October 2015
8
2018. Since these installations are all still func-
tioning well and generate electricity at the cost
of their upkeep it is advantageous to install a
storage device.
Communication between machines (M2M,
machine-to-machine) has been an important
area for EBV for decades. However, the Inter-
net, with its infrastructure and the increasing
spread of products such as PCs, tablets, smart-
phones and new semiconductor products, has
not only shaken up the market completely but
also permitted totally new approaches to solu-
tions in areas which were not previously rele-
vant at all.
One good example of how EBV Elektronik is
driving interdisciplinary thinking with net-
worked solutions is the science magazine The
Quintessence, where EBV has been reporting
on new ways of using these technologies in
special issues since 2007. The company arti-
cles in The Quintessence always look at the
bigger picture in order to generate inspiration
for new products by interlinking different cat-
egories of items and talking about work that
crosses various areas. The most recent issues,
for example, have looked at sensor technology,
the Internet of Things, cyber security, Cloud
technology and Industry 4.0, while the next
issue will be devoted to smart systems.
As EBV has already been working in the areas
which are now known as the Internet of Things
or Industry 4.0, more than120 EBV field appli-
cation engineers (FAEs) and other specialists
view these terms more as catchphrases which
are often overemphasised in the press in order
to have public appeal. It is much more import-
ant to make developers and decision makers
clearly aware of the importance of the IoT in
their own professional (and also private) envi-
ronments, so that they can leverage its growing
potential in the best way possible. Thus, EBV
always asks itself a single fundamental ques-
tion: how can we help our customers to develop
a solution that is smart, has a permanent data
connection with the outside world and enables
secure communication? In short: it is about
being smart, secure and connected everywhere.
With its market matrix technology, EBV Elek-
tronik already has a very good initial approach
to determining which technology can pro-
vide what added value to the corresponding
application, in order to achieve a competi-
tively viable product. With the IoT, however,
the challenges facing EBV clients also change,
when, for example, an existing autonomous
device needs to be connected to the Internet
or to a Cloud solution. This connection also
brings with it new requirements. For example,
a wireless module in combination with the
corresponding software solution may provide
the desired connectivity, while an appropri-
ate security solution may provide the corre-
sponding data security for authentication and
data exchange.
EBV customers know their core products
inside out – these are often autonomous
devices – and the customers are often world
leaders or hidden champions in their sector.
However, as far as RF technology and security
are concerned, in many cases these companies
have had little or no involvement until now,
so that in many instances they do not have
enough of the appropriate resources in-house
to meet the challenges of the IoT. This is where
EBV Elektronik comes in, as it has a particular
strength in its ability to assist these customers
with appropriate resources and specific know-
how, in bringing their new product to market
as soon as possible. At the same time, EBV
explicitly addresses the security risks which
arise with the data transmission, for at the end
of the day an appropriate security solution can
always be found using suitable semiconductor
components and appropriate software.
In principle the IoT connects different mar-
kets which have existed until now as essen-
tially isolated solutions, in the same way that
the Internet networks together stand-alone
computers and PCs. This has blurred the lines
that used to separate many applications from
each other. In this way, the previous sharp
divisions between many applications are soft-
ened. Good examples of this include sports-
wear that can now contain sensors or pieces
of furniture with built-in recharging units for
wireless charging of mobile devices. Typically,
the sportswear or furniture manufacturers
were previously not electronics specialists, so
they require suitable partners to implement
the electronics functionality for them while
taking into account characteristics of the cor-
responding solution from all possible angles.
EBV shows these companies the possibili-
ties offered by the technologies and provides
introductions to suitable partners who are
able to address the individual requirements
of the corresponding area of business or solu-
tion in an appropriate way. For example, EBV
Elektronik helped a major sportswear manu-
facturer to incorporate a pulse rate sensor in
outerwear and pressure sensors in running
shoes. These applications often require a flex-
ible board for the semiconductor connection.
Similarly, there are watch manufacturers with
a very long tradition and an excellent name in
the market who are now beginning to market
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