilities to Solid Edge users. Since it is accessible directly in the Solid Edge window, CAMWorks for Solid Edge provides a consistent user interface and eliminates time-consuming file transfers. With Geometrics patented Feature Recognition technology running in real-time to capture machined features and automatically generate or update the toolpath, manufacturing-driven design changes can be made to any CAD model using synchronous technology, a unique capability which combines the speed and flexibility of direct modeling with the precise control of dimension driven design. This dramatically streamlines what has traditionally been a time-consuming process. The solution also captures the machining strategy in a customizable database, TechDBT, thus allowing efficient machining solutions to be reapplied to future designs with similar features, further enhancing productivity. We are very excited to extend our proven CNC programming solution, CAMWorks, to Solid Edge users enabling them to make their manufacturing process leaner and more efficient. Combining feature-based CNC programming with the strengths of synchronous technology in Solid Edge, provides users with a unique CAD-to-CAM software solution, said Venkatesh Jagannath, Senior Vice President and Head of Consulting and Technologies at Geometric. Our relationship with Siemens PLM Software spans more than a decade and this partnership is a testimony to our commitment to continue to introduce innovative solutions to the manufacturing community.

CAMWorks for Solid Edge is a powerful new addition to the growing Solid Edge ecosystem, said Karsten Newbury, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Mainstream Engineering Software, Siemens PLM Software. Since CAMWorks is embedded within Solid Edge and takes full advantage of synchronous technology, users will be able to make rapid on-the-fly edits to any CAD file in the machining environment, with full model-to-tool-path associativity. This provides our customers with a tool that is easy-to-use, and enables them to deliver high quality products to market faster and more efficiently. Dave Ault, owner of Fieldweld and a beta tester for the product, shared his impressions after working with the software for a week, I really like CAMWorks for Solid Edge and I believe this is the last CAM system Ill ever need to learn. This integrated approach is the only way to go and CAMWorks for Solid Edge is full of very powerful capabilities. The automatic Feature Recognition makes it easy to assign a machining strategy to most parts and individual Feature Recognition covers the rest. The true CAD and CAM integration has proven to be capable of associative updating on some pretty serious part changes. The capabilities that synchronous technology brings to Solid Edge design, CAMWorks automatic Feature Recognition brings to machining, providing for a powerful and complete end-to-end manufacturing ecosystem. From design to machining this combination of Solid Edge and CAMWorks has significantly reduced the headaches and time spent to produce parts in my shop. About CAMWorks for Solid Edge CAMWorks for Solid Edge, a parametric, solids based CNC programming software system, brings in a revolutionary way to help machinists around the world program fast and machine faster. CAMWorks for Solid Edge significantly reduces programming time and removes the drudgery from CNC programming by using patented Feature Recognition technology in conjunction with full toolpath to solid-model associativity and knowledge-based machining. Besides ease-of-programming using CAMWorks for Solid Edge, organizations can be assured of the most efficient toolpaths using CAMWorks VoluMillT to maintain their competitive edge in the marketplace. For more information on the product, please visit www.camworks.com/solidedge/ About Geometric Geometric (www.geometricglobal.com) is a specialist in the domain of engineering solutions, services and technologies. Its portfolio of Global Engineering services, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, Embedded System solutions, and Digital Technology solutions enables companies to formulate, implement, and execute global engineering and manufacturing strategies aimed at achieving greater efficiencies in the product realization lifecycle. Listed on the Bombay and National stock exchanges in India, the company recorded consolidated revenues of Rupees 10.20 billion (US Dollars 187.57 million) for the year ended March 2013. It employs over 4600 people across 13 global delivery locations in the US, the UK, France, Germany, Romania, India, and China. Geometric was assessed as CMMI 1.1 Level 5 for its software services and is ISO 9001:2008 certified for engineering operations. The companys operations are also ISO 27001:2005 certified.

Note: Solid Edge is a trademark or registered trademark of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. All other trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks belong to their respective holders.

Printronix Expands Advantages of Line Matrix Printing over Laser

83 days ago by electronics 0

Printronix Inc., a worldwide leader in business-critical printing solutions, today gave IT buyers in Southeast Asia and Oceania markets yet another reason to select line matrix printing technology by introducing the P8000 Cartridge Printer series. With new flexible designs, adaptable functionality and manageable savings, the P8000 series proves again that line matrix is the most competitive technology for industrial environments. Line matrix is designed for users in manufacturing, distribution and logistics, government, and banking and who need to print invoices, shipment and transportation documentation, bank statements and product compliance labels. Users can expect maximum uptime, low total cost of ownership, a small footprint and reduced noise from the P8000. Our new P8000 Cartridge Printer series reflects the diverse global usage of line matrix technology today, said Mark Edwards, senior vice president, global sales and marketing, Printronix. IT leaders will value this new series, whether they are replacing existing printers or embracing line matrix technology to reduce printing cost. Line matrix is still a mainstay solution, recognized as a flexible technology with improved user experience, local language functionality and operational efficiencies. Line Matrix Technology Trumps Laser in Industrial Printing Line matrix cartridge printers offer significant benefits over laser printers, realized through energy savings, lower cost per page, reliability in industrial environments and media flexibility spanning multipart forms, oversize media, peel-off labels and card stock. Every aspect of the line matrix printer is designed to deliver higher reliability, faster throughput and greater resistance to rough handling and hazardous environmental conditions. In addition to energy savings and

substantially lower consumables cost, line matrix printers also have a much longer life cycle then laser printers. When you factor all these elements together, line matrix printers provide a substantially lower total cost of ownership over the life of the product, Edwards said. Thats why industry leading companies such as Aramark, BMW, General Motors and Nestle have replaced their laser printers with Printrnixs line matrix technology and continue to reap the benefits. P8000 Cartridge Printer Packs Even Greater Punch In a world of expensive-to-maintain laser printers, line matrix cartridge printing offers technologically superior relief. With the new P8000 series, Printronix pioneers innovations to make line matrix printing more competitive than ever:

Flexible Design. New modular enclosures improve reliability and occupy a smaller footprint. Keeping pace with todays technology is easy with new USB 2.0 connectivity, a larger LCD screen and intuitive menu navigation system included as standard features. Adaptable Functionality. The P8000 series features a broader selection of models, with the introduction of a Tabletop Printer and updates to Printronixs other popular line matrix printers. Companies that require multiple-part forms will welcome PowerPrintT, a new feature, that delivers improved print quality with increased clarity and print darkness. Manageable Savings. From its backward-compatible cartridge ribbon that reduces inventory management costs as well as ordering and installation confusion, to its remote diagnostics, the P8000 is a smart purchase. In addition, users save even more money through improved energy efficiency that lowers idle power consumption and boosts operating efficiency.

The new Printronix P8000 Cartridge Printer series will begin shipping immediately and is available for ordering today. The series is competitively priced, with tabletop, open pedestal and cabinet models. To view the complete series, go to www.printronix.com.

Energy Measurement and Security for the Smart GridToo Long Overlooked
102 days ago by admin 0 Dave Andeen, Strategic Segment Manager for Energy, Maxim Integrated

For Position Only (FPO)use graphic files supplied As smart meter rollouts continue globally, consumers, design engineers, utilities discuss how the smart grid will transform the entire energy industry. Smart meters already allow utilities to save money by accessing meter data without sending someone to physically read the meter. Utilities, factories, and consumers are now pushing for more conservation and alternative fuels. New business models encourage peak demand reduction through incentives such as time-of-use pricing to reduce consumption during maximum demand periods. Distributed resources, such as electric vehicles and various forms of solar and wind generation, are maximizing renewable resources and leveraging the available resources to accommodate peak demand. All of these developments will also lead to more big data analysis within smart grid. With smart meters, utilities go from one or fewer meter reads per month to six to 96 meter reads per day. All of the data generated from smart meters offers the opportunity to better understand usage patterns, waste, and other factors that utilities have yet to uncover But in the end, smart meters and grid management alone will not ensure the success of the smart grid. To completely optimize this technology, smart grid designs must focus on energy measurement and security. Energy Measurement Actually Saves Energy Unfortunately, with so much emphasis today on the future management of smart grid technology and its roots in telecom infrastructure (for more on this, see the sidebar below), one can easily

forget that energy measurement and security are essential to the systems success. After all, a network concerned with electricity management must both measure its critical commodity and also protect the valuable infrastructure that delivers it. Enter energy measurement. Smart meters measure industrial and consumer energy consumption with a feature called metrology, utility-grade energy measurement. These smart meters are already part of a massive machine-to-machine utility network in several locations including Italy, California, and parts of Scandinavia. But, are utilities the only ones with a keen interest in measuring energy consumption? Of course not. The benefits of broad-based energy measurement can extend to the vast number of users and providers on the grid.

As a personal example, last year my electricity bill progressively increased over the course of October, November, and December. In late December, my electric dryer broke down. Fortunately, my wife and I were able to immediately purchase a new one, which was critical in the middle of winter. In retrospect, the dryer motor burnout caused excessive energy consumption, which explained my higher monthly electricity usage, the resulting bill, and eventually the financial burden of immediately purchasing a new unit. Energy measurement can assist in situations such as mine. Applying energy measurement to a variety of applications, such as consumer devices and industrial motors, offers tremendous benefits: reduced electricity consumption; usage patterns that signal maintenance requirements or even the replacement of critical assets; and better educated users or systems operators who can make more informed decisions about consumption and system performance. In the case of my dryer, accurate measurement of the motors electricity consumption would have immediately shown that the device was consuming more energy with time. Like the check engine light on

your automobile, energy measurement records usage patterns, and thus give an indication of device health and operation well in advance of failure. That usage pattern would have provided enough time for me to repair the clothes dryer or to simply find a new one (on sale!). The energy consumed, or wasted in the case of my faulty clothes dryer, is small compared to the potential benefits of accurate energy measurement in an industrial setting. Manufacturing environments, where motors account for 54% of electricity use,1 make for higher-stake situations with uptime requirements and production targets. A 100hp motor with a 2.5% voltage imbalance, for example, will consume an estimated additional $476 in electricity per year.2 Add to this the additional wear and tear on equipment, which results in additional maintenance and earlier replacement costs. You quickly understand the enormous potential benefits of energy measurement in a smart grid system for industry. Now take the logic a step further. Multiplying the cost of electricity and maintenance across all motors used globally represents a massive opportunity for energy conservation, and savings. Once you recognize the importance of well-managed energy measurement, you look for solutions to implement it. Here is where a smart energy meter and measurement system become crucial. Maxim Integrated provides several energy-measurement and motor-diagnostic solutions for energy condition monitoring. The 78M6610, 78M6613, 78M6631, and MAX78638 deliver accurate, four-quadrant electricity measurement with custom firmware. They provide valuable measurement data for monitoring and measuring efficient solar-panel inversion, motor-health in an industrial application, and energy consumption in lighting and computing applications. Ultimately, the investment in energy measurement solutions shrinks compared to the savings in preventing equipment failure and ensuring system uptime. Grid SecurityEssential, Yet Not Fully Appreciated The smart grid also requires complete security 24/7. Most consumers, even industrial and utility operators, underestimate the importance of this. Endpoints such as smart meters, industrial motors, consumer devices, and widely distributed automation equipment all consume and control electricity. Meanwhile, applications for grid-connected devices continue to increase as smart grid operators are taking advantage of smart networks to correct power factor, optimize voltage, accurately locate faults, and reduce repair time to ensure uptime. Cyber attacks, theft of IP, disruption to productivityall these threats are rising in both smart grid and industrial-control systems. Only complete security measures, optimized for a smart grid, can thwart these severe threats and ensure maximum operational uptime, whether a simple home clothes dryer or a sophisticated, distributed industrial complex. Unfortunately in many cases the severity of the security risk is not fully appreciated and only minimal security measures exist. In one conversation, a utility professional told me that barbed wire, a padlock, and high voltage were the only protections on his utilitys substations. Other less-informed operators trust the innate security measures in hardware and fail to recognize the greater threat posed by cyber attacks through software. The most effective security solutions secure the entire life cycle of a product through hardware and software. Because potential security breaches can happen at all phases of device operation,

from purchase to manufacturing to operation to decommissioning, grid security has far-reaching applications. When purchasing a product that will function on a smart grid, the purchaser must be assured that a reliable channel exists for buying silicon and other critical computation devices. This is essential to avoid counterfeit products. In manufacturing, strong authentication techniques prevent third parties, such as manufacturing contractors, from stealing keys and later using those keys to pirate electricity or infect the grid with a virus. In field use, secure key storage and multiple layers of encryption secure data across communication channels. Secure bootloaders prevent viruses and malware from loading into a system. Hardware techniques monitor physical security, enabling responses to tamper events. Devices and sensors not under constant surveillance explicitly need such comprehensive secure protection. The most effective security is designed and integrated into the system or grid itself. Maxim offers a complete array of secure products, such as the MAXQ1050, MAX36025, and MAX71637 that meet the security needs of the smart grid. Integrated here are basic authentication for multilayer schemes involving split keys, asymmetric encryption, secure bootloaders, and various physical tamper protection mechanisms. Summary It may sound trite, but it is definitely true: the smart grid has the potential to transform the energy industry completely. This is exciting and deserves our engineering attention. But in all this management euphoria, it is easy to overlook the often-hidden, but critical roles of measurement and security for the grid. And that is where quality meter design is proving most valuable. If we continue to focus on energy measurement and security to truly harness this technology, then we must appreciate how smart meters are going to enable the smart grid. .

Sidebar: Smart Grid vs. TelecomA Tale of Two Networks When we talk about the smart grid, we often focus on its enormous potential to become a selfhealing electricity grid that will reduce energy consumption and transform our energy infrastructure. How was such a revolutionary technology designed and created? What was its impetus?

The telecom infrastructure network with its brilliant architecture and technological maturity is the basis for todays smart grid. Conversations on this topic often bring up networking and big data, which provide the ability to aggregate and analyze tremendous amounts of information and make useful decisions with it. True, telecom and the smart grid share the same core, high speed, and interoperable communication layers. But, there is a hugely important and fundamental difference between these networks: the smart grid is truly a machine-to-machine network. Traditional telecom endpoints result in a human-to-machine interaction, with telephones, computers, and now smartphones. The endpoints of a machine-to-machine network consist of sensors, functional machines, or both. These machines are often not under immediate human control and, therefore, cannot necessarily express or report the status or the health of the network. As an example, industrial sensors often lie in inaccessible places, far removed from the central system, without access to upgrades, and not under any human surveillance. With no human intervention between the system and remote devices, smart grid system designers must deeply consider both the sensing functions and security of such a distributed network.

References

U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, http://www1.eere.energy.gov/manufacturing/tech_deployment/motors.html. Energy Tips, Motor Systems, U.S. Department of Energy, Motor Systems Tip Sheet #7, September 2005, http://www1.eere.energy.gov/manufacturing/tech_deployment/pdfs/eliminate_voltage_un balanced_motor_systemts7.pdf.

About the Author: David Andeen is the strategic segment manager for energy at Maxim Integrated. He joined Maxim in 2005 in the sales department and assumed responsibility for the energy segment in 2011. He holds a Ph.D. in Material Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara.