Bosch Sensortec has introduced a new family of MEMS acceleration sensors for wearables, offering high performance and ease of integration in compact packages: the BMA456 and BMA423 are specifically designed for motion and fitness tracking in wearables.
Bosch Sensortec has introduced a new family of MEMS acceleration sensors for wearables, offering high performance and ease of integration in compact packages: the BMA456 and BMA423 are specifically designed for motion and fitness tracking in wearables.
The new acceleration sensors from Bosch Sensortec are integrated with an optimized step counter. No additional external microcontroller is required. This helps reduce system cost and power consumption, reduces design complexity and thus speeds up time to market.
Typical applications of the BMA456 and BMA423 include step counting in fitness bands and other wearables. The sensors can also be used for advanced movement recognition, such as tilting of the wrist, running, walking and standing still.
The new products are being showcased at the Bosch booth 836 at the Sensors Expo & Conference in San Jose, USA, June 27–29. The BMA456 and BMA423 will be available via distributors in August 2017.
The BMA456 provides high performance and accuracy, with 16-bit resolution, noise of only 120 μg/√Hz, and a total offset over its lifetime of only 20 mg. Temperature Coefficient of Offset (TCO) is ±0.3 mg/K, ensuring activity tracking remains accurate under all conditions.
The new Bosch acceleration sensors are housed in compact packages measuring 2.0 x 2.0 mm. The BMA456 has a low height of only 0.65 mm, which makes it easy to design into space-constrained wearables such as fitness trackers, smartwatches, and headphones.
Bosch points out that power consumption of the step counter is low, typically less than 30 μA, which helps maximize battery life. The sensors can put wearables into the sleep mode even during step-counting, thereby helping to reduce overall power consumption.
These new sensors provide a complementary alternative to Bosch’s existing sensors for wearables and smartphones. Previous generation the BMA455 and BMA422, for example, are ultra-small acceleration sensors that integrate Android features for low-power smartphone applications.
Bosch Sensortec GmbH is a fully owned subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH that develops and markets a wide portfolio of MEMS sensors and solutions tailored for smartphones, tablets, wearable devices and IoT (Internet of Things) applications.
The product portfolio includes 3-axis acceleration, gyroscope and geomagnetic sensors, integrated 6- and 9-axis sensors, environmental sensors, and a comprehensive software portfolio.