Microwave Engineering Europe - December 2007 - (Page 4) 4 NEWS By JP Joosting, Microwave Engineering Europe IN BRIEF LitePoint opens new European office in Denmark LitePoint Corporation, a provider of wireless test system solutions, has cut the ribbon on its new European office and development laboratory in Allerød. With the new office, LitePoint will be expanding already existing activities, and hiring more engineers. “We have made these changes for several reasons. It closes our value-chain loop in Europe bringing support much closer to our European customers, and it puts us in the center of Europe’s cellular activities as we gear up to pursue the converged wireless market,” Jan Bo Nielsen, managing director of LitePoint Europe said. “There were essentially two reasons we chose Denmark and Allerød,” Benny Madsen, LitePoint CEO, explained. “They have outstanding engineering talent, here, and we are right next door to Europe’s cellular center of gravity.” www.mwee.com/202802372 Simcom Wireless and eDevice partner to offer AT# GSM/GPRS module Shanghai Simcom Wireless Solutions Limited (“Simcom Wireless”), a wireless communication module manufacturer and eDevice, a company focused on complete M2M solutions, have announced that they are entering into partnership to provide the market with powerful GSM/GPRS modules with the AT# Internet interface. The collaboration between the two companies has resulted in the availability of eDevice’s packaged TCP/IP solution, including integrated email (POP3 / SMTP) & FTP clients and TCP & UDP sockets, in new SIM305 and SIM345 modules manufactured by Simcom Wireless. The companies claim that for the first time in the wireless market, a Quad-band GSM/GPRS module will natively offer AT# commands making it easier and faster for OEMs to integrate TCP/IP enabled wireless connectivity. According to eDevice, the availability of TCP/ IP technology in M2M applications enables significant reduction in both communication and development costs and delivers the benefits of using standard non-proprietary tools. The TCP/ IP stack, driven through eDevice’s industry standard AT# interface, does not require external programming or drivers, is optimised in terms of size and functionality, and is considered by M2M developers as the best-of-breed solution. The AT# interface is already running on more than 2 million wireless modules. www.mwee.com/204201563 Radar chip from Infineon set to bring safety to mid-range cars Infineon Technologies has started sampling a range of radar system ICs that it says could bring long- and medium-range automotive radar to mid-range cars as soon as mid 2010. Dubbed the RASIC, the first in the series, the RXN7740, is a tightly integrated front-end chip for the 76-77 GHz frequency range which includes function blocks for the oscillator, the power amplifier and four mixers for multiple antennas. Infineon (Munich, Germany) says compared to existing radar systems — that implement these functions through discrete components — its device enables designers to shrink their radar systems a quarter of the current size, while reducing system costs for the radio frequency module by more than 20 percent. The company adds that with a price tag of over 1,000 Euros, automotive radar systems are still very expensive and remain an option in higher-end, luxury vehicles only. The systems are also quite bulky, typically 10 by 20 cm, taking up a large space in a car’s fender area. Volume production of the RXN7740 is expected in the middle of 2009. The chip uses a manufacturing technology based on silicon germanium with a transit frequency of 200 GHz. The technology, developed with the aid of Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the KOKON project, has been designed and qualified specifically for automotive use. Market research firm Strategy Analytics predicts that between 2006 to 2011, the use of longrange distance warning systems in cars could increase by more than 65 percent annually, with demand reaching 3 million units in 2011, with 2.3 million of them using radar sensors. The researchers add that by 2014, seven percent of all new cars will include a distance warning system. www.mwee.com/203101481 Microsemi awarded $1.6 million R&D contract for Silicon Carbide products Microsemi Corporation has announced that the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has awarded $1.6 million to allow Microsemi’s Power Products Group (formerly Bend, Oregon-based Advanced Power Technology) to develop technology related to the use of silicon carbide RF power semiconductor components in military avionics applications. The development of the new silicon carbide technology supports future designs of lighter and more efficient jet fighter avionics, communications and radar systems, and will enable substantial growth of Microsemi’s operations in Bend. The AFRL program complements the initial license agreement with Northrop Grumman Corporation, released in February 2006, wherein Microsemi will provide leading edge silicon carbide products to this leading defense contractor. www.mwee.com/202602787 Pendulum Instruments wins bid in Japan Pendulum Instruments in cooperation with distributor, Toyo Corporation, has been awarded a significant contract for the Pendulum GPS12R, which claims to be the only portable and battery powered GPS-controlled Rubidium Frequency Standard. The customer, NHK, is a well known Japanese broadcasting company. NHK chose the Pendulum Instruments GPS-12R due to its performance, stability and function as a frequency reference with battery operation for field use. The GPS-12R ideal for use as a portable, ultra-stable frequency standard for broadcasting, telecom networks and general metrology. www.mwee.com/202803130 Microwave Engineering Europe ● December 2007 ● www.mwee.com 004_MWEE.indd Sec1:4 23/11/07 11:49:14 http://www.mwee.com/204201563 http://www.mwee.com/202802372 http://www.mwee.com/203101481 http://www.mwee.com/202602787 http://www.mwee.com/202803130 http://www.mwee.com
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