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MEMS barometric pressure sensors are slim and compact

Tue, Sep 28, 2021

Able to measure a height difference as small as 50mm, the ICP-20100 low noise MEMS barometric pressure sensors have a compact footprint for use in smartphones, tablets, drones, augmented reality / virtual reality (AR / VR) equipment and smart home appliances.

The InvenSense ICP-20100 sensors combine a barometric pressure and a temperature sensor in a 2.0 x 2.0 x 0.8mm package. The low noise pressure sensing capabilities, with a range of 30 to 110 kPa, allows the device to detect altitude changes of less than 50mm.

The performance extends InvenSense’s SmartPressure family and offers multiple input voltage levels of 1.2V, 1.8V and 3.3V. There is also a choice of interfaces, namely I²C, I3CSM and SPI. The ICP-20100 can be configured to achieve low noise or low power performance.

The SmartPressure family uses a capacitive MEMS architecture to deliver lower power consumption and lower noise than competing pressure sensors technologies, explains InvenSense. In addition to operation over a wide temperature range, the ICP-20100 pressure sensor can deliver the measurement accuracies required by applications such as 3D geolocation and emergency location service (E911), mobile indoor / outdoor navigation, sport and fitness activity tracking and altitude-hold in drones. The sensor’s low power consumption assists in extending battery life for always-on applications, for example in the IoT. The pressure sensor temperature co-efficient offset is ±0.5 Pa/ degrees C.

A development kit, the DK-20100, and evaluation platform with software are also available.

The ICP-20100 joins the existing ICP-10125, ICP-10101, and ICP-10111 pressure sensors in the SmartPressure family.

Target applications in addition to smartphones and tablets are sports, and fitness activity monitoring devices, altitude control for drones and aerial toys, gaming equipment, including virtual reality. The ICP-20100 can also be used for indoor / outdoor navigation, for example in detecting, floors in a lift or steps. In smart home appliances, they can be used in robotic vacuum cleaners and other equipment which needs sensing capabilities.

TDK was established in 1935 to commercialise ferrite, a key material in electronic and magnetic products. The company’s portfolio features passive components such as ceramic, aluminium electrolytic and film capacitors, as well as magnetics, high-frequency and piezo and protection devices. There are also sensors and sensor systems such as temperature and pressure, magnetic, and MEMS sensors, power supplies and energy devices.

Products are marketed under the product brands TDK, Epcos, InvenSense, Micronas, Tronics and TDK-Lambda. TDK focuses on demanding markets in automotive, industrial and consumer electronics, and information and communication technology. The company has a network of design and manufacturing locations and sales offices in Asia, Europe, and in North and South America.

https://invensense.tdk.com

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Smallest Arduino Pro board brings sensing to the edge

Mon, Sep 27, 2021

Claimed to be the smallest Arduino board to date, Nicla Sense ME has been created by Arduino Pro and Bosch Sensortec. It makes sensing and intelligence at the edge accessible to all, says Bosch Sensortec.

The Sense ME is the first product in the Nicla family. It combines low-power sensor nodes with the ability to handle AI and machine learning (ML) on the edge. Dimensions are just 22.86 x 22.86mm.

The Nicla Sense ME has a nine degrees of freedom (DoF) smart motion sensor and a 4DoF environmental sensor with AI capabilities. It uses Bosch Sensortec’s BHI260AP artificial intelligence (AI) sensor system with integrated motion sensor, BMM150 magnetometer, BMP390 pressure sensor, and the BME688 four-in-one gas sensor with AI and integrated high linearity and high accuracy pressure, humidity and temperature sensors.

The board can sense and process different types of data on the edge and reduces latency and power consumption for more privacy without minimal bandwidth, says Bosch. Arduino Pro’s Adriano Chinello describes it as “a tiny board with a really great mix of sensors combined with high computational power, opening up a whole new range of applications leveraging on sensor fusion. Smart building automation, mobile and wearable devices, industrial and professional equipment are key targets”.

Power-saving operation and clear programming structure make the small board suitable for research projects, rapid prototyping and development. It is included in the starter kit provided to all teams participating in the Bosch Sensortec’s 2021 IoT Innovation Challenge, an online competition for students.

“Bosch Sensortec’s self-learning AI smart motion sensor, the environmental sensor with AI capabilities and all the other sensors allow a broad range of applications to address the different segments of the IoT market. This way developing intelligent, low-power and scalable edge sensing applications is easier than ever before” says Dr. Stefan Finkbeiner, CEO of Bosch Sensortec.

The Nicla Sense ME can be powered by a battery and used as a complete standalone board, or attached to an Arduino board to expand its capabilities. It is equipped with Arduino’s fast deployment and easy configuration and is also future-proof, says Bosch, as it allows for additional sensors. It is compatible with upcoming Nicla products, as well as the Arduino Pro MKR and Portenta families.

https://www.bosch-sensortec.com

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Cryptographic controller protects with lowest power budget, claims Analog Devices

Thu, Sep 16, 2021

Claimed to provide 30 times lower power and industrial-grade protection for battery-powered devices, the MAXQ1065 has been released by Analog Devices.

The low power cryptographic controller features ChipDNA PUF (physically unclonable functionality) technology, which is claimed to offer the strongest protection for edge to cloud IoT nodes, including medical and wearable devices, against invasive security attacks. The security co-processor provides 30 times lower power when compared to similar products, claimed ADI and its extended lifetime and operating range make it suitable for long-term deployments in harsh environments.

The MAXQ1065 security co-processor provides turnkey cryptographic functions for root of trust, mutual authentication, data confidentiality and integrity, secure boot, secure firmware update, and secure communications. It includes standard algorithms for key exchange and bulk encryption, or complete transport layer security (TLS) support. The device integrates 8kbyte of secure storage for user data, keys, certificates and counters with user-defined access control and life cycle management functionality for IoT equipment.

The MAXQ1065’s small footprint and low pin count allow for easy integration into medical and wearable devices. The MAXQ1065 life cycle management allows flexible access control rules during the major life cycle stages of the device and end equipment, enabling it to be used for long-term operation in harsh environments. In addition to the proprietary PUF technology to resist attacks, the MAXQ1065 is also supported by Analog Devices’ secure key pre-programming service for customers who want keys, data and life cycle state initialised prior to shipment to a contract manufacturer.

Analog Devices has a comprehensive suite of analogue and mixed signal, power management, radio frequency (RF), and digital and sensor technologies. ADI serves 125,000 customers worldwide operating in the industrial, communications, automotive, and consumer markets.

https://www.analog.com

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Single axis MEMS capacitive accelerometers measure on three axes

Fri, Sep 10, 2021

Low noise, low cost MEMS capacitive accelerometer modules from Silicon Designs offer measurements on up to three orthogonal axes.

The Model 2210 series modules offer repeatable measurements across a variety of lower frequency vibration testing applications, including those common to vibration analysis, machinery control, modal analysis, robotics, and crash event detection, said Silicon Designs.

The modules are offered in standard ranges from ±2g to ±400g and incorporate a MEMS capacitive accelerometer chip together with high drive, low impedance buffering. They can be used in a Silicon Designs-recommended mounting block accessory, such as the Model 2330-BLK, to measure vibration and acceleration on either one, two, or three orthogonal axes with equal accuracy and repeatability. This degree of versatility in measurement allows customers to specify just one part number for multiple measurement requirements, reducing in-house costs and inventory counts.

All Silicon Designs’ Model 2210 series MEMS capacitive accelerometer modules generate two analogue voltage outputs which vary in response to applied acceleration. Customers can utilise either a single-ended or differential output. Using the latter doubles accelerometer sensitivity. The sensitive axis of the Model 2210 module is perpendicular to the package bottom, with positive acceleration defined as a force pushing on the bottom of that package. Output scale factor is independent from the supply voltage of +8.0 to +32V. At zero acceleration, differential output voltage is nominally 0V DC. At full scale, differential output is ±4V DC.

A simple, but robust, four-wire connection and internal voltage regulator minimise supply voltage variation effects. The MEMS capacitive sense element of each Model 2210 series accelerometer module is packaged within a lightweight, epoxy sealed and anodized aluminium housing which occupies a total footprint of one square inch (25mm), said Silicon Designs.

All Model 2210 series MEMS capacitive accelerometer modules are relatively insensitive to temperature changes and can self-calibrate.

Modules are designed, developed and manufactured at the company’s headquarters and ISO9001:2015 certified R&D centre, just outside of Seattle, Washington, USA. Each accelerometer also undergoes rigorous quality testing prior to shipment.

http://www.SiliconDesigns.com

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MEMS barometric pressure sensors are slim and compact

Smallest Arduino Pro board brings sensing to the edge

Cryptographic controller protects with lowest power budget, claims Analog Devices

Single axis MEMS capacitive accelerometers measure on three axes

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