Month: September 2020

Designers of automotive systems can now add dynamic hand-gesture controls at what is said to be the industry’s lowest cost and smallest size with the MAX25205 data acquisition system from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.

Featuring integrated optics and a 6×10 infrared (IR) sensor array, the MAX25205 detects swipe and hand-rotation gestures, without the complexity of time-of-flight (ToF) cameras, at 10x lower cost and up to 75% smaller size.

Car makers predict driver safety will improve when gesture and proximity sensing replace knobs and touch screens for infotainment, phone, side mirror, climate, boot, sunroof and reading lamp controls. Most gesture-sensing systems in today’s cars are based on ToF cameras that also bring high costs and complexities, which many manufacturers wish to avoid.

Maxim Integrated’s optical-based MAX25205 enables the most hand gestures at a solution cost that is up to 10x lower than ToF camera-based systems. Additionally, the gesture and proximity-sensing sensor features a high level of integration and comes in a small 4mmx4mm chip size, which is up to 75% smaller than ToF camera-based solutions.

This gesture solution offers a complementary solution to the voice command, as there are scenarios where voice command is not effective. Another benefit of a gesture solution is that the automotive displays do not become smeared with finger prints as customers use their touch screens.

Reported advantages include:

• Lowest cost: Enables swipe and rotation gestures sensing at lower cost than a ToF camera; Allows developers to avoid complex software development and maintenance programs
• Smallest size: 60 photo diode array, LED driver and internal LDO result in a total solution size that is significantly smaller than ToF camera solutions; Can be paired with a small microcontroller, rather than the larger microprocessors that more complex solutions require
• Versatility: Delivers 9 gestures, including swipe, rotations, air link and 3×2 proximity zones with low lag time in a single chip compared to a competitive solution that requires 3 chips and a complicated microprocessor; Cost reduction makes gesture-sensing feasible for automotive, consumer and industrial applications such as smart home hubs, thermostats and others, all without touching the device

“Although ToF-based systems enabled gesture-sensing in luxury models, automakers are hopeful to add this stylish and life-saving feature to higher volume product tiers as well,” says Sachin Garg, associate vice president at MarketsandMarkets. “What designers need is a lower cost alternative to today’s systems in order to make the economics of gesture-sensing controls more feasible for non-luxury models.”

“Maxim Integrated’s MAX25205 is a game changer for the automotive industry,” comments Szu-Kang Hsien, executive business manager for Automotive Business Unit at Maxim Integrated. “By offering the most dynamic gesture control for automotive applications at the lowest cost, automakers can avoid the prohibitive costs of time-of-flight camera solutions and offer gesture sensing in more car models. It offers a stylish, cool factor to cars, especially for laid back drivers who prefer to use gesture for control with the added benefit of keeping their touch screens dirt-free.”

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Telent, a UK technology and network services company, has received a year’s extension for its Traffic Control Maintenance contract with Transport for London (TfL).

Under the agreement, which Telent has held since 2014, the company will continue to supply, install and maintain more than 3,000 traffic control assets for TfL, including traffic signals, Variable Message Signs (VMS) and Over-height Vehicle Detection (OVD) systems. The Telent team will continue to work with TfL to develop the asset investment programme and identify ways to work collaboratively to deliver the best value for London. The renewed contract began in July 2020 and will run until 2021 initially, with the option for a further year’s extension.

“This contract extension enables us to build on the excellent results achieved with TfL during the initial term of the contract and we are proud to continue to support London with our committed and expert team,” says Adam Scriven, Telent, account director London Surface Communications, responsible for the contract. “We are looking forward to continuing to work closely with TfL, building on our already excellent relationship and supporting the changes in programme to accommodate social distancing following the Coronavirus pandemic.”

Over the length of the contract, one of the solutions Telent has deployed for TfL is its Plug and Play traffic signal system, which drastically reduces time spent on essential traffic signal installation works, minimising disruption to local residents and road users.

“Telent has an excellent track record of successfully delivering challenging, large-scale projects and we’re delighted that TfL has exercised the option to extend the contract with us,” comments Nigel Weldon, business development director for Telent’s Highways Business. “The recent Coronavirus pandemic has presented some extreme challenges for TfL and working together closely to thoroughly understand those challenges has enabled us to tailor the service that Telent provides to meet TfL’s needs exactly.”

This extension sits alongside Telent’s Transport business’s other maintenance contracts with TfL, the latest of which was awarded in January 2020. That contract will last for seven years and combines maintenance services, system design and upgrade works to TfL’s communications systems across a vast array of environments and sites, including all London Underground stations, depots and operational buildings, TfL office buildings, bus stations, river piers, cycle hire stations and the London Transport museum.

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