When an airbag-equipped vehicle is involved in a collision, a storage tank full of compressed air causes airbags in the center of the steering wheel and on the sides of the instrument panel to rapidly inflate, preventing people in the vehicle from suffering injury. In line with maintaining the safety of the driver and passengers, an airbag system with a safety and quality guarantee must assure the quality of its air storage tank.If an air storage tank ruptures, the gas escaping at high velocity causes the container to shatter, and may cause great injury to nearby objects and persons. Because of this, manufacturing, quality, and inspection guidelines have been drafted for high-pressure steel tanks. In addition, specialized air-container-failure-limitation-test machines that test the containers are a necessary means of ensuring product quality and safety during the manufacturing process.Various types of steel tanks require container verification testing during the manufacturing process. The high-pressure tanks used in auto airbags are only the size of two fingers. The main test items for these tanks are fatigue and rupture testing. First, a test machine's fatigue testing system must automatically pressurize containers to the specified test pressure for a preset number of cycles. In addition, the rupture testing system must monitor tanks subjected to high pressures in order to find out at what pressure level they do rupture. Afterwards, the system must also record the test process and calculate pressure-time curves, which facilitate the acquisition of detailed information concerning the pressure that can be withstood by the tanks, allowing analysis and revision of the product. In the past, this kind of test equipment employed a PC and programmable logic controller (PLC) to perform processing of test data. However, because PLCs have insufficient analog signal sampling speed, data distortion could occur. As a result, when a correct sample cannot be obtained, the tank's tolerance cannot be precisely analyzed. Furthermore, Taiwan currently does not produce this type of standard test machine, and our customers must therefore develop and assemble their own air container failure limitation test machines. These customers require immediate local support in order to resolve technical issues quickly. Customers may also feel concern about whether they can purchase all parts and components from one source, and whether products from different suppliers will have compatibility problems.Advantech provides IPC-7220, AIMB-767 and PCI-1711L I/O cards to quickly acquire data. Other features include IEC 61 131-3 control software, which can reduce customer R&D time, APAX I/O modules for controlling various valves and equipment, and the WebOP- 2057V programmable user interface for real-time display of data. These features ensure that a test machine can accurately measure and record data and provide reports. The AIMB-767 is Advantech's basic industrial motherboard, and can support an IntelR Core 2 Quad processor, DDR3 memory, 5 PCI slots, and 2 PCIe slots. It also allows customers to install various types of I/O cards and interface cards. Apart from greatly increasing the sampling rate, the system offers a speed roughly ten times faster than that of PLC products. As for customer need to obtain accurate pressure data, the PCI-1711Lcan perform rapid data acquisition 100 times faster than a PLC. This can resolve the problem of data distortion encountered by customers using PCs in conjunction with PLCs.Advantech's wide range of products can satisfy most customer hardware and software needs. From the most basic embedded industrial computers to all types of I/O modules and software, customers no longer have to settle for cobbled solutions involving different configurations of individual products. Our nearby professional technicians can provide real-time assistance throughout customers' R&D and assembly processes, assisting with the resolution of problems and bottlenecks, and shortening test machine completion time.Advantech provides IPC-7220, AIMB-767 and PCI-1711L I/O cards to quickly acquire data.Finding more case study articles
In the past, the digital signage industry lacked a standard, making integration of peripheral devices difficult. Fortunately, the industry finally saw the light with the debut of Intel Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) in the fourth quarter of 2010, which defined a unified standard and opened up many new business opportunities.Dating back to the financial crisis in 2009, the consumer electronic industry took a downturn and digital signage was the only market segment that showed growth. It quickly became a new building block for businesses; however, the implementation of digital signage requires the integration of seven major factors: the design, software, hardware, network connection, signage content, logistics and business model. With no common standard to follow, integration soon became an obstacle for vendors, which ultimately hindered the development potential of digital signage.Steven Wu, General Manager of NEXCOM's Vertical Industry Platform (VIP) division points out that because of the unique business model of digital signage and previous lack of standards, the amount of investment put into it was restricted; therefore, users can only choose incomplete solutions from very limited number of suppliers. "The excessive amount of incompetent devices has greatly sabotaged the profit benefits and goals that digital signage bring," Wu explains.With the introduction of OPS standard, a common design guideline finally surfaced for the industry. The OPS standard defined a universal mechanical dimension and a standardized electrical interface for the player and digital signage display, allowing interoperability between different brands. Users were no longer restricted to specific brands, while system integrators can establish connections between the player and display using signals such as HDMI, DisplayPort, UART and USB. Besides overcoming the integration problem, this flexibility allowed system integrators to develop rich embedded features with components such as camera lens, thermal printers, RFID or fingerprint sensors to create a distinct product.OPS ignites extensive business opportunitiesSteven Wu noted, apart from overcoming the interoperability issue between different brands, there are two main forces driving the "OPS effect" into the industry. Firstly, OPS is based on modular design, any OPS compliant display can easily upgrade to newer technology and keep pace with semiconductor technology, increasing graphic and processing capability continuously to meet more advanced applications requirements.Secondly, Intel AMT can be implemented within OPS modules to perform multiple remote management functions such as switching on or off the display, firmware or software updates, repair corrupted operating systems, or troubleshoot hard drive failures. More importantly, Intel AMT can keep track of detailed information on hardware and software inventory, help users to monitor and manage a large number of deployments and ensure error-free operation.Interestingly, the cable-free design of OPS allows seamless connection between the display and player, while the modular design provides a quick method to separate them both; this unique plug-and-play trait gives users a friendly way to perform upgrades or maintenance quickly without the need to dismantle the display, which is a costly process.There is a recent rise of RISC platforms due to mobile devices becoming more widespread, the low-power characteristic they hold was another attractive feature to make the switch to x86 platforms. Steven Wu envisions that the computing and graphic performance of multi-core RISC platform will increase continually as technology advances, when combined with Android's user-friendly interface, there is a huge future growth potential.Integrating interactive technology, OPS expands its applicationWu expresses, by using the built-in signals of the connector, vendors are able to design the OPS displays as interactive digital signage with infrared motion detect cameras, as well as advanced technology such as video analytics and facial recognition, taking the application to a next level.OPS is also making its way to interactive whiteboard, video conferencing, high-end projectors and digital cinema applications. With this in mind, NEXCOM introduced NDiS OPS-M50 (2nd generation Intel Core processor family) and NDiS OPS-M51 (Intel Celeron Processor B810E) in late 2011 to test the water. Later in November 2012, NDiS M532, based on 3rd generation Intel Core processor family was released. In the upcoming 2013 year NEXCOM plans to release more OPS modules based on next-generation technology and will be available in low and high-end configurations to address different market needs.Wu believes that technical expertise, experience, value-added features and services are the key to unlock the doorway to the OPS industry successfully. The following are NEXCOM's advantages within the industry. Firstly, NEXCOM has been in the industrial computing industry for 20 years and specializes in developing reliable solutions for daily operation. Secondly, NEXCOM offers a full range of interface cards, modules and functional systems as well as low and high-end x86 and RISC platforms to meet different project needs. Finally, features such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 3G connections are supported via a mini-PCIe expansion slot.In addition, NEXCOM has a professional team of digital signage software experts that can offer plug-and-play solutions with value-added functions such as gesture control, GPS connectivity and multi-touch screen to meet a broad range of applications. Moreover, NEXCOM provides fast and expert sales consulting services in 14 locations worldwide, with assembly line and repair center distributed globally in Europe, United States, China and Taiwan to provide localized services and promote economic growth.
Flight Information Display Systems (FIDS) help improve communications and keep passengers constantly informed of travel information. To manage the heavy and ever increasing passenger traffic, an airport in the Middle-East needed terminal-wide FIDS that broadcasted information from a constantly updated database to numerous multimedia displays placed strategically throughout passenger facilities.These indoor displays needed to supply timely information regarding flight arrivals/departures, gate assignments, waiting hall locations, baggage area assignments, and weather forecasts - as well as entertainment and advertising content. Considering the airport handles millions of passengers per year, a reliable mission-critical solution was needed. Any potential onsite technical problems could cause seriousconsequences that might disrupt the operation of the airport.System Requirements:- Powerful processing for displaying, and controlling digital multimedia in various formats- High quality graphics, low power consumption and efficient thermal cooling- An excellent TCP/IP LAN solution through which the FIDS database, input terminals, and display monitors all connect for real-time display- Simple maintenance and great reliability, stability, and connectivity- Compact form factor- Future proof systemProject Implementation:To provide passengers and visitors with real-time information, the FIDS displays were integrated with AIMB-210 Mini-ITX motherboards inside. The FIDS displays receive data directly from the airport'scentral FIDS server regarding flight schedules, luggage claim locations, weather reports, advertising and otherpublic-related information, and placed in vertical or horizontal orientations. Because of their highly compact design, AIMB-210 was easily integrated into each display. In the FIDS application, Advantech developed customized API, and additional display features to support FHD (Full High Definition) resolutions for larger displays. Additionally, Advantech co-developed and provided dedicated applications to deliver entertainment content such as daily news as well as advertising. Featuring real-time displays, the FIDS database, input terminals, and display monitors are all connected via a TCP/IP compliant LAN. The AIMB-210 fanless and energy efficient design ensures utmost reliability, keeping passengersconstantly updated withflight information and announcements at a glance.Conclusion & Benefits:AIMB-210 high performance Mini-ITX industrial motherboards proved to be the perfect solution for the FIDS display at the airport. Dual independent displays, rich I/O, support for DDR2 up to 2 GB, and of course Advantech's renowned industrial reliability, made these boards ideally suited to the airports' current and future requirements. AIMB-210 also demonstrated its flexibility with the addition of customized APIs and apps, which fitted the airport environment perfectly. FIDS display passenger information and entertainment news and have several key benefits:- Improved safety and flight information for passengers- Industrial reliability and high quality graphics- Low power consumption FIDS displays can be placed in vertical or horizontal orientations for any spaceTo provide passengers and visitors with real-time information, the FIDS displays were integrated with AIMB-210 Mini-ITX motherboards insideFinding more case study articles
Global electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry's largest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, today announced its partnership with Precision Design Associates (PDA) to distribute their innovative capacitive solutions globally.Partnering closely with Atmel by implementing their maxTouch technology into their touchscreen modules, PDA provides a true plug-and-play capacitive touch solution for designers looking to avoid costly development of this technology for implementation into their products."MaxTouch technology is found in nearly every phone, tablet, or other touch-enabled device on the market today," said Mark Zack, Vice President, Global Semiconductor Product at Digi-Key. "By seamlessly integrating this technology into their touchscreen modules, Precision Design Associates offers a top-of-the-line product to the touchscreen market and makes adding capacitive touch functionality simple and cost-effective. We are pleased to add Precision Design Associates to our expansive line card.""We're really excited to partner with Digi-Key and Atmel to provide cutting-edge capacitive touchscreen technology to developers," said Phil Wills, President, Precision Design Associates. "Many companies have been locked out of this technology due to integration complexities, high tooling costs, and very high annual volume requirements. Our products address these issues by allowing developers to buy complete modules for evaluation and development and then transition into production using one of our standard ITO sensors enabled by Atmel's industry leading maxTouch series of touchscreen controllers."The full line of capacitive touch products from PDA is available now on Digi-Key's global websites: http://www.digikey.com/
Queensland Health organization in the state of Queensland, Australia provides a network of fifteen health service districts and the Mater Hospitals. The organization delivers a range of integrated services including hospital inpatient, outpatient and emergency services; community and mental health services; senior care; and public health and health promotion programs. Medtel, established in 1965, is the foremost supplier of high technology and medical systems to the Australasian region.They are a long-term partner of Advantech and together the two have teamed up to deploy four generations of specialized medical equipment including medically-certified hardware, specialized software, and operational support. With a history of reliability and success, it is little wonder that Queensland Health turned to Medtel and Advantech for a solution to enhanced automation and control of perioperative processes throughout the hospital group. They were looking to replace paper-based systems and capture clinical data in real-time. They wanted a slim, easy to maintain, easy to clean device certified for use in a medical environment.SolutionAdvantech's POC-S157 Slim Point-of-Care terminal was chosen for the 500 unit deployment throughout the state's 32 public hospitals. The system runs Medtel's Winchart application, specifically developed and designed by medically-trained doctors at Medtel to capture clinical information from patient monitoring equipment and peripheral medical devices. The data displayed graphically in real-time, is stored in a customizable database, and the system can be interfaced with external hospital information systems and other applications. The POC-S157 terminals were deployed for use in all phases of the hospital's perioperative treatment, using various software modules of the Winchart application, as well as for electronic patient record keeping, and for medical administration. Since the system is integrated and connected to the hospital information system network, data is available to specific applications in real-time. Doctors and medical staff no longer need to record data after the fact relying on memory or quickly scrawled notes.SystemMedtel's Winchart running on Advantech's POC-S157 Slim Point-of-Care terminals replace paper-based systems and give staff the ability to capture and display real-time information throughout the various phases of the hospital's perioperative environment. Anesthetists can enter information about drugs, fluids, and take other notes. Data accuracy is greatly improved and time is managed better, allowing them to focus on patient care. The POC-S157 point-of-care terminal has a large 15" panel equipped with a touchscreen to graphically display data. It is UL60601-1/ EN60601-1 certified with electrical isolation of LAN and power connections. POC-S157 features an IPX1 water resistant enclosure and an IP65 dust-tight front panel. It can be kept clean with hospital antiseptic cleaners, reducing bacteria and the chance of contamination.BenefitsQueensland Health has reported that the many benefits to the Advantech/Medtel solution have surpassed expectations and they are very satisfied with the results so far. Early estimates show a savings of 90% of the staff's time over the previous paper-based systems. In addition the POC-S157 running Winchart software has brought the hospital:E Reduced liabilityE Improvements in patient careE Improved data legibility, consistency and accuracyE A tool for data analysis to facilitate research and budgetingE Improved risk managementE Decision-making and educational information to the point-of-careAdvantech and Medtel's long-term partnership leveraging experience, quality, reliability and support capabilities have brought Queensland Health a comprehensive platform to solve the advanced needs of their medical organization.Advantech's POC-S157 Slim Point-of-Care terminal was chosen for the 500 unit deployment throughout the state's 32 public hospitals.Finding more case study articles
Advantech, a leader in providing a wide range of certified computing systems and services, is happy to announce its new strategy for the UTC-series product family. In the past, customers might have had to research up to three different product lines in order to make the best buying decision: Advantech's UbiQ products for smart room & scenario control; the UTC product line of iServices touch computers; or the DSS, all-in-one digital signage systems for kiosk and display applications. These product lines will now be realigned under a single "UTC" product designation. For example, UbiQ-231, a One-Touch Scenario Control Panel with 4:3 Color LCD Display, will become UTC-231. The realignment should make purchasing decisions easier for customers as they will be able to view all related products online from a single product page.Full-range of Display SizesWith the advent of the new naming for the UTC-series of products at Advantech, it is easier than ever to see the complete range of display sizes throughout the product line up. Select from a full-range of displays from 3.5 to 65-inches: the variety is sure to meet your application-specific requirements.The Right Touch in the Right PlaceThe integration of products under the "UTC" designation will give Advantech the ability to focus attention on the broader needs of the overall touch panel display market. All three series of products are bound by one common factor, that of providing touch-panel or touchscreen solutions. Following the realignment, no matter your need, be it scenario control, interactive signage or touch computers, there is sure to be a perfect touch solution which is the right one for your project needs.A Step in the Right DirectionAdvantech will gradually transition to the new "UTC" product naming, which will make it easy for all involved. From the first step of realigning names and other marketing-related information, to back-end ordering and inventory, the process should be easy and transparent to our customers.Advantech strives to maintain excellence through continually challenging ourselves to develop better products and services, and better business processes. For more information about the new UTC-series of products, or more information about Advantech products and services in general, please contact a sales representative or visit our website.Finding more case study articles
Global electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry's largest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, announced an agreement to distribute GeneSiC Semiconductor's industry-leading silicon-carbide technologies worldwide.Founded in 2004, GeneSiC Semiconductor has grown into a world-leader in silicon-carbide technology. Their products play a key role in conserving energy in numerous high power systems, running faster, cooler, and more efficiently. This efficiency makes these cutting-edge silicon-carbide products ideal for increasing efficiency in energy harvesting applications."Digi-Key was the missing piece to our distribution program. This agreement enhances GeneSiC Semiconductor's ability to seed the market with our brand of Silicon Carbide High Voltage, High Temperature, and first of their kind (1N8XX SiC Diode/2N76XX SiC Transistors) Mil-Standard products," said Michael DiGangi, Chief Business Development Officer at GeneSiC Semiconductor.GeneSiC has the largest portfolio of commercial SiC diodes, offering a best in class SiC switch, the Super Junction Transistor (SJT), which will revolutionize IGBT and FET designs for engineers who have been looking for higher performance. GeneSiC Semiconductor is also committed to a portfolio of silicon, high-voltage rectifier products with the best forward voltage in the market today. While others have abandoned this market, GeneSiC Semiconductor has been investing in new and exciting products."We are excited to add GeneSiC Semiconductor to our expansive line card," said Mark Zack, Vice President, Global Semiconductor Product at Digi-Key. "Adding suppliers as committed to innovation as GeneSiC Semiconductor affirms our commitment to providing the newest, state-of-the-art products to our customers."GeneSiC Semiconductor's broad portfolio of efficient, high-performance products is available for purchase on the Digi-Key website: http://www.digikey.com/
GIGABYTE, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, announced support for 4k display resolutions using multiple standard 1080p displays with Intel Collage display technology. The new collage feature is available from an Intel graphics driver update that needs to be individually implemented by motherboard companies before it is available to the user.Using only the Intel HD4000 Graphics of any 3rd generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, GIGABYTE dual Thunderbolt motherboards with the new 4K Collage Graphics driver can power an Ultra HD 4k resolution video stream across four regular displays. Intel Collage display technology is simple to setup, using dual Thunderbolt ports that can be split into a total of four digital streams giving an incredible combined Ultra HD resolution of 3840 x 2400 pixels."Our implementation of Intel's new Collage display technology means that GIGABYTE's exclusive dual Thunderbolt motherboards are first to power the very latest Ultra HD resolutions across four of today's standard displays", commented Henry Kao, Vice President of GIGABYTE Motherboard Business Unit. "Offering a wealth of possibilities in commercial markets that include digital signage, surveillance, medical and more, we're also excited to offer PC DIY customers the opportunity to enjoy 4K resolution support with a simple driver update on their existing hardware, and without a VGA card!""We are excited about our collage display feature in our Intel platforms with 3rd generation Core i5 and Core i7 processors using Intel HD Graphics", said Zane Ball, Intel's General Manager for Desktop platform. "GIGABYTE's implementation of two Thunderbolt ports enable consumers to connect four monitors via splitters to a single system and experience UltraHD resolution and is a great example of the innovation enabled on these GIGABYTE Z77 motherboards with Thunderbolt."Intel Collage technology*Vertical Collage Mode Setup using a total resolution of 3840*2400Two DisplayPort to Dual-DisplayPort adaptors were used in GIGABYTE's testing and implementation of the Intel Collage Display feature.The new graphics driver is expected to be available for download from the GIGABYTE website by the end of January, 2013. You can find more detailed information including a setup guide and component compatibility list on the GIGABYTE website here: http://www.gigabyte.com/MicroSite/323/4k.html.GIGABYTE motherboard's dual Thunderbolt portsAs the first motherboards to be certified by Intel featuring dual Thunderbolt ports, GIGABYTE's 'TH' models offer up to 10Gbps data transfer speeds from each port; this means you can transfer industry-leading HD graphics and data simultaneously. Each Thunderbolt port complies with the Display Port 1.1 standard (with support for 2K resolutions from each port), and therefore provide a combined throughput of up to 4K for the ultimate in display future-proofing.For more information about GIGABYTE Thunderbolt motherboards please visit the GIGABYTE Thunderbolt website:http://www.gigabyte.com/microsite/312/images/thunderbolt.html.GIGABYTE Dual Thunderbolt modelsDual Thunderbolt Ports are featured on the following GIGABYTE motherboard models:*GIGABYTE Z77X-UP5 TH*GIGABYTE Z77X-UP4 TH*GIGABYTE Z77MX-D3H THGIGABYTE at CES 2013As well as a 4K resolution demo using Intel Collage display technology, GIGABYTE will also be showcasing the latest Thin Mini-ITX motherboards that are driving the development of a new and vibrant All-in-One system eco-system, including compatible companion chassis from partners Mitac and IN WIN. The latest GIGABYTE HD series motherboards will also be on display, highlighting GIGABYTE's new range of value segment motherboards that feature dual digital displays and our exclusive Ultra Durable 4 technologies.GIGABYTE Z77X-UP5 TH
MSI Computer Corp, a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, is showcasing a selection of award-winning computing solutions, including CES Innovations 2013 Design and Engineering Award Honorees, GTX 680 Lightning video card and limited edition GT70 Dragon Edition.The prestigious Innovations Design and Engineering Awards Honorees are judged by a panel of independent industrial designers, engineers and media members to honor outstanding design and engineering in innovative consumer electronic products. In addition to the Innovations Honorees, also available on display are the heralded GT70 and G60 gaming laptops, Ultrabook convertible Slidebook S20, NVIDIA Quadro Workstation Notebook, as well as award-winning mainboard and graphics card solutions.For more information or to schedule a visit to MSI suites in the Aria Resort & Casino from January 7th to 11th, contact PR representative Pedro Chen at pedrochen@maxborgesagency.comGTX680 Lightning, GT70 Dragon Edition and Slider S20, on display at Aria Resort & Casino from January 7th to 11th
CAYIN Technology rolls out a new compact, lightweight digital signage player, SMP-200. It can be managed remotely via network or update content offline with a USB flash drive or an SD card. The player is also an energy saver, consuming less than 6W of energy.SMP-200 is a compact but powerful digital signage player that can playback videos, images, music, and tickers in a maximum of seven zones and creates highly customized presentations. The small media player weights only 655g for users to facilitate installation in different venues.Energy saving is also one of the key features of SMP-200. Equipped with an ARM processor, the player consumes less than 6W of power, which is approximately 50-100 times less than a desktop PC consumes."When it comes to long-term operation of digital signage networks, SMP-200 can greatly help users lower monthly electricity costs," emphasized Ravel Chi, vice president of CAYIN Technology.SMP-200 has powerful remote management and maintenance functions. Users can manage each player remotely by a web-based user interface via wired or wireless network. The player can even control RS232 devices and turn on and off remote screens."Remote control over a network is convenient and most welcomed," said Ravel Chi. "However, we understand offline content update is also necessary especially in case of environments without any network access."SMP-200 provides both online and offline methods for content update. Multimedia content can be updated by USB flash drive, SD card, FTP, Network Neighborhood or CAYIN CMS server. Multiple choices are available to suit different applications and environments.SMP-200 is compact and lightweight for easy installation. The whole package even includes a complimentary 3-in-1 bracket, supporting VESA 50, VESA 100, and the wall-mount capability. All users need to do is to attach the player to the back of a screen, plug in the power cord, and the player will turn on, completing the installation.Like all other CAYIN SMP family players, SMP-200 can incorporate any CAYIN's CMS servers and other SMP player models under the same digital signage network. This brand-new model provides users with a new choice for broader combinations fitting various application requirements and budgets.For detailed product introduction, please visit: http://www.cayintech.com/digital_signage_products/digital_signage_player_smp200.htmlAbout CAYIN TechnologyCAYIN Technology offers a complete portfolio of appliance-based digital signage solutions, including media players, servers, and software, for various commercial applications, such as education, transportation, retail, hospitality, corporate use, and financial and public institutions. CAYIN is dedicated to being a reliable partner to its clients worldwide, and has successfully set up various application references globally. In order to best facilitate the deployment of CAYIN products, the company also provides tailored services to satisfy the ascending market demand for almost limitless applications.SMP-200 is a compact but powerful digital signage player that can playback videos, images, music, and tickers in a maximum of seven zones and creates highly customized presentations.
