Valens Semiconductor has acquired automation and control technologies company Acroname in a deal worth $7.8 million in cash. The deal, Valens said, enables it to expand its position in the industrial market with a holistic USB-focused offering that includes Valens’ USB extension chipsets, augmented by Acroname’s technology. Valens will specifically be focusing on its VS6320 chipset, a 100 m industrial-grade copper SuperSpeed USB extension, to create a solution for USB peripherals that include both extension and fully programmable switching of USB signals. In announcing the transaction, Valens identified the progression of the industrial and machine vision in the transition to USB-connected cameras, with USB3 Vision cameras accounting for nearly 30% of the connectivity interfaces, the company said.