标签: bosch

Bosch truly deserves a big hand of applause. It seems to have a good instinct for where to use and promote its MEMS-based sensor technology. In this case the company has with its new SMA6xy/7xy MEMS sensor family zeroed in on vehicle airbags as well as driver assistance systems and vehicle dynamics applications. The problem in vehicle air bags is this: The sensors that control the airbag systems are typically distributed across the vehicle. Some are in or near the airbag control system; others are located in the front or rear section or in the doors for early crash detection. So how do you make sure they release in a coordinated fashion and not only take into account normal x- and -y movements (left and right, forward and sideways) but vertical (z-axis)? And make sure they register as instantaneously as possible in the event of a crash? The company's new SMA6xy sensors take all of this into account, with versions that are designed for peripheral deployment and for the airbag control unit with variations available for the nature of the forces that must be dealt with, up to .120g or 480g, depending on the type. There are also versions that take into account the orientation needed to register the x-, -y and -z- directions, giving the designers of the airbag systems greater flexibilty. The company's sensor designers have also taken into account the problem of microcuts, which are essentially exteremely brief microsecond interruptions in the power supply to the sensors that often occur in an impact. These devices able to tolerate interrupts of up to 10µs. They have clearly analysed the G-forces involved and built in a lot of headroom: the SMA6xy series for the airbags senses forces up to 120 Gs in all three directions and have also made allowances for designer caution and preferences with sensors types available in either one or two axes. The SMI7xy series devices are designed for use in a broad range of body and ADAS applications—not only in electronic stability control, but for use in hill-hold systems or rollover detection. There, they also reflect the same degree of thought on the part of the Bosch designers. This series measures forces of up to 35g and are optimised for robust operation in environments with limited space conditions, something auto mechanics will appreciate if they ever have to get in to the frame and replace one of these components. The SMI720 and SMI740 are designed for basic applications, while the SMI700 and SMI710 meet higher requirements. Depending on the application, the devices meet safety levels up to ASIL D (the highest). To achieve this degree of ASIL qualification, the SMI700 and SMI710 each contain a yaw rate sensor and a 2-axis acceleration sensor; with the the axis configuration varies by type. The SMI720 is designed for for rollover detection and contains a yaw rate and an acceleration sensor, each with one axis. The SMI740 features similar characteristics but is optimised for vehicle dynamics control. As a newspaper reporter in the past, I learned by experience at auto crash sites, how dangerous it is to drive or be a passenger in a vehicle. No one seems to quite realise that driving a several thousand pound mass of metal at speeds even as low as 15 to 30 miles an hour does not give a human driving or riding much chance to prepare. That is why I have been dead-against any form of electronics in the passenger/driver cabin especially in those with the auto infotainment systems that now seem standard in new cars. Auto entertainment sub-systems are distracting enough, but the same drawback applies to the information side of the equation as well. Any time the driver's eyes are drawn away from the road—even to check to see how the engine is running, how the wheels are acting or where you are compared to where you want to be—is a danger period during which the unanticipated can happen. The one exception to this rule of mine has to do with the seat belts and airbags and the electronics they use. Years ago at crash sites I saw first hand how the primitive electronics used then in seat belts and airbags saved countless lives and reduced injuries. The kinds of improvements represented in Bosch's MEMS sensors will be a counterbalance to the distractions that I believe auto infotainment represent and reduce the number of injuries and deaths that may result. I find it ironic that the aftermarket for adding advanced vehicle automotive infotainment is alive and well and thriving on-line and in my local auto retail stores. But kits for something like this are much harder to find. Given the much longer time to market for anything other than consumer electronics, it will be years—and a lot of deaths and injuries—before things like Bosch's new sensors are available to not only the new model automobiles, but also in the after market to sometime DIYers who want to see if they can make their existing vehicle safer.     Bernard Cole is site editor for Embedded.com. He is also editor of the twice-a-week Embedded.com newsletters as well as a partner in the TechRite Associates editorial services consultancy.    

Bosch’s Home Connect app, slated for release later this year, will control appliances, not only from Bosch and Siemens but from other brands as well, according to Claudia Häpp, digital transition project leader for Home Connect at the BSH group, the holding company that owns Bosch and Siemens.   Google’s recent acquisition of smart thermostat maker Nest Labs is fueling the market for connected appliances and the race to engage customers who want to control their home appliances via the Internet.   BSH will launch Home Connect for iOS this year and an Android version in 2015. The application is open to connect different types of products, brands, and services.   Speaking at the IFA Global Press Conference in Belek, Turkey, last month Häpp outlined the current level of connectivity in most households:   In Germany, for instance, four out of five households have WiFi access. At the same time, nearly half of the German population uses a smartphone. Up until today, over 50 billion apps have been downloaded from Apple's App store. In addition to that we have all those from Google Play and other app stores. That means that every person in the world owns about seven apps -- even those that do not have a smartphone.   From the BSH presentation at the IFA press conference.   "Even though we would like everyone to only buy our appliances, the reality is that about 90% of households own different brands of appliances," she told Forbes . "People want a free choice of different brands. But they want one simple app to control everything."   "It's the customer who decides. No one else," she noted during her presentation , pointing out that 66% of customers would like to control all their appliances with a single app.   Customers will be able to access the features of their appliances via the Home Connect cloud servers from anywhere. For instance, they could turn on the dishwasher or add an additional rinse cycle to the clothes washer or delay the heating going on if they’re going to be home late. The app will send service alerts and keep the user informed of the status of each appliance.   If BHS is successful with Home Connect it could amass a huge database of home appliance information, enabling it to analyze how people use their connected devices and what brands and models are most popular. This is the kind of information marketers want in order to design new products, adapt regional offers, and outsmart the competition.   Obviously, BHS competitors are not going to be inclined to share access to their appliances' connected features and will probably start blocking that access, effectively forcing users to have more than one app to control them.   The Internet of Things market for home devices is just beginning to heat up, and it will probably be a few years before apps such as Home Connect become the standard way for consumers to control their appliances.   Pablo Valerio i s a freelance blogger who writes about mobile and telecom issues for EE Times. He lives and works in Barcelona.