STMicroelectronics has recently made an announcement stating that Panasonic Cycle Technology, Co. Ltd. (Panasonic) has incorporated the STM32F3 microcontroller (MCU) and STM32Cube.AI, an edge AI development tool, into their TiMO A e-assisted bike.
By utilizing ST’s edge AI solutions, Panasonic’s TiMO A e-assisted bike will be able to enhance rider safety and convenience through the implementation of a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that leverages advanced AI technology.
Panasonic is an e-assisted bike manufacturer in Japan. Panasonic has been offering a diverse range of e-assisted bike products tailored to various needs in the Japanese market.
STM32F3 MCU, STM32Cube.AI Revolutionizes TiMO A Panasonic e-assisted Bikes
The TiMO A electric assist bicycle is specifically designed for school commuting. It incorporates an AI application on the STM32F3 MCU to accurately determine tire air pressures without the use of pressure sensors.
By analyzing data from the motor and bicycle speed sensor, the system can detect when the tires need to be inflated and issue a warning accordingly.
Thanks to ST’s edge AI development tool, STM32Cube.AI, Panasonic was able to seamlessly integrate this advanced AI function into the embedded memory space of the STM32F3.
This innovative feature simplifies tire air-pressure maintenance, improves rider safety, and prolongs the lifespan of tires and other bicycle components. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for additional hardware such as an air pressure sensor, resulting in cost savings and reduced design complexity.
“We develop and manufacture e-assisted bikes with the mission of delivering environmentally friendly, safe, and comfortable transportation, accessible to all,” said Mr. Hiroyuki KAMO, Manager, Software Development Section, Development Department of Panasonic Cycle Technology. “ST’s STM32F3 MCU provides cost competitiveness and optimal functions and performance for e-assisted bikes. By combining the STM32F3 MCU with STM32Cube.AI, we were able to implement the innovative AI function without the need to change hardware. We will continue to increase the range of models with AI functions and strive to fulfill our mission by leveraging ST’s edge AI solutions.”
“ST has been actively working on the global proliferation of edge AI in both hardware and software, providing edge AI solutions to a wide range of products including industrial and consumer equipment,” said Marc Dupaquier, Managing Director Artificial Intelligence Solutions, STMicroelectronics. “This collaboration marks a key step in our efforts, and we are delighted to have contributed to the first implementation of this AI function in Panasonic’s e-assisted bike. We will continue to propose AI use cases and solutions for diverse markets, anywhere we can help to augment our life.”
How it works
The STM32F3 MCU utilized in the TIMO A is powered by the Arm® Cortex®-M4 processor running at a maximum frequency of 72 MHz.
It boasts a 128KB Flash memory and a variety of high-performance analog and digital peripherals specifically designed for motor control applications. Apart from the newly added inflation warning feature, this MCU is responsible for determining the level of electric assistance and managing the motor operation.
By utilizing STM32Cube.AI, the size of the neural network (NN) model is reduced and memory allocation is optimized during the implementation of AI functionality. STM32Cube.AI, a free tool from ST, streamlines the conversion of NN models trained using general AI frameworks into code suitable for the STM32 MCU, enhancing overall performance.
This tool efficiently optimized the NN model created by Panasonic Cycle Technology for the STM32F3 MCU and seamlessly integrated it into the limited flash memory capacity.
ST provides a comprehensive edge AI ecosystem to facilitate the deployment of edge AI capabilities across a wide array of devices for diverse applications.
The ecosystem includes STM32Cube.AI and also the NanoEdge AI Studio autoML tool. Both tools are part of the soon-to-be-available ST Edge AI Suite. All of them are available free of charge. For details, click in the below webpages:
- Edge AI development tool, STM32Cube.AI
- Automatic machine learning library generator, NanoEdge AI Studio
- Integrated suite of development software and tools, ST Edge AI Suite announcement
- AI use cases
ST at AI Expo at Tokyo
ST will showcase edge AI solutions, including the STM32 MCU and a variety of AI development tools, at the AI Expo at Tokyo Big Sight (May 22-24, 2024). The e-assisted bike and the motor unit (cutaway sample) from Panasonic Cycle Technology, which feature the STM32F3 MCU and STM32Cube.AI, are also scheduled to be displayed at this expo.
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