With the advent of Industry 4.0, the intelligence and interconnectivity of factories is increasing. The mechanical equipment in the smart factory can use the real-time data of the connected wireless sensor nodes to predict possible failures in advance and notify the control system to take corrective actions to avoid unplanned system downtime. Cumulative data can be used to improve predictive analysis and achieve better machine preventive maintenance. These advances are designed to increase plant operational efficiency and reduce overall downtime.
The foundation of Industry 4.0 - Operational data enables a wide range of functions from real-time sensing to predictive analysis. Therefore, continuous and reliable data logging is critical, especially in the event of a failure, because this data is often critical. In addition, the amount of data that needs to be recorded is expected to continue to increase. Not only do we need continuous data acquisition on traditional industrial systems, but we also need continuous data acquisition on thousands of connected sensor nodes that will be spread across all corners of future smart factories.
To overcome these challenges, next-generation industrial systems require high-performance non-volatile memory to ensure "data zero risk" and reliable data backup during normal operation and system failure. To ensure the reliability of this data record, Industry 4.0 non-volatile memory needs to support fast writes, real-time non-volatile, and nearly 100 trillion cycles, near-infinite read/write persistence.
Industrial data record challenge
Industrial control systems include automation, energy management, process measurement, and test and measurement, all of which require high-performance, non-volatile data logging memories. In all of these market segments, non-volatile memory is used to continuously record real-time system data. They must also be able to capture real-time system status data in real time in the event of a power outage or system failure. The non-volatile data recording memory of industrial control systems and wireless sensor nodes needs to meet different needs. We will explore the challenges and unique needs of industrial control systems and wireless sensor nodes through two examples of programmable logic controllers and IoT sensor nodes.
Figure 1 Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) Module Diagram
Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) for industrial automation are very common in industrial control systems. In the PLC, real-time system data captured by the non-volatile data recording memory is used to detect and repair faults and prevent future failures. In addition, the non-volatile data logging memory captures the last system state prior to power down. This data is critical to ensure that the PLC and all connected machines are restarted in a safe operating mode when power is restored. Without this capability, people on other machines and the surrounding environment face potential risks.
In next-generation industrial control systems such as PLCs, there is a need to reduce the number of microcontroller pins used to interface with external memories. This demand has driven the conversion from parallel to low pin count serial interface memory. This is why memory manufacturers are developing low pin count memories for industrial applications. For example, Cypress's Excelon-Ultra is designed for industrial control systems and provides a low pin count 108-MHz QSPI interface.
Non-volatile memory is superior to battery-backed SRAM commonly used in industrial control systems due to the high reliability of battery removal. In addition, non-volatile memory reduces material costs by replacing the multi-component subsystem (SRAM + battery + power management controller) with a single chip and avoids the maintenance associated with the cost associated with battery replacement.
Figure 2 IoT sensor node module diagram
The wireless IoT sensor node is equivalent to the eyes and ears of a smart factory. As described above, the sensor node can continuously monitor system and environmental parameters and then notify the connected machine or control system to take corrective action when needed.
Wireless IoT sensor nodes present different challenges than industrial control systems. The sensor node has a small external dimension. In addition, they are often found throughout smart factories, including remote or hard-to-access locations. Therefore, they are usually powered by batteries or by energy harvesting.
Therefore, sensor nodes require a non-volatile memory with a small form factor to continuously record real-time system data. They must be able to do this reliably throughout the life of the sensor node and minimize power consumption. For example, Cypress's Excelon-LP is available in a small GQFN package of approximately 10 square millimeters and offers a variety of power-saving modes, including sleep, depth nodes, and standby, allowing developers to maximize battery life.
To further reduce the size of the wireless IoT sensor node, a non-volatile memory can be used to implement a single chip approach to code storage and data logging. In sensor nodes, the amount of code required to measure and collect data is typically small compared to the amount of memory required to store the data. Therefore, having a separate code memory may result in insufficient memory usage, while a single-chip approach will be more efficient.
The key difficulty is the flexible enough non-volatile data logging memory to partition the storage of code and data according to application requirements. The memory used to store the code must ensure that the system does not accidentally write to the storage area used to execute the code. Therefore, in order to meet the requirements of a single chip process, a nonvolatile data recording memory needs to have a memory protection function. For example, block protection prevents accidental writing to a range of addresses defined by the developer. This enables a memory to support real-time data logging while storing and protecting code.
Ferroelectric technology
The key to non-volatile data recording memory is ferroelectric technology. Ferroelectric technology combines the high performance and byte addressing capabilities of RAM with non-volatile data storage. The ferroelectric technology for non-volatile memories has a memory cell using a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) film. When an electric field is applied, the central atom in the PZT crystal changes position. The two locations of the central atom store a digit as the binary state of the memory. When the power is interrupted, the atomic position is preserved to protect the data. Its data reliability is also high, and it can safely store data for 100 years without any backup power.
Non-volatile data logging memory is very efficient. It consumes 200 times less power than serial EEPROM and 3000 times lower than NOR flash. The technology also provides high data reliability with read/write endurance of 100 trillion (1014). In contrast, floating gate technologies such as flash and EEPROM are corrupted in as little as 106 cycles, so they are not suitable for frequent system data capture.
Non-volatile data logging memory also ensures "zero risk of data" operation in industrial systems. The ability to store data instantly protects the system from data loss when the system is powered down. Techniques such as EEPROM typically have a page write latency of 5-10 milliseconds, which puts significant critical time system data at risk.
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