The winners of the 2024 LEAP Awards (Leadership in Engineering Achievement Program) were announced yesterday across several categories. This year’s winner in the Switches & Sensors category is fabless semiconductor company, Mobix Labs.
GOLD
SP10T RF Switch
Mobix Labs has introduced the industry’s first high-power single-pole/ten-throw (SP10T) RF switch for the land mobile radio (LMR) market. The new CMOS-based MBX3110 SP10T RF switch is engineered to meet the demanding requirements of LMR applications, including critical communications equipment for first responders, firefighters, law enforcement, and military personnel.
The MBX3110 RF switch provides robust support for LMR applications and is versatile enough to serve a variety of sectors including defense systems and advanced wireless infrastructure. Optimized for high-reliability switching, the MBX3110 also can replace pin diodes in sophisticated test equipment, underscoring its broad utility and revolutionary impact across multiple industries. Solid-state RF switches like the MBX3110 outperform equivalent electromechanical switches in most applications, offering greater reliability, faster switching speeds, and longer lifetimes.
The MBX3110 SP10T RF switch offers the following features:
High-Power Performance: The MBX3110 offers world-class performance at a low cost, featuring a wider frequency range, lower insertion loss, and faster switching times compared to existing market offerings. These benefits enable developers to extend the frequency range beyond the current spectrum without the need for external matching.
Optimized Specifications: The MBX3110 boasts a low insertion loss of 0.52 dB at 1 GHz, high linearity of -78dBc at 43 dBm, and a rapid switching time of 4 microseconds, ensuring best-in-class performance in demanding applications.
Compact Design: Packaged in a small 32-lead 5 x 5mm QFN, the MBX3110 is well-suited for applications where performance and size are critical, making it a versatile choice for a wide range of RF applications.
SILVER
High-resolution wheel speed sensor
The High-Resolution Wheel Speed Sensor (HRWSS) marks a significant advancement in automotive sensing technology for the autonomous vehicle market. Developed through a strategic partnership between TE Connectivity and Allegro Microsystems, a provider of industry-leading solutions in magnetic sensing and power ICs, this sensor integrates advanced digital processing algorithms, giant magnetoresistance (GMR) technology, and custom packaging, all backed by state-of-the-art manufacturing.
With the capability to deliver a 4x higher resolution than traditional wheel speed sensors, the HRWSS provides improved wheel speed, position, and direction information (5mm within a 2-meter tire circumference). This precision is crucial for enhanced autonomous functionalities such as motion path planning, auto valet and parallel parking, autonomous emergency braking, enhanced hill assist, and many more.
The HRWSS will enable OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to meet Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) regulations for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), particularly at SAE Levels 2+ and beyond, where vehicle systems manage critical driving functions independently. Its high resolution and rapid response are essential for enabling these sophisticated systems to function accurately and reliably.
Addressing common challenges OEM and Tier 1 engineers face, the HRWSS maintains ultra-low jitter across the full air-gap range and exhibits robust vibration immunity. It supports multiple output protocols and operates across a broad temperature range, ensuring rapid and reliable direction detection on all pulses, and providing instant feedback on vehicular movement changes. A fully automated, VDA-audited manufacturing process supports defect-free, high-volume production.
The HRWSS helps set the stage for the shift towards fully automated driving.
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