How often do you think about how much power the device you use gives you? Electricity is an innovation that we take for granted, but it has an interesting and controversial past, and for the first time in history it will undergo major changes. Everything we do depends on electricity, and our dependence on it is only getting stronger. Ensuring sufficient power supply to a wide range of smart devices for Industry 5.0 and the evolutionary transition to Society 5.0 (S5.0) will require smarter energy consumption and energy harvesting through the use of energy management and new energy harvesting and distribution methods. USB is already actively used for low-voltage devices.

Human interaction and recognition technologies (HIRT) play a significant role in enabling the human-centricity feature of Industry 5.0. The last-gen HIRT had many difficulties identifying the human’s behavior spatial complexity, emotions, and action characteristics. The emerging HIRT under Industry 5.0 agenda aims to optimally interconnect and integrate humans with machines so that the resulting human-machine interaction offers safer, streamlined, and more pleasant physical and cognitive tasks. Vision-guided robotics, short-wave infrared technology, sensor fusion, sensor data triangulation, embedded vision systems, adaptable human intention and trajectory prediction, and multi-lingual speech and gesture recognition are examples of vital emerging HIRT that can play a significant role in Industry 5.0. No sensing and cognition technology has the necessary emotional intelligence to seamlessly judge the ever-changing working condition and arrive at the best replication of what humans would genuinely do in a given situation. Indeed, HIRT may only deliver its functions while interacting with other technological constituents of Industry 5.0, such as CAI, C-CCP, cloud data, and edge computing.  USB communication and power may be suitable for human interface RT (HIRT) devices.

Intrinsically Safe Barrier Ex USB 2.0

An intrinsically safe barrier Ex USB 2.0 was implemented for underground mines and pits hazardous with gas (methane), coal dust, outdoor and indoor hazardous areas as per explosion protection marking.

The barrier Ex USB 2.0 connects a host device, such as an industrial PC or smartphone, to USB peripheral equipment including keyboard, mouse, touchpad, touch screen, joystick control, microphone, RFID tag scanner, webcam, barcode scanner, endoscope camera, flash drive, fingerprint reader, FIDO security key and other USB devices, in hazardous areas.

To transmit USB signals from and into hazardous areas, the barrier converts the USB channel into intrinsically safe circuits. The Ex USB 2.0 barrier is not a USB hub; it is a completely passive device. The USB host powers the barrier, so there is no need for an extra power supply.

The intrinsically safe barrier Ex USB 2.0 is designed to create an industrial ecosystem in a hazardous area for low-voltage USB devices. This is the most economical and simple standard solution.

Specifications:

Device type: Intrinsically safe passive barrier Ex USB 2.0

Power supply: Passive (Powered by USB host)

Interface: USB 2.0 (High-Speed / Full-Speed)

Installation: USB 2.0 Type A sockets, sealing nipples, or sealing bushings

Required enclosure protection: At least IP67 (in accordance with IEC 60079-0)

Hazardous areas: Zone 1 / Zone 21, underground mines (methane and coal dust)

Design features: Highly shock and vibration resistant

Ex Marking / Certification:

Mining: Ex ia I Ma / Ex ib I Mb

Gas atmospheres: Ex ib IIC T6...T4 Gb

Dust atmospheres: Ex tb IIIC T85°C...T135°C Db

Produced in accordance with IEC 60079-0, IEC 60079-11, IEC 60079-31 

Normal operating temperature: -60 °C to +70 °C