Airports make perfect environments for many types of crime, from theft, to smuggling, to terrorism. In recent years, an increasing number of electronic surveillance systems have been deployed in airports and other public venues to enhance security. Video cameras are used to record the huge and transient populations in these locations, and computers supporting these surveillance systems are not mediocre ones.Our customer is a U.S.-based security intelligence solutions provider that helps to secure airports and enterprises with the latest video surveillance technology. When they came to us, they were under great time pressure to release a list of new products, and they needed to partner with experienced manufacturers who could quickly provide them with application-ready systems tailored to their requirements.They turned to Advantech for a high-definition decoder, an IPC which, when used in an airport, could support networked videos for surveillance, as well as display information for infotainment purposes. Advantech took only five months to complete the model, and then it entered mass production.Featuring a high computing power CPU, our customer has been selling this product not only to airports but also to many other locations for different purposes, including use for in-car surveillance in Formula 1 races, where it records both video and real-time biometrics of race drivers.Requirements- Full HD video outputs including TV-out with H.264 compression- 2 RJ-45 + 4 USB 2.0 ports + 2 serial ports- 1 DVI connector + 1 VGA connector + 1 BNC connector (NTSC/PAL composite)- Compact and power-efficientSystemWhen used in an airport, this video decoder is multi-functional. First, it supports video cameras to carry out security surveillance over many expanses and corners of the airport, implementing primary video analytics and routing recordings to system management computers back in the control room.At the same time, it is also connected to kiosks, thin-film monitors or other display installations in the airport where it implements interactive communications with tourists, providing flight, weather, next stop or duty-free information.So the system needs a rich array of video connectors and I/O ports to meet these requirements. To enhance functionality and flexibility, it supports a range of compression standards from H.264 to MPEG-4 to MJPEG, and video outputs from DVI to VGA to traditional CCTV monitors.On the other hand, so that it could be integrated with other systems or into a larger system, our customer wanted it to be compact, as small and thin as possible. They also expected it to be power-efficient and environmentally friendly.In accord with these requirements, Advantech chose appropriate CPU, HDD and other components with careful calculations about power consumption, and put special attention on thermal design. Also, from inside to outside, the computer was designed to achieve the streamlined look that echoes this customer's brand image.ConclusionThe increasing need for security is driving the expansion of the global video surveillance market, which is expected to grow to $37.7 b in 2015, up from $11.5 b in 2008, as Electronics.ca Publications reports.In order to compete, major players in this market continue to expand their product portfolios with the latest technologies, with some making their products more multi-functional to allow for a single system to execute various tasks, as exemplified by our customer in this case.Advantech, with 20 years of experience and profound domain know-how in a wide range of vertical markets, offers the best in Design to Order Services (DTOS), which help our customers introduce new products more easily and with faster time-to-market.Another advantage of partnering with us is that Advantech is the only IPC manufacturer operating a world-wide logistics and technical support system. Leveraging Advantech's network, our customers can deliver longer product life assurance to end-users, and localized service as well.Video cameras are used to record the huge and transient populations in these locations, and computers supporting these surveillance systems are not mediocre ones.Finding more case study articles

PMC recently introduced its PCIe Gen3 high port-count 6Gb/s SAS/SATA RAID adapters. The Adaptec Series 7 family represents the first RAID adapters to take full advantage of PCIe Gen3 bandwidth for a broad range of enterprise and cloud computing applications. With 16 direct-connected solid state drives (SSDs), Series 7 adapters can deliver up to 450,000 input/output operations per second (IOPS) on a 4K random read block size, equivalent to nearly 10x the performance of previous-generation RAID adapters.According to Jared Peters, vice president of Server Storage Solutions at PMC, the adapters are the industry's first native 16 and 24-port RAID solutions, meaning customers can now directly attach up to 24 SSDs or HDDs with a single adapter, eliminating the need for multi-component architectures and taking full advantage of the latest PCIe Gen3 interface.The Adaptec Series 7 family offers up to 16-ports in a MD2 form factor and up to 24-ports in a full-height half-length form factor by utilizing PMC's 24-port RAID on Chip (RoC) and High Density (HD) Mini-SAS connectors. Other advanced technologies incorporated into the Adaptec Series 7 family include Adaptec maxCache 3.0; third-generation Zero-Maintenance Cache Protection (ZMCP); new industry standard High Density (HD) Mini SAS connectors and cables; Adaptec maxView, PMC's PM8015 RAID-on-Chip (RoC), which combines an x8 PCIe Gen3 SAS interface with 24 ports of 6Gb/s SAS/SATA; and one click setup capability allowing RAID, simple volume and physical drive configurations.

GIGABYTE, a rising brand in the notebook industry, launched an array of notebooks and a tablet with fabulous functions and powerful specifications. Each GIGABYTE model is highlighted by the number of ports that is available to give the user complete convenience, sleek innovative design, and Global warranty for a complete peace of mind. By launching a slate S1082, a Convertible Ultrabook U2142, a high performance Ultrabook U2442, and two high-end Gaming Notebooks - P2542/P2742; GIGABYTE has expanded its line and range of notebooks.Introducing the all new Slate S1082 and Convertible Ultrabook U2142S1082Powered by the latest Intel dual-core processor, the 10.1-inch S1082 is an exceptional mobile device to enhance and increase mobile productivity. With Windows 8, a large storage HDD (up to 500GB), and multiple connectivity ports, the S1082 is a powerful tool for work and play. With its excellent design and useful accessories, including a keyboard kit and the D1080 multimedia docking station, the S1082 has exceptional versatility and can be used as a slate, a notebook and even an entertainment center.U2142The 11.6-inch Convertible Ultrabook U2142 comes with Windows 8 or Windows 8 Professional. With convertible multi-touch screen, the convertible notebook can easily be transformed into a tablet. With the latest 3rd generation Intel Core Processor, multiple connectivity ports, and dual storage system this innovative and contemporary design is guaranteed to make its prominence felt in the PC industry.Sleek Ultrabook with Ultra PerformanceU2442With a sleek form factor and weighing just 1.57kg, the 14-inch U2442 is exceptionally designed with an elegant shuttle streamline-design. Powered by 3rd generation Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M / GT 640M discrete graphics reaching 3DMark Vantage at 9,587 points this Ultrabook has been designed to bring you ultra-performance. The dual air vent design efficiently eliminates heat and keeps noise to a minimum, effectively keeping the notebook from overheating. It also boasts an automatic light sensing backlit keyboard that adjusts the brightness and allows ease of typing even under low light conditions.Powerful Blu-ray Gaming NotebookP2542GThe 15.6-inch P2542G is a premium gaming notebook that packs incredible power into a sleek form factor to give consumers the ultimate mobility for gaming. The P2542G features a powerful 3rd generation Intel Core i7-3610QM Quad-Core processor and an impressive NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M GPU with GDDR5 2GB VRAM. The P2542G also has a 1080p Full HD display, Blu-ray Rewritable Drive, THX TruStudio Pro, Intel Rapid Start Technology, either a high-performing 7200rpm HDD or a speedy SSD, HDMI and more.P2742GThe 17-inch P2742G is the complete high-end gaming notebook for gamers. It packs a punch with a blazingly-fast 3rd generation Intel Core i7 Quad-Core processor and a powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M GDDR5 2GB gaming level GPU that delivers a full throttle gaming experience. Featuring 2 bays for storage, the P2742G provides huge storage capacity up to 2TB and supports superior RAID 0 Technology for lightning speed performance. The P2742G has 1080p Full HD display, THX TruStudio Pro Technology, a Blu-ray Combo Drive*, USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 4.0 to create an incredible gaming environment. Complete with powerful features and amazing performance, the P2742G stands out as the unrivalled gaming notebook.GIGABYTE U2442GIGABYTE U2142GIGABYTE S1082

Acer has unveiled its latest ultrabook products, the M series, offering 10-point touch, frameless HD displays, Intel Core processors, and more than 8 hours of battery life.In a thin and light package, the Aspire M series packs a frameless HD display offering a large viewing area for a full web browsing experience and multimedia enjoyment, while the machines also feature the latest Intel Core processors and graphics, according to Acer.The Aspire M3 is the first Acer ultrabook to pack an Nvidia GeForce GT640M GPU. The M3 also adopts Dolby Home Theater v4 audio enhancement and premium speakers.Meanwhile, Acer has also announced its Aspire S7 series ultrabooks, featuring a unibody design. They also feature Full HD IPS 10-point displays with 1920 by 1080 resolution.The 13.3-inch Aspire S7 ultrabook model's touch display is surrounded by a glossy white Gorilla Glass 2 lid, measuring only 11.9mm thin.The smaller and lighter 11.6-inch model, also with a Full HD touchscreen, features an all-aluminum unibody and aluminum cover with a cross-direction brushed finish to help strengthen durability and repels fingerprints and smudges.The Aspire S7 packs powerful technologies, including third-generation Intel Core i5-3317UB or i7-3517U processors and solid state drives (SSD) in a RAID 0 configuration. An embedded Li-Polymer battery provides up to six hours of battery life, and an optional second battery doubles computing time up to 12 hours.In addition, the S7 ships with a micro HDMI to VGA cable for use with projectors for presentations, and a USB to RJ45 port for connecting to a wired network.Acer Aspire M3 ultrabookPhoto: CompanyAcer Aspire S7 series ultrabooksPhoto: Company

Acer has announced its latest Aspire V5 series touchscreen notebook, featuring a 10-point touch display and a large trackpad, designed to enhance multi-gesture content consumption and to take advantage of the features offered by Windows 8.The 14-inch model includes an optical drive, but is less than 21mm thick and weights 2.1kg, while the 15.6-inch model, also with an optical drive, is thinner than 23mm, and weighs 2.4kg, Acer said.The machines feature Intel's Core family processors and Nvidia GeForce GT series graphics.The V5 series also features Acer Instant Connect, which automatically scans and registers most-visited access points, letting users connect to the Internet in just 2.5 seconds, which is four times faster than conventional methods, the company claimed.Acer Aspire V5 touch notebookPhoto: Company

Intel hosted Intelligent Systems Summit (IISS) 2012 at Taipei International Convention Center (TICC) on October 16th & 17th, 2012 for announcing a major industrial technology shift of embedded systems and industrial PC industry. The mainstream innovative solutions Intel brought in this technology forum include retail, transportation systems, healthcare, manufacturing, and tele-communication sectors.Rick Dwyer, Vice President of Sales Marketing Group (SMG) & General Manager of Embedded Sales Group (ESG) at Intel, gave the opening keynote speech for IISS. He highlighted the intelligent connected systems are all around us in every aspect of our daily life. Rick Dwyer simply cited several intuitive examples. For example, the intelligent vehicle system is able to sense the driver and passengers to provide instant traffic information services, and even preventing dangerous accidents. Another example is it can help the supermarket outlets stores to setup a quickly response of changing digital signage contents according to the different gender or age consumer preferences. This will enable users to enjoy a more personalized shopping experience and a better fit to the needs of people through today's smart, connected, secured and well managed embedded systems.This kind of new invented forms of embedded systems (or called "intelligent system"), which targeting to fulfill user's needs, gradually transformed the traditional single-purpose and isolated electronic devices into one always internet connected, running cloud applications to gather information and getting assistance of expert systems made by various of Internet of Things websites. The entire new innovation architecture leads us to a new era of secure and full seamless integration to modern enterprise and telecommunication infrastructure.Besides a greener, more energy-efficient processor chips, Intel technology provides key chipset solutions to integrate intelligent systems and applications, in order to response to the explosive increase of data transactions in the next 10 years. The solid ground for fitting rapid change of internet world will count on four key building blocks, noted by Rick Dwyer. They are secured, managed, connected and interoperated intelligent devices.Internet of Things focus on exploring values of big dataSeveral major industrial research reports, coincidentally forecasted that there will be over 15 billion electronic devices connected to the Internet by 2015, where one-third of devices will be intelligent systems. The network consisted by those smart systems is often referred to as Internet of Things (IoT). It is estimated that the explosive growth of this type of business models is not only on behalf of the immense business opportunities, but also introducing many new lifestyle.In order to simplify and accelerate the process of IoT deployment, Intel announced the intelligent system architecture (called Intel Intelligent Systems Framework). It is the combination of continuous development of interoperability solutions through a consistent and scalable design model, making each device have connected, well managed, as well as secured development environment.Intel Intelligent Systems Framework will help to shorten development time through a series of hardware and software integration. The most important contribution is to build a standardized and opened platform to help system integrators or application developers easily generating the various solutions. With these solutions, the IoT can explore the values from analyzing the massive amount of information gathering for smart devices.In the real world, these applications implement the use of analysis of big data covered from different manufacturing industries. The benefits will help enterprises to improve efficiency and productivity. Even more, it helps to create a variety of services that can generate good profits and provide consumers with new and exciting experience.Another vivid example in the case of modern urban shopping district, chain stores and outlets, the digital signage network will automatically adjust the effective price strategy and promote product contents when the weather report forecasts to have coming rainstorm. These applications will make you turn your life becoming extremely convenient.Over the next 10 years, Intel outlines a blueprint of future intelligent systems in IISS. There will be a more than 15 billion intelligent devices, 35 Trillion Gigabyte the amount of data storage and analysis, as well as a US$ 3 trillion market created.Rick Dwyer, Vice President of Sales Marketing Group (SMG) & General Manager of Embedded Sales Group (ESG), Intel

Linear Technology recently announced the LT3763, a synchronous buck LED driver controller that delivers over 300W of LED power. Its 6V to 60V input voltage range satisfies a wide variety of applications, including automotive, industrial and architectural lighting. Similarly, its output voltage can be set from 0V to 55V, enabling it to drive a wide range of LEDs in a single string.The LT3763 offers both input and output current monitors and limiting, which accurately control both input and output current. Similarly, the LT3763 also offers accurate output voltage regulation as well as input regulation, useful for high impedance sources such as solar panels. Its constant current and constant voltage regulation makes it ideal for applications ranging from driving high brightness LEDs to battery and supercap charging. Additionally, True Color PWM dimming capability offers dimming ranges as wide as 3,000:1 for LED applications. The LT3763 is unique design utilizes four control loops to monitor input current, LED /output current, output and input voltage to deliver optimum performance and reliability.The LT3763 uses two external switching MOSFETs and can deliver from 5W to over 300W of continuous LED power with efficiencies up to 96%. LED current accuracy of +6% ensures constant lighting while + 1.5% output voltage accuracy offers several LED protection features and also enables the converter to operate as a constant voltage/constant current source for charging applications. The LT3763 can utilize either analog or PWM dimming as required by the application. Furthermore, its switching frequency can be programmed between 200kHz and 1MHz or synchronized to an external clock. Additional features include open/short protection, C/10 detection, input and output current monitors, and integrated fault protection.The LT3763EFE is available in a 28-lead thermally enhanced TSSOP package, priced starting at US$4.45 each, in 1,000-piece quantities. An extended temperature version, or I grade, the LT3763IFE, is also available, priced starting at US$4.90 each in 1,000-piece quantities.

Industrial Machine Vision is a field that includes methods for acquiring, processing, analyzing, and understanding images and high-dimensional data from the real world in order to perform a range of tasks such as: control processes, e.g. an industrial robot; detecting events, e.g. for visual surveillance or people counting; for automatic inspection, e.g. in manufacturing, as well as many other applications. In fact, the development of Machine Vision systems is highly application dependent. There are, however, typical functions which are found in many machine vision systems such as: image acquisition, feature extraction, detection/segmentation, high-level processing, and decision making.Because many functions are unique to the application, flexible system integration is essential as well as fast easy access to a broad-range of industrial hardware products.TEC s.r.l. is a company based in Seregno, near Milan Italy, working in Machine Vision and Industrial Automation mainly in the automotive, packaging , manufacturing, food and pharmaceutical markets. Their core business consists of embedded vision systems, especially for automated production lines, and PC-based vision systems, (typically using an image data acquisition board, a digital or analog camera and a personal computer), which are especially good for applications where high-speed, complexity, versatility and scalability are required.In 2006, while looking for industrial computers and acquisition cards for their Machine Vision systems, they got in touch with Advantech and placed their first order via the eStore for PCI-1761-AE (8-ch Isolated Digital Input PCI Card), shortly followed by further online purchases of PCI cards as well as industrial Panel PCs (PPC and TPC series) and Embedded Automation Computers (UNO series), all fully assembled and tested with memory, storage and operating systems. From then on, they have continued using Advantech products for their user-interfaces and acquisition cards to connect via gigabit Ethernet to PLC's and cameras in their systems.Alberto Bocchero is a co-founder of TEC srl and explained, "We found that it [eStore] was a fast and easy way to directly select our products and configure them according to our specific needs. The clear interface means our choices are quickly confirmed and we have now become a regular eStore customer. From a technical point of view we appreciate the quality of the products, the first-class lead time and the fact that Advantech was one of the first producers to offer software interfaces for 64-bit systems. They also offer an excellent RMA service.The online shop is easy to use and I think that it is a positive step that we found the eStore website to shop and purchase products, systems and solutions. As for our future relationship with Advantech, we have many system integrators currently testing some new systems and by using the eStore service we can be confident that we can deliver our solutions on time and on budget."Purchasing directly from Advantech's eStore means this Machine Vision system integrator can deliver their solutions on time and on budgetAdvantech's iPlanet onlineFinding more case study articles

Your game console talks to Netflix and other sites on the Internet. Your TV, DVR, smart-phone and tablet PC are all capable of accessing the Internet. You may very likely have a smart electric, gas or water meter that is connected to your house and able to talk to your heating and cooling systems. You can buy a refrigerator that can inventory itself and message the grocery store with an order for pickup or delivery. Your tires talk wirelessly to your car's main computer system. Your car accesses the Internet for GPS and other services. In the factory, embedded diagnostics use ubiquitous networking, both wired and wireless, to message maintenance computers and generate work orders. You wear an RFID tag in the plant so that in case of emergency, safety personnel can find you. All of this happens without you pressing one key. All of this is happening now.They call it the "Internet of Things," and it is already changing the future of the way we live andwork. First coined by Kevin Ashton in a 1999 article for RFID Journal, the name has become widely used, but there are many different definitions of what exactly the Internet of Things is, how it operates, and what is included in its scope.Just What IS the Internet of Things?SAP AG, the leading enterprise software manufacturer, defines the Internet of Things as, "a world where physical objects are seamlessly integrated into the information network, and where the physical objects can become active participants in business processes. Services are available to interact with these 'smart objects' over the Internet, query and change their state and any information associated with them, taking into account security and privacy issues."CASAGRAS, an EU Framework 7 project, developed another definition in 2009: "A global network infrastructure, linking physical and virtual objects through the exploitation of data capture and communications capabilities. This infrastructure includes existing and evolving Internet and network developments. It will offer specific object-identification, sensor and connection capability as the basis for the development of independent federated services and applications. These will be characterized by a high degree of autonomous data capture, event transfer, network connectivity and interoperability."All the definitions of the Internet of Things have much in common. First is the ubiquitous nature of connectivity, and, second, the global identification of every object. Third, the ability of each object to send and receive data across the Internet or private network they are connected into. This isn't some science fiction story, or a futurist's speculation. It is happening right now.The figure shows what is happening. It started with a demand for better logistics and supply chain management. The second wave was driven by the need for cost reductions. The third wave was driven by geolocation services. The fourth wave will be driven by telepresence, made possible by miniaturized embedded electronic processors, and the next will be the ability to create mesh networks including tags, sensors, process instruments and final control devices.Bringing the Big Picture Down to EarthEveryone is beginning to see the Internet of Things developing in the commercial and home sectors. The recent Apple TV commercial for the iPAD that intones, "You will still do…" and lists off numbers of normal endeavors, followed by "You'll just do them differently," is a clear indicator of this. The use of iPads and other connected appliances in business meetings is growing exponentially.In automation and control, things are not so clear cut. This is partly because of the very long lifecycle of automation systems (up to at least 30 years) and partly because some processes are highly customized. Enough value can be created using Internet of Things (IoT) concepts, though, that plants are already starting to use the technologies.For example, look at a distillation column. Distillation columns are controlled by temperature. As the hot hydrocarbons rise, they cool to the point where they liquefy and can be drawn off as one or another petroleum product: gasoline, benzene, kerosene, and so forth. The use of inexpensive wireless temperature sensors in large quantities along the length of a distillation column will provide a very large amount of data to the operators that they have never been able to get before—and that can be used for process bottleneck discovery and process optimization. Process optimization data that has never been able to be used before is enabled by the concepts of the Internet of Things.In a discrete manufacturing plant, consider the value of having parts self-identify with RFID tags, and automatically controlled rolling bins and forklifts moving parts and subsystems around automatically without human intervention—and always getting the right part to the right place at the right time. And then consider the further value of having all that information available in easily accessible databases wherever needed.Now consider environmental monitoring. Look at the value inherent in having intelligent air, water and solid waste pollution sensors connected to the manufacturing control system, so that repair and remediation are automatically triggered if values go beyond set points.The IOT roadmapFinding more case study articles

Since the firm's founding in 1995, NTI has remained strong, growing steadily despite a few industry cycles of ups and downs. The firm currently has a solid position in the Hard Disk Drive (HDD)-related software market. This is due to the firm's two core competitive advantages: first is a mastery of software technologies for file management and back-up storage, as well as the capabilities to develop applications on multiple platforms; and the second is the firm's solid reputation due to years of experience and track record in this field.Commenting on this, Bill Yao, President/CEO of NTI, said, "NTI has good professional ethics and commercial reputation. Over the years, NTI has never been involved in any legal disputes regarding intellectual property rights, or experienced any financial problems. These are very important to our business partners." In fact, NTI maintains long-term partnerships with many tier-one IT hardware firms. In addition to the HDD and PC sectors, NTI will introduce software products for smartphone applications in 2013 and plan to enter the smart TV sector in 2014.Using software to realize innovationsLooking at the development trend of the entire IT industry, software firms seem to be edging closer and closer to becoming the core of the supply chain, because compared to hardware, software has the advantages of being flexible, low-cost and highly efficient. Therefore, many innovative ideas can be realized through software. In particular, for NTI's target sector, HDDs are massively-produced commodities that rely on software to create product differentiation.Citing NTI's cooperation with Toshiba as an example, Yao indicated, "Our backup software, NTI Backup Now EZ, is customized for Toshiba and can run only in Toshiba's hard disk drives. This type of bundle, due to the stickiness of backup software, can greatly increase the number of repeat purchases for Toshiba's hard disk drives." NTI also added some specially designed features to this software. For example, when the storage capacity reaches a certain level, the software will remind end users to buy Toshiba HDDs.According to an end-user market survey conducted by Toshiba, 88% of its customers are satisfied with NTI's software and more than 80% of the them note that when buying HDDs, the software embedded is second only to price as the most influential factor when making purchase decisions. This survey shows that the added value created by software to a hardware product is quite significant.NTI's current product portfolio mainly covers two areas. One of them mainly focuses on backup and cloning features, such as NTI Backup Now, cloning software Echo , real-time backup and synchronization software Shadow, and data encryption/ protection software Ninja. In addition, NTI has cloud-based backup software-as-service, NTI Cloud, which is an integration of software and cloud-storage services. The other area that NTI covers is Digital Media software. NTI's main product in this area is Media Maker. Since 2000, Acer has been bundling this software with its branded PC, and up to now, more than 200 million copies have been sold. Furthermore, NTI also provides Mac-version Shadow and Dragon Burn.Making sure powerful functions can be easily enjoyedEmphasizing that NTI's design philosophy is "Power with Simplicity," Yao noted, "We firmly believe that powerful functions are only meaningful when their designs are implemented through a simple and easy-to-use GUI and work flow to allow end users to pick up easily." For instance, NTI's cloning software Echo emphasizes that it can greatly simplify the cloning of HDDs or SSDs, so cloning is no longer something that only geeks know how to do. Echo allows ordinary end users to achieve cloning easily. This software has been recognized and bundled with products from international firms and brands such as Toshiba, PLDS Lite-On, and Verbatim.Also, apart from the current NTI Cloud services, private cloud products and services will be NTI's next major move. Yao noted that compared with public cloud, private cloud allows end users to personally and independently control and manage their cloud storage. Through NTI's software, a local HDD can become a cloud storage device that allows users to share and access from anywhere at any time. In addition, the cloud storage will be controlled solely by the end user without safety and privacy problems that may occur when using public cloud. At the end of this year or beginning of 2013, NTI plans to introduce private cloud products, and develop multiple apps on a single platform for mobile devices and PCs, providing end users a better private cloud user experience.Bill Yao, President/CEO of NTI