Wireless module simplifies Industry 4.0

STMicroelectronics has introduced the STM32WB5MMGH6 wireless module that integrates all the necessary components for wireless communications in Industry 4.0 applications. Supporting popular standards such as Bluetooth Low Energy, Zigbee, and Thread, the wireless module integrates the antenna and matching circuitry, passives, and timing crystals. It also provides free-to-use protocol stacks and pre-certifications for EMC, Bluetooth LE 5.3, Zigbee 3.0, and Open Thread to simplify mandatory testing and product-level approval.

Although the wireless module comes with free-to-use protocol stacks, developers can use other proprietary protocols, said the company.

Designed to simplify using ST’s STM32 wireless microcontrollers (MCUs), the smart wireless module is powered by the STM32WB55 microcontroller (MCU) with an Arm Cortex-M4 core for application-level processing and a Cortex-M0+ for managing the integrated radio. The MCU also features 1-Mbyte Flash memory and 256-Kbyte SRAM and comes with a host of built-in security features. Applications include wireless communication and control of devices such as remote sensors, smart door locks, PC accessories including printers, and infrastructure equipment such as network gateways and smart-building controllers.

One use case cited for the new wireless module is I-care Group’s intelligent equipment condition monitoring solution. The ST wireless module is designed into the company’s Wi-care sensors, which are plug-and-play wireless and continuous asset monitoring systems. When used with I-see, the company’s cloud-based and AI-driven analytical platform, it provides a complete maintenance Industry 4.0 solution, allowing users to visualize equipment status and plan maintenance schedules. The I-care solutions are reported to avoid more than 99% of industrial breakdowns, reduce downtime by 10-20%, and lower maintenance costs by 35-45%.

The STM32WB5MMGH6TR, housed in an SiP-LGA86 package, is in production now and is priced from $6 for orders of 10,000 pieces. It is part of ST’s 10-year product longevity commitment, which provides long-term availability of parts for industrial applications.

ST also offers free tools, including the STM32CubeMX configurator and software such as the STM32CubeWB MCU package. This package provides embedded-development resources, including production-ready MISRA C and ISO/TS 16949 compliant Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) and low-layer APIs, FatFS file system, FreeRTOS, communication-protocol stacks, and code examples.