Zilia do Brasil started the trajectory in Internet of Things (IoT) in 2018 establishing a strategic plan for business diversification, in addition to new investments in its existing operations in Brazil.
With a constant growing of IoT Market and publication of Federal Government Planning for fomenting IoT area in 2019, the P&D team from Zilia started the studies of Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN), proposing at the end of the year, the first IoT communication module project from the company.
The IoT LPWAN Module model SMW-SX1262M0 uses a STM32G071KBT6 Microcontroller Cortex®-M+ from STMicroelectronics and a transceptor SX1262 from Semtech in its constructive structure.
The market launch occurred on May 2020, after ANATEL (public organization of telecommunications from Brazil) and American Tower certification, making sure that the device is totally compatible with Brazilians laws and also with public network.
The first official client of Zilia was LAAGER Tecnologias Sustentáveis Ltda whom decided to use the IoT modules from Zilia on water metering and LPG metering within the infrastructure of SABESP (Water and Disposals Company on São Paulo) in São Paulo State.
Zilia is proud to say openly that 100% of total modules produced are operational until this date, it represents more than 60k sold on a great variety of projects and there were no reports of modules that returned from the field for operational failure nor recalls.
Since then, Zilia is putting efforts developing new communication modules seeking for new products to cover the Market. Zilia is expanding the product portfolio looking for new markets opportunities and it is prepared to produce two application-oriented projects: a service call button and a tracker device.
At the end of 2020, Zilia started a new Project that will affect the Market with great projections in Brazil and also abroad. The project resulted on System-in-package or SiP development that will be able to communicate using two different technologies LoRA and SigFox, the method used by the module of the broadcast to LPWAN will be exchangeable between the technologies using AT commands, in a Hot Swap model.
To develop this Project, the company stablished an agreement with STMicroelectronics in Brazil to utilize STM32WL semiconductor device in wafer level.
The STM32WL is a general-purpose dual-core MCU with a sub-GHz transmitter in the same chip and has an Arm® Cortex®-M4 and Cortex®-M+. This dual core characteristic supports flexible development for the application since the Cortex®-M4 can be used to run the application firmware developed by the client, granting more fluid development and the miniaturization of the end device.
The STM32WL also uses a sub-GHz transceiver based on the Semtech SX126x to meet the expectations to utilize the LPWAN and, in this way, produce new Devices for IoT market.
On December 2021, the first samples were produced in partnership with Eldorado Institute, using the advanced package laboratory available in Campinas to cut the wafer and assembling the components were possible to produce a SiP. The project is on the functional characterization phase and in the next months; the principal customers will receive the first samples for a beta test.
The Zilia R&D team specified all the details for this product, incorporate an accelerometer IC, a matching circuit for the antenna, as well, a staggering number of IOs (GPIOs). All this characteristics will be extremely useful on the fast development and introduction of new products.
The SiP was developed based on a LGA package and the dimension is 7x11mm. The small dimension will help greatly on compact devices.
Samples aiming at the application of this innovation in the development of new products can be requested to Zilia anytime. We are waiting for you!!!!
