Bosch Sensortec has launched MEMS sensors with an integrated DSP. The devices, designed for use in Android based phones – are said to provide a low power solution to motion sensing and data processing.
"In modern smartphones, sensors are a key component and are often switched on all or most of the time for motion sensitive applications," said chief executive Dr Stefan Finkbeiner. "By handling all sensor data processing, these new devices can make a substantial difference to overall battery life."
The BHI160 and BHA250 both offer identical functionality except that the BHI160 integrates a six axis inertial measurement unit, consisting of a three axis gyroscope and a three axis accelerometer. The BHA250 omits the gyroscope, making it smaller and lower cost.
The Fuser Core is a 32bit MCU optimised for the execution of sensor fusion and activity recognition algorithms with ultra low power consumption. It is said to use 'significantly less power' than standard MCUs, with Bosch claiming a power saving of up to 95% compared to Cortex-M0 based devices and up to 90% compared to those based on the Cortex-M4.
The BHI160 comes in a 3 x 3 x 0.95mm LGA package, while the BHA250 is provided in a 2.2 x 2.2 x 0.95 LGA. Both parts are pin and footprint compatible with Bosch's sensor only variants.
Author
Graham Pitcher
Source: www.newelectronics.co.uk