Ambiq MCU to power SentryCard fingerprint biometrics for logical and physical access control
Sentry Enterprises and Ambiq Micro have partnered to develop a biometric identity card for physical and logical access control and proximity detection.
The biometric card was announced in September, when Sentry placed a volume order for T-Shape fingerprint sensor modules from Fingerprint Cards.
The new, third-generation SentryCard platform integrates Ambiq Micro’s Apollo3 Blue microprocessor (MCU) family, including the new Apollo3 Blue Thin. This enables the platform to address market demand for enhanced security, which has increased in every vertical, according to the announcement.
SentryCard is intended to replace standalone solutions with a converged biometric credential, utilizing existing physical access control infrastructure and supporting industry-standard protocols.
“Ambiq’s Apollo3 Blue MCUs provide a robust, yet low power solution, enhancing the security and processing power within our platform,” said Mark Bennett, CEO of Sentry Enterprises. “The latest Apollo3 Blue Thin’s size is critical when designing an ISO-specified smartcard like the SentryCard.”
The Apollo3 Blue MCU family featured in SentryCards have an ultra-low power 32-bit ARM Cortex M4 processor to optimize power in both active and sleep mode. This holds power consumption as low as 6uA/MHz for the efficiency to meet battery-constrained processing needs and deliver extremely long product life, Sentry Enterprises says.
“We are excited to partner with Sentry Enterprises. The Apollo3 Blue family of microcontrollers will enable the SentryCard the most energy-efficient sensor processing solutions at a farther distance with the lowest active power consumption in the market today,” said Aaron Grassian, vice president of sales Ambiq.
Sentry expects to begin shipping SentryCards through its channel partners in Q4 2020.
Article Topics
access control | Ambiq | biometric cards | biometrics | fingerprint sensors | Sentry Enterprises | SentryCard | smartcards
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