October 2015
10
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over
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tory
a smartwatch, in order to prevent classic elec-
tronics suppliers such as Apple, Samsung etc.
from taking away their livelihood and in order
to secure their place in this future market seg-
ment. In these cases, EBV becomes involved
in what is akin to matchmaking by introduc-
ing these new customers to other customers
who have the expertise to help them with the
implementation of the application.
Start-ups also have very clever ideas but often
the hardware for these businesses is only a
standard product which they need to imple-
ment their business idea. Often these busi-
nesses are primarily distinguished by their
software and services, by the connection to
the Cloud and/or by the underlying data
processing. EBV has already helped various
start-ups to bring their products to market –
sometimes even by brokering a contact with a
potential financial backer or investor or with
an appropriate manufacturing partner. Again,
EBV can often provide start-ups with vital
logistical support, such as for the organisa-
tion of software updates or for the outsourc-
ing of gateway, server and/or Cloud services.
In Europe too, the IoT provides clever start-
ups with a very good chance of realising their
ideas– even (but by no means only) in the
areas of wearables, personal healthcare, fit-
ness sensors and trackers. In Central Europe
EBV has a team of seven people which deals
solely with start-ups and in 2014 identified a
good 400 customers.
Sometimes there are no appropriate semi-
conductors for the particular market or the
desired design. One reason for this might be
the fact that this market moves or changes
too quickly; however, it might also be that the
classic semiconductor manufacturers feel that
a market or a field of application is not attrac-
tive. Under its EBVchips programme, EBV
Elektronik is able to create a solution relatively
quickly for applications that were previously
not covered. Two of the products which come
under EBVchips are not pure semiconductors
but wireless modules, known as Vesta and
Maia, for special applications. Vesta and Maia
provide developers with a platform that they
can use to bring a software-configurable prod-
uct with Internet connection to the market
relatively quickly. While Vesta is a sub-GHz
module for IP500 mesh networks, Maia is a
sub-GHz module which EBV delivers with
approved stacks for M-Bus and OMS.
Sensors, which capture the status quo of
various quantities, constitute an important
element of the Internet of Things. EBV Elek-
tronik is fully equipped with its very wide
range of sensors. An intelligent pre-process-
ing of the sensor data directly at the sensor
permits a significant reduction in the data
volumes transmitted over the RF interface.
This reduces the workload of the frequency
band used while reducing the power needed
for transmission. It is precisely in such cases
- where sensor data are to be captured in the
field, possibly pre-processed and then trans-
mitted onwards - that low power design is
often a very important topic. One good exam-
ple of this is a battery-operated temperature
sensor which transmits its data over an RF
connection to a computer. The smaller the
energy requirement for the switching, the
longer the sensor system is able to operate
without a battery recharge and the lower the
maintenance cost will be. Above all, the low
power microcontrollers produced by Atmel,
Freescale, NXP and STMicroelectronics,
which contain an ultra-low power processor
core from ARM, now enable astonishingly
long battery lifetimes.
The data processing is followed by actuator
control, so the EBV programme includes a
wide range of motor drivers for the regulation
and control of motors and also offers many
possible solutions for smart lighting. Smart
lighting involves intelligent lighting solu-
tions – including the control of brightness and
colour temperature.
The catchword Industry 4.0 refers to a high
level of networking in the manufacturing
area. One relatively new aspect in this area is
predictive maintenance. Here, sensors iden-
tify potential wear and tear and alert opera-
tors in good time, before a breakdown, that
maintenance and/or a replacement of parts is
required. EBVs involvement with Industry 4.0
is no longer limited to the purely technologi-
cal implementation, but extends to answering
questions such as: How do I work with that?
What does it mean? Who are the players?
What are the repercussions?. Consequently,
the challenge for EBV is to bring the discus-
sions with its customers to a higher level and
to help them to adapt their processes, supple-
menting product-related advice with the busi-
ness element.
New possibilities are also arising in the areas
of home automation and the connected car.
In a house, for example, most light switches
could be dispensed with if sensors were able
to detect where people were. These sensors
also provide valuable input for the efficient
control of heating. At the same time, German
car manufacturers are assuming that by the
year 2020 at least every second new vehicle
will be a connected car, i.e. a vehicle with a
permanent Internet connection.
In the medical area the IoT allows new forms
of patient monitoring. Appropriate sensors on
the patient’s body and a smartphone in their
pocket can continuously monitor certain vital
