There are lots of factors to consider when developing a smart product. As well as the mechanical and electrical components and software, the complete system must also be analysed as a unified whole. Safety and security aspects are increasingly important. Thomas Staudinger, Vice President Vertical Segments and Technical Marketing at EBV, explains how EBV supports companies in this complex development process.
What, in your view, turns a product into a Smart System?
Thomas Staudinger: A Smart System is autonomous; it is able to acquire and process data, and make decisions and initiate actions based on that data, within certain bounds.
What electronic components does it need?
T.S.: All in all, something comparable to products for the Internet of Things: a Smart System needs sensors to detect the ambient conditions. It needs a processor, or controller, capable of processing the sensor data and using algorithms to derive decision-making or actions from the data acquired. And actuators are needed to execute the actions. Key components are modules for communication both within the Smart System and with the outside world – the latter typically wireless. And lastly, it needs power modules.
Which of those components does EBV offer?
T.S.: We offer the full range of components required: sensors; wired and wireless connectivity solutions; controllers and processors; and to some extent actuators too, though we restrict ourselves to the semiconductor side, including motor drivers and the like. We also offer power supply components, such as power ICs, MOSFET and DC/DC solutions.
What technology trends in Smart Systems are you currently seeing among your suppliers, the electronics manufacturers?
T.S.: Standard components as are already in use in electronic devices today can basically also be used in Smart Systems. But a wider range of sensors is being developed, primarily for ambient sensing and for safety applications. One major area is the field of optical sensors, such as for detecting patterns or facial recognition. Micro-mechanical solutions will be of particular interest for actuators in future.
In what areas do you see need for further development in electronic components for Smart Systems?
T.S.: The technology to implement Smart Systems already exists today. However, they need to be made even cheaper so as to make them more cost-effective for end users if they are to become established as mass-market products.
Smart Systems also increase vulnerability to cyber-crime. What can electronics do to make Smart Systems more secure?
T.S.: Authentication is key to preventing data theft and manipulation. There are already tried and proven hardware solutions available in the form of crypto-components. They ensure that communication partners are in fact entitled to access the system, and they also verify their identity, making sure they are who they say they are.
Protection of intellectual property is another aspect that should not be ignored. Protective mechanisms should be integrated right from the start to prevent theft of the know-how invested in Smart Systems. Such solutions also help prevent components being copied or faked.
Do we need standards to regulate the interaction of components in a Smart System?
T.S.: I don’t believe it is helpful to wait around for standards. Some standards will become established, as is already the case in the wireless field, where Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy have gained wide acceptance, while ZigBee, for example, has not really achieved the same level. If a Smart System’s communications interface is based on one of those widely accepted standards, it is easy to implement proprietary solutions internally. A single unified standard that everyone across the board adheres to is a long way off.
How significant is the development of Smart Systems for the R&D processes of your customers?
T.S.: Smart Systems really do pose a new challenge to development processes. They entail many different dimensions that have to be incorporated into the development: mechanical and electrical components, software, and ultimately the system level. This will lead to companies working together across a broader scope, with specific aspects being increasingly outsourced. It is also important that security aspects should be considered right from the start. I can imagine that in future a security architect might well be integrated into the development team. It is not only cyber-security that will play an increasingly important role, but also functional safety – especially with regard to autonomous systems.
What does EBV offer beyond components in order to support its customers in developing Smart Systems?
T.S.: We offer our customers support based on three key pillars: firstly, we have experts who specialise in different market segments, such as Automotive, Consumer or Industry. They observe trends, monitor how the market is responding to them, and identify what solutions manufacturers are offering for the applications concerned.
Secondly, we have specialists capable of identifying what technology is best suited to solving a specific problem. One of our teams is concerned solely with aspects of safety and security for example. As a distributor, our expertise can of course only extend to a certain level. To handle more complex problems, we are able to call upon an extensive partner network. Our partners are companies or institutions which are able to delve a few levels deeper into a potential solution when necessary in response to a customer enquiry.
Our third pillar is our team of specialists in the field: engineers working at customers’ locations. They act in a way like guides, directing enquiries and assigning resultant tasks to the appropriate in-house experts within our organisation.
How does EBV differ in this respect from other distributors?
T.S.: The depth and breadth of our vertical market segment approach is unique in the industry. We not only offer the right electronics components, but our experts translate technology into genuine benefits for the customer. We are also able to act as an extended arm of our customers’ development teams. Our Field Application Engineers, of whom we employ 120 in Europe, are mostly experts who previously worked as developers. So they are able not only to advise, but also provide “hands-on” help to the development process.
We also help our customers to network among themselves. We regularly encounter companies who are looking for a development partner, for example, or who need a special embedded-computing solution. We are then glad to act as an intermediary across our large customer network. We also do that in relation to contract manufacturing. Our customers include many small and medium-sized manufacturing companies capable of making products in small to medium lot sizes but with high levels of complexity. And not forgetting: our EBVChips also provide chips which we develop in-house when there is no suitable chip solution on the market.
But EBV no doubt charges for those services?
T.S.: No. We largely provide advice and development support free of charge to our customers. For smaller businesses, especially, this offers the advantage that they have no cash-out when they enter into a development partnership with us – no sale is yet made. And incidentally: we also help our customers finance their undertakings.
In your view, which markets or sectors currently offer particularly high potential for Smart Systems?
T.S.: Looking at the Smart Factory and Industry 4.0 developments over the long term, they doubtless offer major potential for Smart Systems. But we will also be seeing more and more autonomous systems in the service sector.