Atmel achieves certification for PRIME v1.4 solutions

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The Atmel | SMART portfolio of metering solutions now support the latest advanced connectivity standards.

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Atmel has become the first company to receive the PRIME (PoweRline Intelligent Metering Evolution) v1.4 Profile 2 certification for the Atmel | SMART SAM4CP16B and ATPL230A smart metering solutions. The certification extends Atmel’s leadership and commitment to delivering state-of-the-art connectivity solutions and ensures that the company’s customers are able to develop high performance solutions, incorporating new features of the PRIME v1.4 standard. The latest standard supports some of the most demanding requirements of smart metering systems by offering increased robustness, throughput, band expansion, band-plan flexibility and IPv6.

“We are pleased to be the first semiconductor supplier to help develop and validate the technology, and to achieve this significant milestone with deep cooperation and partnership with our customers and the PRIME Alliance over a period of nearly five years,” said Kourosh Boutorabi, Senior Director of Smart Energy Solutions at Atmel. “We see increased interest in the PRIME standard by utilities in EMEA, Latin America and Asia and believe that as its adoption and proliferation continues, it is essential that its technical evolution continue to be fully standard compliant and certifiable by our customers as well as the utilities.”

PRIME is a mature, consolidated and worldwide PLC standard for advanced metering. There are currently millions of smart meters based on the PRIME standard that have been deployed supporting the PRIME v1.3. The Atmel | SMART portfolio of solutions now fully comply with both v1.3 and v1.4 standards ensuring total flexibility and scalability for original equipment manufacturers developing next-generation smart metering systems worldwide.

Interested in learning more? The Atmel PRIME v1.4 Profile 2 Certification is available on the PRIME Alliance website. Meanwhile, you can delve deeper into the wide range of PRIME-based PLC solutions here.

Atmel launches G3-PLC-compliant power-line carrier solutions

During European Utility Week 2014, Atmel will be debuting a pair of new power-line communication solutions compliant with the G3-PLC specification.

The new Atmel G3-PLC products include the SAM4CP16C system-on-chip (SoC) and ATPL250A modem that are pin-compatible with PRIME-compliant members of the Atmel | SMART portfolio of energy metering solutions already in production. The SoC option is similar to the rest of the SAM4Cx products built around a dual-core 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4 architecture with advanced security, metrology and wireless and power-line communications (PLC) options. This unique and highly flexible platform addresses OEM’s requirements for flexible system partitioning, lower bill of materials (BOM) and improved time-to-market.

“Utilities worldwide require OEMs to meet very high reliability standards at aggressive cost points for smart meters which embed advanced feature sets in connectivity, security and flexibility,” explained Colin Barnden Semicast Research Principal Analyst. “Additionally, smart meters to be deployed in several countries are required to be certified for compliance with the latest specifications including G3-PLC, PRIME and IEEE 802.15.4g. Atmel’s smart metering solutions now meet the required criteria for emerging standards based smart metering deployments from a reliability, performance, interoperability and cost perspective.”

These new products address the European (CENELEC), American (FCC) and Japanese (ARIB) profiles defined by the G3-PLC Alliance. Atmel is an active participant in the G3-PLC Alliance certification program and expects full CENELEC certification in November followed by FCC and ARIB band certifications in the coming months.

A distinguishing feature of the ATPL250A and SAM4CP16C is an integrated Class-D line driver, which provides outstanding signal injection efficiency and improved thermal characteristics compared to competing technologies. This will help eliminate reliability issues encountered in the field as a result of thermal overheating. Additionally, common architecture, software environment and tools ensure that our customers’ R&D investments can be shared and re-utilized over multiple projects which address various connectivity standards.

Key features of the SoC include:

• Application 
  • ARM Cortex-M4 running at up to 120 MHz,
  • Memory protection unit (MPU)
  • DSP Instruction
  • Thumb-2 instruction set
  • Instruction and data cache controller with 2 Kbytes cache memory
• Co-processor
  • ARM Cortex-M4F running at up to 120 MHz
  • IEEE 754 compliant, single precision floating-point unit (FPU)
  • DSP Instruction
  • Thumb-2 instruction set
  • Instruction and data cache controller with 2 Kbytes cache memory
• Symmetrical/Asynchronous dual core architecture
  • Interrupt-based interprocessor communication
  • Asynchronous clocking
  • One interrupt controller (NVIC) for each core
  • Each peripheral IRQ routed to each NVIC input
• Cryptography
  • High-performance AES 128 to 256 with various modes (GCM, CBC, ECB, CFB, CBC-MAC, CTR)
  • TRNG (up to 38 Mbit/s stream, with tested Diehard and FIPS)
  • Classical public key crypto accelerator and associated ROM library for RSA, ECC, DSA, ECDSA
  • Integrity Check Module (ICM) based on Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA1, SHA224, SHA256), DMA assisted
• Safety
  •  4 physical anti-tamper detection I/O with time stamping and immediate clear of general backup registers
  • Security bit for device protection from JTAG accesses
• G3 PLC embedded modem
  • Power-line carrier modem for 50 Hz and 60 Hz mains
  • Implements G3-PLC CENELEC, FCC and ARIB profiles
  • G3-PLC coherent and differential modulation schemes available
  • Automatic Gain Control and continuous amplitude tracking in signal reception
  • Class D switching power amplifier control
• Shared system controller
  • Power supply
  • Embedded core and LCD voltage regulator for single supply operation
  • Power-on-reset (POR), brownout detector (BOD) and watchdog for safe operation
  • Low-power sleep and backup modes

While notable components of the ATPL250A include:

• G3-PLC modem
  • Implements G3 CENELEC-A, FCC and ARIB profiles (ITU-T G.9903, June ´14)
  • Power-line carrier modem for 50 Hz and 60 Hz mains
  • G3-PLC coherent and differential modulation schemes available
• Automatic gain control and continuous amplitude tracking in signal reception
• 1 SPI peripheral (slave) to external MCU
• Zero cross detection
• Embedded PLC analog front end (AFE), requires only external discrete high efficient Class D line driver for signal injection
• Pin to pin compatible to ATPL30A, Atmel modem for PRIME PLC

The first batch of samples and evaluation kits will be available this month, mass production is slated for January 2015. In the meantime, those wishing to learn more about Atmel’s PLC solutions can head here.

Atmel launches new family of wireless transceivers for smart energy applications

With European Utility Week 2014 in full swing, Atmel has unveiled a new family of wireless transceivers including the AT86RF215, AT86RF215M, and AT86RF215IQ. Expanding upon the Atmel | SMART metering portfolio, the new solutions address the industry’s low-cost, multi-protocol connectivity requirements for smart metering, smart lighting, home energy gateways and other industrial and automation equipment.

The first sampling device, AT86RF215, is the industry’s first dual-band sub-1GHz / 2.4GHz transceiver compliant to IEEE 802.15.4g-2012 and ETSI TS 102 887-1. Additionally, AT86RF215M is asingle band sub-1GHz transceiver, while the AT86RF215IQ is a dual-band I/Q radio. All three deliver an output power of up to 14dBm. With receiver sensitivities down to -123dBm, an outstanding link budget of 137dB can be achieved.

The AT86RF215 offers superior flexibility by supporting a variety of data rates with three modulation schemes: multi-rate and multi-regional frequency shift keying (MR-FSK), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MR-OFDM), as well as offset quadrature phase-shift keying (MR-O-QPSK). This entails the physical layer used for ZigBee PRO and ZigBee IP. Simultaneous operation at sub-1GHz and 2.4GHz enables new capabilities and the right cost structure in smart metering, smart lighting, home energy gateways and other industrial and automation equipment.

Some of the family’s key features include:

• Fully integrated radio transceiver covering 389.5-510 MHz, 779-1020 MHz, and 2400-2483.5 MHz
  • European bands at 863-870 MHz, 870-876 MHz, and 915-921 MHz
  • Chinese bands at 470-510 MHz and 779-787 MHz
  • North American band at 902-928 MHz
  • Korean band at 917-923.5 MHz
  • Japanese band at 920-928 MHz
  • Worldwide ISM band at 2400-2483.5 MHz
• Supported PHYs (IEEE 802.15.4g-2012, IEEE 802.15.4- 2011, and proprietary modes)
  • MR-FSK: 50…400 kbit/s with optional forward error correction and interleaving
  • MR-OFDM: 50…2400 kbit/s
  • MR-O-QPSK: 6.25…1000 kbit/s, 100…2000 kchip/s
  • O-QPSK: 250…1000 kbit/s, 1000 and 2000 kchip/s
• Simultaneous operation at sub-1 GHz and 2.4 GHz
• Bi-directional differential RF signal ports, one for sub-1 GHz and one for 2.4 GHz
• SPI interface to access registers and frame buffers
  • LVDS interface to access 13-bit I/Q data
  • IEEE 802.15.4 MAC support • Frame filter
  • FCS handling
  • Automatic acknowledgement
  • CCA with automatic transmit
• Industry-leading link budget
  • Programmable TX output power up to +14 dBm
  • Receiver sensitivity down to -123 dBm
• Low power supply voltage from 1.8V to 3.6V
• Low current consumption
  • 30 nA in SLEEP mode
  • 28 mA in RX mode
  • 65 mA in TX mode @ 14 dBm output power
• Industrial temperature range from -40°C to +85°C
• 48-pin low-profile lead-free plastic QFN package

“We are excited to see the widespread adoption of standards-based connectivity solutions for the utility industry worldwide,” said Kourosh Boutorabi, Atmel Senior Director of Smart Energy Products. “Expanding our portfolio of smart metering solutions to include new wireless transceivers reinforces our commitment to serve this growing market. We are continuing to deliver new platform solutions for the smart energy market, including powerline carrier connectivity and industry’s most comprehensive portfolio of metering system-on-chip solutions.”

While initial samples and evaluation kits for the AT86RF215 are available now to lead customers, mass sampling is planned for Q1 2015 and volume production for Q3 2015.

Atmel introduces next-gen SoC solution for smart metering

Atmel recently announced the introduction of its latest Power Line Communication System-on-Chip (SoC) solution designed for smart metering applications.

The Atmel SAM4CP16B is an extension of Atmel’s SAM4Cx smart energy platform built on a dual-core 32-bit ARM® Cortex®-M4 architecture. Fully compatible with Atmel’s ATPL230A OFDM physical layer (PHY) device compliant with PRIME standard specification, this highly flexible solution addresses OEM’s requirements for various system partitioning, BOM reduction and time-to-market requirements by incorporating independent application, protocol stack and physical layer processing functions within the same device.

“We continue to build on the success of our industry leading SAM4Cx platform and offer best-in-class embedded connectivity, flexibility and cost structure for high-volume smart metering deployments,” said Andres Munoz, Atmel Marketing Manager, Smart Energy Communications. “Furthermore, additional enhancements developed to meet PRIME standard specifications provide unprecedented performance in rigorous environments.”

As part of the Atmel® | SMART™ family, the solution includes integrated low-power driver, advanced cryptography, 1Mbytes of embedded Flash, 152Kbytes of SRAM, low-power RTC, and LCD controller. Additional key features include:

• Application/Master Core
  — ARM Cortex-M4 running at up to 120 MHz
  — Memory Protection Unit (MPU)
  — DSP Instruction
  — Thumb®-2 instruction set
  — Instruction and Data Cache Controller with 2 Kbytes Cache Memory
• Co-processor
  — ARM Cortex-M4F running at up to 120 MHz
  — IEEE® 754 Compliant, Single precision Floating-Point Unit (FPU)
  — DSP Instruction
  — Thumb-2 instruction set
  — Instruction and Data Cache Controller with 2 Kbytes Cache Memory
• Symmetrical/Asynchronous Dual Core Architecture
  — Interrupt-based Interprocessor Communication
  — Asynchronous Clocking
  — One Interrupt Controller (NVIC) for each core
  — Each Peripheral IRQ routed to each NVIC Input
• Cryptography
  — High-performance AES 128 to 256 with various modes (GCM, CBC, ECB, CFB, CBC-MAC, CTR)
  — TRNG (up to 38 Mbit/s stream, with tested Diehard and FIPS)
  — Classical Public Key Crypto accelerator and associated ROM library for RSA, ECC, DSA, ECDSA
  — Integrity Check Module (ICM) based on Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA1, SHA224, SHA256), DMA assisted
• Safety
  — 4 Physical Anti-tamper Detection I/O with Time Stamping and Immediate Clear of General Backup Registers
  — Security bit for Device Protection from JTAG accesses
• PRIME PLC embedded modem
  — Power Line Carrier Modem for 50 Hz and 60 Hz mains
  — 97-carriers OFDM PRIME compliant
  — DBPSK, DQPSK, D8PSK modulation schemes available
  — Additional enhanced modes available: DBPSK Robust, DQPSK Robust
  — Eight selectable channels between 42kHz to 472kHz available
  — Baud rate Selectable: 5.4 to 128.6 kbps
  — Four dedicated buffers for transmission/reception
  — Up to 124.6 dBμVrms injected signal against PRIME load
  — Up to 79.6 dB of dynamic range in PRIME networks
  — Automatic Gain Control and continuous amplitude tracking in signal reception
  — Class D switching power amplifier control
• Shared System Controller
  — Power Supply
  — Embedded Core and LCD Voltage Regulator for single supply operation
  — Power-on-Reset (POR), Brownout Detector (BOD) and Watchdog for safe operation
  —Low Power Sleep and Backup modes

Interested in learning more about Atmel’s new comprehensive smart energy platform? You can check out our recent deep dive on the subject here.

Opportunities beyond the IoT hype

Writing for the EnergyHarvestingJournal, IDTechEx CEO Raghu Das confirms the Internet of Things (IoT) will provide significant value to business and consumers – if corporations are capable of addressing real world problems.

“In the industry, suppliers need to identify problems that the IoT can address – many of which are being addressed as ‘closed loop’ solutions using specific wireless hardware,” Das explains.

“Payback here can be very fast, from locating things and utilizing them more effectively to improving security and safety. Most implementations exist in islands of automation and the next step – if the problem requires it – is to join some of these systems up.”

Similarly, home automation is a strong contender for the IoT suppliers, with governments across the globe rolling out various smart metering platforms.

“It is here that IDTechEx see exciting prospects for the IoT – providing new services and connectivity for consumers. The models need to be thought through – consumers want things for free – with payment coming from other means, such as data use, advertising or consumer data,” he says.

Last, but certainly not least, Das recommends that companies leverage existing hardware such as smartphones to do more useful things – based on new applications – such as indoor positioning systems connected to other hardware platforms, including real time locating systems.

“[Companies can] offer new services to consumers they do not yet know they want. [This is] the biggest opportunity, but challenging to do and involves creative new business models, probably where the service is ‘free’ but paid for in kind by consumer data,” he adds.

In related IoT news, the UK government recently decided to spend an extra £45m on developing Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The pledge, made by British Prime Minister David Cameron, more than doubles the amount of IoT-related funds currently available to UK tech firms.

“I see the internet of things as a huge transformative development,” British Prime Minister David Cameron recently told CeBIT attendees in Germany in a statement quoted by the BBC.

“[It is] a way of boosting productivity, of keeping us healthier, making transport more efficient, reducing energy needs [and] tackling climate change.”

As we’ve previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, the IoT is essentially a combination of multiple market segments, tens of thousands of OEMs and hundreds of thousands of products.

“It is seen by many as the next wave of dramatic market growth for semiconductors. If you look at the different estimates made by market analysts, the IoT market will be worth trillions of dollars to a variety of industries from the consumer to financial, industrial, white goods and other market segments,” Dr. Reza Kazerounian, Senior VP and GM of the Microcontroller Business Unit at Atmel told EEWeb earlier this month.

“Companies that provide cloud-based services, service providers and semiconductor companies will also benefit from this market. The number of small or new companies that are showcasing connective devices has increased – there will be 50 billion connected devices by 2020. These nodes will have characteristics such as low-power embedded processing, a human-machine interface and connectivity.”

Interested in learning more about the IoT? You can check out previous Bits & Pieces articles on the subject here.