Panasonic Presents Latest Smart Home and Automotive Applications at Electronica 14

At the foundation of the new European company, Dr Steger, President of Panasonic Automotive & Industrial Systems Europe commented: “Panasonic has a fantastic portfolio enabling us to develop comprehensive solutions for the automotive industry and industrial markets. This allows us to provide our customers a clear competitive advantage in their respective fields.” Many of these new technologies and products will be on display at the show.

Automotive

At the booth it can be seen how Panasonic’s components, modules and devices can be used in different automotive applications.

Infotainment

New capacitive touch solutions are available to suit automotive infotainment and dashboard applications.

Panasonic’s capacitive touch panel has the capability to be curved to suit rounded surfaces which gives the automotive cockpit designer greater flexibility when designing the cockpit. It is ready for polarized sunglass usage which cuts blackout and rainbow effects and proximity and hover functions create a more comfortable operation experience for the user.

Energy

As resources are becoming scarcer and ecological considerations are gaining importance, electric and hybrid vehicles are becoming more prominent.

Panasonic has invested in the manufacture of cylindrical lithium-ion battery cells to power EVs, such as the Tesla on the booth, and innovated in heat pump technology that reduces the energy needed for climate control.

Additionally, Panasonic will exhibit a number of components for power management in vehicles. To guarantee the safety of the new generation of vehicles, the HV relays play a key role when it comes to disconnecting the circuits. This is why Panasonic focuses on the technology on which the HV relay is based continually refining its relay technology in order to be prepared for future applications in the rapidly growing market of electric and hybrid vehicles.

Millions of EV relays are already designed into all kinds of vehicles and make the Panasonic EV relay the leader in the automobile market segment.

The company’s power film capacitor modules which are used in snubber, filter and DC-Link applications in HEVs/EVs can also be seen.

Security

Panasonic has recently expanded its switches family and the new subminature long switch, ASQM, has sliding contacts and a compact structure which, with IP67, is perfect for tactile detection tasks in environments where space is limited and conditions are rough such as automotive door locking systems.  

Home & Industrial

At the booth you can see Panasonic’s newly developed technology to enable the ‘Smart House’ to become a reality and for companies to monitor energy use.

Connectivity

Panasonic is entering the Wi-Fi module market with full range of products that simplify design and cut cost, allowing developers to get to market ahead of their competition. At Electronica 2014, Panasonic is presenting three different Wi-Fi module series: shortly after, the company plans to introduce additional combo Wi-Fi modules with different wireless technologies and multi-frequency options.

As well as Wi-Fi modules, Panasonic also manufactures a range of devices for Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) - Bluetooth, ISM and Mesh Networking.

To complement the wireless connection requirements of sensors and control units, particularly important in any device connected in the ‘Internet of Things’, Panasonic’s pyroelectric sensors especially developed for use in battery–powered applications will also be on display.  

Energy

Also Panasonic’s Aquarea heat pumps which capture fresh air to cool or heat properties, can be managed by Panasonic’s Wi-Fi embedded module. Aquarea is far cleaner, safer, cheaper and environmentally friendly than alternatives using gas, oil and other electrical systems. The Panasonic electronic components inside the heat pump make sure that the convertor and motor pump the water effectively and enable energy efficient heating.

Panasonic's DZ relay was specially developed for use in smart meters. To save energy, a latching type relay is required. This way, the main power supply from the energy supplier to the consumer can be switched on/off remotely. Consequently, the DZ relay fulfils all market requirements and is ideal for smart meters but also for numerous other applications such as charging stations.

Security

Based on micro system technology, Panasonic’s high-precision Grid Eye is perfect for home or automotive security applications as the infra-red sensor arrays use a 64 pixel thermopile to detect not only motionless objects and movement direction, but also area temperature.

New Materials Technology

Among many other highlights, emerging materials technology solutions will be on show:

Gallium Nitride Transistors – GaN has the potential to reduce energy losses in power devices. GaN material has a higher band gap and higher conductivity than silicon, enabling high speed miniature transistors. At Electronica, Panasonic will show the world’s first normally-off and current-collapse-free 600V GaN transistor.

PGS Thermal Management - Pyrolytic Graphite Sheet (PGS) is a new, ultra-light graphite interface film material, developed by Panasonic, which has a thermal conductivity up to five times greater than copper. It is pliable enough to be cut and folded into complex three dimensional shapes then simply stuck onto the heat source to diffuse the heat or provide a path for heat to flow to a cold wall.

Polymer/Hybrid Capacitors - Polymer capacitors present several advantages over other electrolytic devices. Due to their ultra-low ESR values, polymer capacitors have low impedance near their resonance point which helps to smooth ripple voltage in power circuits. Polymer capacitors, unlike ceramic devices, suffer no capacitancedrifts due to temperature changes and DC bias, so theyremainstable over time. Also, polymer capacitors have a self-healing capability that eliminates failures due to cracking in the dielectric layer caused by electrical or mechanical stresses.

These are just a few of the technology and product solutions that visitors to the Panasonic Automotive & Industrial Systems‘ Stand 105, Hall B6 will be able to see and discuss.