Bosch introduces highly cost effective motion sensor

Despite their small size, MEMS motion sensors have penetrated into every aspect of our lives. They can make consumer products easier to use and improve the way we interact with smartphones and other gadgets. These sensors are accurate, compact and highly energy efficient, but until now their basic applications have been complex. To address this problem, Bosch Sensortec has introduced the BMI323, an affordable Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) with outstanding performance and integration capabilities that reduce development time.

"The ease of use of BMI323 combined with its excellent cost performance will open up many new applications for IMUs." "This includes standard consumer products such as toys and gadgets, remote control devices, wearables, fitness trackers, smartwatches, as well as tablets and laptops," said Dr. Stefan Finkbeiner, CEO of Bosch Sensortec.

Like its predecessor, the BMI160, the new BMI323 is a versatile, low-power IMU that combines precise acceleration and angular rate (gyroscopic) measurements with intelligent integration capabilities triggered by motion.

These integration features speed up and simplify the development process for Oems. For example, the BMI323 already includes Bosch Sensortec plug and play step counter software, so customers do not need to spend extra time developing their own algorithms. Other features include motion detection, such as the ability to automatically turn subsystems on and off when a device such as a TV remote control is put down or picked up, thereby reducing overall power consumption.

Compared with the BMI160, the BMI323 provides better accelerator performance and lower power consumption. In high performance mode, the current consumption of the BMI323 is only 790μA, compared to 925μA of the BMI160, which is nearly 15 percent lower.

The six-axis BMI323 carries a self-calibrating 16-bit triaxis gyroscope, a 16-bit triaxis accelerometer, and a 16-bit digital temperature sensor, integrated into a miniature 2.5 x 3.0 x 0.83mm3 (14-pin) LGA package that is compatible with the BMI160 and other product pins. The BMI323 is the first IMU from Bosch Sensortec to include the new I3C interface in addition to the I2C and SPI interfaces.

Characteristic

● Motion sensors continue to excel in accuracy and performance
● Integration capabilities simplify and accelerate product development
● New opportunities to expand IMUs in diversified consumer applications