Bosch Sensortec has announced what the company claims is the smallest inertial measurement unit (IMU) in the market. The combo solution is designed to meet the requirements of mobile consumer electronics applications with six degrees of freedom (6DoF) such as game consoles or gaming applications in smartphones and tablet PCs.
Dubbed BMI055, the sensor module consists of an acceleration sensor and a gyroscope, and comes along with the company's custom software solution enabling the design of 9DoF applications.
With the new BMI055, Bosch Sensortec extends its portfolio of advanced MEMS sensors, according to Leopold Beer, global marketing director for the Bosch Group company.
In a recent interview with Digitimes, Beer discussed the benefits of using an IMU, the company's product development efforts and target markets.
Q: Can you briefly introduce Bosch Sensortec's product lines and their target markets?
A: Bosch Sensortec is a subsidiary of Robert Bosch, which is the global market leader for automotive MEMS sensors. We offer a complete portfolio of consumer MEMS sensors including accelerometers, gyroscopes, electronic compass, pressure sensors and integrated IMUs targeted at smartphones, portable gaming devices and any slim and low-power notebook applications.
We also develop sensor-fusion software for combo sensors with 6- or 9DoF.
Bosch Sensortec's sensor products are all manufactured at Bosch's 6- and 8-inch wafer fabs in Reutlingen, Germany, and we hold all patents applied to the products.
Q: What makes Bosch Sensortec unique in the consumer and mobile MEMS space?
A: Bosch Sensortec is able to utilize our technology strength to provide mobile and consumer electronics device manufacturers all of the MEMS sensors needed. We are the only supplier to offer a complete range of consumer MEMS sensors, and deliver a combination of the industry's smallest and highest-performance sensors.
The introduction of Bosch Sensortec's new IMU - the smallest available in the market - demonstrates the company's technology leadership for MEMS solutions. Our previously-announced products are other good examples of showing company competitiveness in the field.
In January, we launched two triaxial acceleration sensors with 12- and 14-bit resolutions. With this product extension Bosch Sensortec is the only manufacturer in the world to offer a complete acceleration sensor product portfolio in 2x2 mm package size. These sensors are the smallest size available on the market, and have both the lowest power consumption and low noise levels.
Earlier this year we also introduced the world's smallest triaxial gyroscope, measuring only 3x3x0.95mm. Its very compact design, low power consumption and low noise allow the sensor to support even the most demanding requirements for smartphones and other mobile devices.
And our previously-announced digital compass features two sensors integrated into a very small space - a triaxial geomagnetic sensor and a triaxial acceleration sensor. With an edge length of just 3mm and a height of 0.95mm, the 6-axis compass module is the smallest standard package, mass-produced e-compass in the world.
As to pressure sensors, our most-recent series - with its package dimensions of 3.6x3.8x0.93mm - compiled with the space constraints of mobile devices such as smartphones. It satisfies the requirements of new smartphone use cases such as pedestrian and indoor navigation.
What's more, as Bosch Sensortec produces all of our own MEMS sensors, we are not reliant on components from external suppliers. Our manufacturing capability frees us to be very competitive in the industry.
Q: Can you talk about the new inertial measurement unit (IMU)? What are the benefits of combining an acceleration sensor and a gyro in one single package?
A: The BMI055 has a high degree of integration, and therefore reduces the bill of materials (BOM) and lowers the component count. Fewer external components reduce system PCB space as well as simplifying design and assembly, allowing the sensor module to perfectly meet the requirements demanded by today's portable consumer electronics products.
In addition to obtaining all the benefits of an ordinary IMU, our new BMI055 can also function in standalone mode: as either a 16-bit gyro or a 12-bit accelerometer. The integrated components can also be addressed independently, while being able to deliver complete performance and functionality as an IMU. This enables significant power saving capabilities when only accelerometer functions are required.
Q: Which market segments will Bosch Sensortec be targeting in 2012 and the following three years?
A: The smartphone market for sure due to its market size. We also anticipate seeing an increase in new functions in smartphones, meaning that the number of MEMS sensors used for smartphones is expected to increase. The growth of sensors in smartphones has already been driven by applications such as gaming, and recently by indoor navigation.
Smartphones will still be a key boost to the MEMS market growth over the next several years.
Q: Would you discuss Bosch Sensortec's existing and potential clients geographically? Are there business opportunities for Bosch Sensortec in Taiwan and China?
A: I cannot reveal our customer status. In Taiwan and China, Bosch Sensortec's business is growing through the support of our local sales and service offices. Our locations in China include Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
As a supplier, we are working with several OEMs and smartphone vendors in Taiwan and China.
Q: China's smartphone market is booming. Is Bosch Sensortec working with any China-based handset companies?
A: Yes. As a supplier, we are partnering with a number of EMS, ODM and OEM firms including non-Chinese clients that locate their manufacturing operations in China.
Q: What support does Bosch Sensortec gain from your parent company? How do Bosch Sensortec and Akustica support each other?
A: As a Bosch subsidiary, we gain their full support including R&D sources and manufacturing capacity. We also gain access to their broad patent portfolio.
Currently Bosch Sensortec and Akustica do not support each other due to the different markets we both target. But in the future we could work together to create new products that combine both areas of expertise.
Leopold Beer, global marketing director for Bosch Sensortec
Photo: Company
Bosch Sensortec BMI055 IMU - a combination of an acceleration sensor and a gyroscope
Photo: Company
