Fleksibel analog front-end baner vejen for den software-definerede fabrik

NXP lancerer analog front-end (N-AFE) til højpræcisions dataopsamlings- og konditions-overvågningssystemer, der bruges i forbindelse med fabriksautomation (in english).

NXP Semiconductors has announced its new NXP analog front-end (N-AFE) family for high-precision data acquisition and condition monitoring systems for factory automation. Designed as software-configurable universal analog input devices, the new N-AFE family helps enable the software-defined factory, making it easier for operators to configure a smart factory and adjust settings based on shifting market needs.

Even as factories have become smarter over time, adapting to rapidly shifting market trends has remained a challenge, often requiring large-scale equipment overhauls to reconfigure a factory to meet a new need. The addition of software-configurable components allows factory operators to be more nimble, enabling them to more quickly and easily make changes to the factory floor to address rapidly shifting trends.

- Software-defined factories are the next evolution of the Industry 4.0, and this software-configurable analog front-end family will help achieve that milestone, says Jens Hinrichsen, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Advanced Analog at NXP.

- By combining configurability with enhanced accuracy and precision for improved product quality, as well as advanced diagnostics to identify issues before they occur to reduce downtime, this device enables a new era of the smart factory.

Schneider Electric has worked closely with NXP to incorporate the N-AFE family into its industrial solutions. The single-chip N-AFE solution helps to reduce the complexity of hardware design for the company, whose industrial customers benefit from the software configurability delivered by the N-AFE.

- The impact of a software-defined factory, both in terms of productivity and overall costs saved, is immeasurable, says Ralf Neubert, Vice President, Research & Development, Digital Factory, at Schneider Electric.

- NXP's new analog front-end software configurability and high precision accelerate hardware design, improving time to market. The N-AFE family enables flexibility in our designs to allow our customers to quickly respond to market trends, but more importantly, it also helps to reduce unplanned downtime, enabling a more productive factory overall.

The N-AFE family of devices integrates up to eight universal analog inputs at a lower system cost for data acquisition systems in factory and process automation. It combines signal chain protection, precision amplification and high-speed data conversion, filters and highly accurate self-diagnostics to monitor factory conditions, helping to ensure a more consistent and repeatable quality of product. The device also integrates additional advanced diagnostics to reduce factory downtime with predictive maintenance and anomaly detection, while its factory calibration and self-calibration features help reduce test costs.

The addition of the N-AFE Analog Front-End family of devices brings new analog capabilities to NXP's portfolio targeting industrial applications. Combined with NXP's MCU and power management portfolios, including devices such as the i.MX RT1180 high-performance crossover MCU and PF5020 and PCA9460 power management ICs (PMICs), the N-AFE devices expand the industrial system solution offering, while helping customers to accelerate development time and reduce time to market.