Author: Techtime

Autotalks Launched B2V Communication Solution

Autotalks B2V Solution
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Autotalks from Kfar Netter, Israel, expands its V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) wireless communication solutions, with the new Bike-to-Vehicle (B2V) solution, a technology for the prevention of motorcycle accidents. The solution is based on the B2X (Bike-to-Everything) chipset developed by Autotalks. Bosch, a leading global supplier of technology and services for the automotive industry, revealed that it is carrying out a development B2V study that incorporates Autotalks’ B2V technology alongside Ducati’s motorcycles and Cohda Wireless’ software stack.

According to Bosch accident research, the B2V technology could prevent nearly a third of all powered two-wheeler accidents with casualties in Germany. Autotalks’ B2V solution enables detection of motorcycles that are not visible to the human eye or cameras of any sort. Autotalks suggest simple integration, low power consumption, very small form factor, long range wireless communication and  smooth operations in harsh conditions involving extremes temperatures, shock, vibrations and dirt characterizing motorcycles.

Bike to Vehicle Communication Case:

The use of DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) protocol enables cars and motorcycles to safely exchange data such as speed, direction of travel, location and braking mode. Since motorcycles rarely have telematics services and are not obliged to support the eCall regulation, they do not include a cellular modem. Therefore, according to Autotalks, the simplest and cheapest connectivity for motorcycles is DSRC based systems.

CRATON2 Communication ProcessorHagai Zyss, Autotalks’ CEO, said that the launch of B2V technology is a significant milestone for Autotalks as well as for motorcycle drivers. “Motorcycle accidents are one of the world’s leading causes of unnatural deaths. According to the World Health Organization data from 2015, 23% out of 1.25 million traffic fatalities are motorcycle riders.

A 2013 study conducted by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicates that motorcyclists have a 26-fold higher risk of death than those who drive other vehicles. Motorcycles are characterized by their relatively small size, high speed and maneuverability, which make it difficult to identify them and predict their movements. B2V will enhance motorcyclists’ safety.”

Pioneer of V2X

Autotalks was founded in 2008 ans is considered one of the pioneers of the V2X chipset market. It provides three chips: CRATON communication processor, specifically designed for autonomous vehicles, is the most advanced and secure V2X communication solution. PLUTON automotive-grade V2X RF Transceiver IC that is optimized for V2X and is compliant with 802.11p, and SECTON chipset that integrates an enhanced-range mobility-optimized IEEE802.11p modem, an ultra-low-latency V2X Hardware Security Module (eHSM) and crypto agile hardware verification engines.

SECTON also supports IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac to enable high-bandwidth external Wi-Fi for supplementary value-added services. The chipsets exceed all requirements mandated by the USDOT’s V2V notice of proposed rule making (NPRM). In March 2017, Autotalks announced a $30 million financing round to expand its operations worldwide, which brings and investments in the company to $70 million to date.

For more information: www.auto-talks.com

Elbit to Develop a Cockpit Display for the F-35 Aircraft

f-35 in flight
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Lockheed Martin Aeronautics awarded Elbit Systems of America a contract by  to develop a cockpit display replacement for the F-35 aircraft. The development contract is for the Technology Refresh 3, Panoramic Cockpit Display Unit. The value of the award was not in a material amount.

This award further expands the participation of Elbit Systems on the F-35. Today it already includes power amplifiers, structures, and sustainment work. Elbit also supplies, with Rockwell Collins,  the F-35 Helmet Mounted Display System, through their joint venture Rockwell Collins ESA Vision Systems (RCEVS). These efforts brings Elbit Systems to a position of a leading provider of advanced cockpit and intelligent pilot interface solutions for the F-35.

Earlier this year, Elbit Systems demonstrated an Advanced Cockpit Station (ACS) for the F/A-18 Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler. The ACS includes mission processors, a low-profile head-up display, and a large area display with touch screen and picture-in-picture capabilities.  This reflects the company’s focus to integrate mission and cockpit situational awareness for pilots.

Orbit hope to take-off with the Russian MC-21 Jet

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The success of the MC-21 passenger plane test flight on May 28th, was a good news for Orbit Communications Systems Ltd. the provider of precision tracking-based communications solutions and airborne audio management systems from Natanya, Israel.

Orbit CEO, Eitan Livneh
Orbit CEO, Eitan Livneh

The plane is built by the Russian aircraft manufacturer, Irkut, to compete with Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. Most importantly from Orbit’s point of view – it  uses Orbit’s Orion audio management system, customized for Irkut by the UAC Integration Center.

Recenty Techtime has learned that each plane consists of Orion systems worth a few hundred thousands of dollars. It means that for a long term – the MC-21 success means $millions worth of order in the next decade.

It is the right development at the right time. Last week the company (traded in Tel aviv) reported a decline in its first quarter sales, from $10 million last year to $7.4 million in the first quarter of 2017. In an interview to Techtime, Orbit CEO, Eitan Livneh, said that the MC-212 project reflect the company’s new strategy: “long term strategic agreements to boost growth.”

Benefits of Mass production

Livne: “After many man-hours of development, working hand-in-hand with Irkut and the UAC Integration Center, the MC-21’s first flight was truly a momentous occasion at Orbit. We are proud to have a part in this project with our Orion audio management system.” The Irkut MC-21 is a single-aisle twinjet airliner produced by Irkut with avionics supplied by the UAC Integration Center. Both are subsidiaries of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation.

It is expected that the MC-21 will be a replacement for Russians outdated airliner’s fleet as well as an attractive offer abroad. Even now Irkut reported a backlog of 185 planes. It goat is to start producing the aircraft in a volume of 20 planes annually, and reach a volume of 70 planes a year by 2023.

Orbit's Orion audio management system
Orbit’s Orion audio management system

Orion’s 3D Audio delivers a 360-degree clear audio experience. Applications include radio separation, crew positioning, directional safety alerts and real-time threat alerts aligned to the pilot’s line-of-sight. Its 3D Audio technology uses binaural and psycho-acoustic principles to provide directional audio delivered into the ears of the pilot, so that the spatial position of the sound source can be located.

Orion is powered by a patented Dual IP Ring topology, which forms the foundation for Orion’s key benefits: 3D Audio, Adaptive noise reduction, Voice-activated detection, Incremental scalability and flexibility, Inherent redundancy and Reduced weight.

Samsung Chose Celeno to Power its Gateways and STBs

Celeno Wi-Fi Chip
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Samsung Electronics is developing a new line of home gateways and Set-Top Boxes based on Celeno Communications silicon and software technology. Celeno’s 802.11ac Wave 2 CL2440 and CL2442 chipsets will power their DOCSIS 3.1 Gateway product line. In addition, Celeno’s CL2430 silicon will power their 4K set-top box as a client solution for seamless Wi-Fi video.

Gilad Rozen, Founder and CEO of Celeno, said that Celeno’s Wi-Fi silicon and software technology will enable Samsung to ensure flawless user experience on both data and 4K video use cases and with fully managed QoS. The spokesperson of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics commented: “I expect the collaboration with Celeno to deliver a powerful and highly intelligent solution. Faster Wi-Fi is not enough to master the challenges of today’s connected world – it needs to be smart.”

Celeno provides managed Wi-Fi solutions base on 802.11ac specifications. Founded in 2005 and backed by blue chip investors such as including Cisco Systems, 83North (Formerly Greylock IL), Liberty Global, Pitango Venture Capital and Vintage Investment Partners. Celeno is headquartered in Ra’anana, Israel, with a global presence and offices in the US, EMEA and Asia Pacific. The new Samsung products are equipped with Celeno’s value add silicon and software technology including ARGUS spectrum intelligence technology which seamlessly scans the spectrum and chooses the least crowded or best channel for the device without interrupting service.

Celeno’s solutions are based on three technologies: Quicksilver is a 802.11ac wave 2 silicon embedded with Active Antenna Steering and Argus™, smart spectrum analysis and intelligence for optimized performance. OptimizAIR is a Software defined Wi-Fi virtualization enabling the provisioning, enforcement and dynamic allocation of Wi-Fi air time capacity to different virtual networks (SSIDs) and even different clients all served by the same Wi-Fi Access Point. ControlAIR is a Smart multi-AP Wi-Fi SON control Software enabling reliable gigabit Wi-Fi coverage using smart “small-cell” architecture.

Check-Cap closed a $2.69 Million Raising

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Check-Cap Ltd. announced the closing of a definitive agreement with a single health-care focused institutional investor for the purchase of 1,349,500 ordinary shares, at a purchase price of $2.00 per share. The Company received gross proceeds of approximately $2.69 million at the close of the offering and would receive approximately $5.57 million total gross proceeds in the event that the warrants are exercised in full for cash.

Check-Cap from Isfiya, Israel, is a clinical stage medical diagnostics company engaged in the development of the first ingestible capsule for preparation-free, colorectal cancer screening, called C-Scan®. Utilizing ultra-low dose X-ray and wireless communication technologies, the capsule generates information on the contours of the inside of the colon as it passes naturally.  This information is used to create a 3D map of the colon, which allows physicians to look for polyps and other abnormalities.
Earlier this month the company reached a mile stone: The C-Scan technology main challenge is the creation of a miniature X-ray source –  small enough to work from inside its ingestible capsule, and strong enough to detect cancer. In May 11, it was achieved: GE Healthcare and Check-Cap have produces an X-ray source using a customized manufacturing method that passed all  tests required to ensure compliance with the C-Scan monitoring system.
In August 4, 2016 Check-Cap and  GE Healthcare had entered into an agreement to develop and validate high-volume manufacturing for X-ray source production and assembly into Check-Cap’s capsule. Emmanuel Ligner, General Manager of Core Imaging for GE Healthcare Life Sciences, said that GE will continue its collaboration with Check-Cap, “using our expertise in radio-pharmaceutical and device manufacturing to bring the C-Scan system to clinicians and patients.”

Automotive IC Market on Pace for Record Year

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Electronic systems that improve vehicle performance; that add comfort and convenience; and that warn, detect, and take corrective measures to keep drivers safe and alert are being added to new cars each year. Consumer demand and government mandates for many of these new systems, along with rising prices for many IC components within them, are expected to raise the automotive IC market 22% this year to a new record high of $28.0 billion.

According to IC Insights, over the past several years, the global automotive IC market has experienced some extraordinary swings in growth. After increasing 11.5% in 2014, the automotive IC market declined 2.5% in 2015, but then rebounded with solid 10.8% growth in 2016.  It is worth noting that the sales decline experienced in 2015 was primarily the result of falling ASPs across all the key automotive IC product categories—microcontrollers, analog ICs, DRAM, flash, and general- and special-purpose logic ICs, which offset steady unit growth for automotive ICs that year.

However, in the second half of 2016, steadily rising ASPs (along with demand for the new automotive systems) helped return the automotive IC market to double-digit growth. In 2017, exceptionally strong increases in DRAM and flash memory prices are expected to help drive the total automotive IC market to an extraordinary increase of 22.4%.

IC Insights recently revised its IC market outlook for 2017 and now shows DRAM average selling prices rising 50% in 2017, NAND flash ASPs increasing 28%, and the average selling price for automotive special-purpose logic devices increasing 34%.  These strong ASPs gains, coupled with ongoing system demand, are driving the strong automotive IC market growth this year (Figure 2).

Collectively, microcontrollers, analog, standard logic, and memory ICs used in automotive applications accounted for only about 8% of total IC marketshare by system type in 2016, but that share is forecast to increase to more than 10% in 2020, when automotive is expected to become the third-largest end-use category for ICs, trailing only the communications and computer segments.   Through 2020, IC Insights anticipates that advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) will be the biggest user of automotive ICs.  Various ADAS systems are currently helping cars and drivers remain safe on the road and they are proving to be essential building blocks to semi autonomous and autonomous vehicles that are being proposed for the next decade.

Altair to Provide 4G LTE to Verizon’s Home Phone

Altair ALT3800 Chip
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Altair Semiconductor, from Hod Hasharon, Israel, announced that its ALT3800 CAT-4 chipset is powering the latest home phone solution from Verizon. The Wireless Home Phone T2000 utilizes VoLTE technology and the consumer’s existing telephony handsets to connect to Verizon’s 4G LTE network.

The Verizon Wireless Home Phone T2000 provides high-quality, wireless voice service using the existing landline phone, including compatibility with Group 3 fax machines, call waiting, call forwarding, and three-way calling.  Altair and its partners Novatel and Ecrio worked in close collaboration to bring this product to market.

“Ecrio’s FlexIMSArchitecture was integral to the functionality of the T2000.  This is a significant industry milestone deploying VoLTE services for landline connectivity,” said Michel Gannage, Ecrio co-founder and CEO.

The ALT3800 chipset is an LTE CAT-4 broadband access chipset that supports 150 Mbps downlink and 50 Mbps uplink. It includes a baseband processor based on Altair’s advanced Software Defined Radio (SDR) architecture as well as an RF transceiver and a field proven software stack. The chip is built for easy customization for different markets and is used in a wide variety of devices, including tablets, netbooks, connected consumer devices, dongles, indoor and outdoor CPEs, mobile hotspots, and M2M modules.

architected to support the most advanced LTE and LTE-A standards, setting the benchmark for high speed broadband access performance, power consumption and cost. It is used in a range of devices, including tablets, netbooks, connected consumer devices, indoor and outdoor CPEs, mobile hotspots and M2M modules.

“We are pleased to expand our collaboration with Novatel to include the Home Phone T2000, providing a low-cost VoLTE solution that enables affordable and reliable voice service over Verizon’s LTE Network,” said Eran Eshed, Co-Founder and VP of Worldwide Sales and Marketing for Altair Semiconductor. Altair’s portfolio covers the complete spectrum of cellular 4G market needs, from supercharged video-centric applications all the way to ultra-low power, low cost IoT and M2M.