Temperature is by far the most commonly measured physical parameter in industrial, commercial, and even residential settings. It’s obviously about much more than just “what’s the temperature, so I will know what coat to wear?” Temperature readings are needed to control processes and systems via a negative feedback loop, PID algorithms, and comparators (References 1 […]
MEMS & Sensors
Relative humidity sensor ICs feature a ±1.5% RH accuracy, six-second response time
Integrated Device Technology, Inc. announced today the addition of a family of relative humidity (RH) sensor ICs to its fast-growing portfolio of advanced sensor products. IDT’s humidity sensors offer high accuracy with the fastest measurement response time of comparable devices currently on the market. The IDT HS300x family of relative humidity sensors feature a ±1.5% RH accuracy […]
Miniature water-resistant pressure sensors target wearable apps
As smart watches and wearable fitness trackers permeate the fabric of everyday life, owners want to go further with their devices and track performance across extra activities like swimming. Samsung’s Gear Fit 2 Pro, the next generation of sports band, supports these trends with features like built-in GPS, continuous heart rate monitoring,and larger on-board memory to do more even […]
Photodiode: light sources, the amount of light, and color
I have touched on light sensing methods and the amplification of the signals from them in the past, but at a more fundamental level, how do you choose one? What parameters are important? The answer depends, among other things, on the light source (focused or not), the amount of light and its color. Focused or […]
Tiny image sensors deliver high-resolution in low-light environments
Two new ISOCELL image sensors from Samsung include the 1.28-micrometer (μm) 12-megapixel (Mp) ISOCELL Fast 2L9 with Dual Pixel technology, and the ultra-small 0.9μm 24Mp ISOCELL Slim 2X7 with Tetracell technology. Samsung ISOCELL image sensors fall into four categories—Fast, Slim, Bright and Dual—depending on their key attributes. As market demand for sleeker smartphones with advanced […]
MEMS pressure sensor dies feature 0.65-sq-mm footprint
The automotive versions of the C33 series of miniaturized EPCOS MEMS pressure sensor dies from TDK Corporation are sized at 1 mm x 1 mm x 0.4 mm They are designed for absolute pressures of 1.2 bar to 10 bar, and are qualified based on AEC-Q101. The typical operating voltage is 3 V. With a supply voltage of 5 V they offer sensitivities […]
LiDAR sensor accurately measures direction, distance to objects over 60×270-degree viewing angle
Panasonic Corporation announced today that it has developed a 3D LiDAR sensor that accurately measure the direction of and distance to objects with a wide angle of view, which is critical for autonomous operation of mobile robots. Employing Panasonic’s propriety laser-scanning technology, this 3D LiDAR is capable of scanning the laser as wide as up to […]
Hall Effect sensors combine low power consumption with high sensitivity
Silicon Labs brings Hall-effect sensing into the 21st century with a magnetic sensor portfolio offering industry-leading power efficiency, best-in-class sensitivity, flexible I2C configuration, and built-in tamper detection and temperature sensing. Silicon Labs’ new Si72xx portfolio includes the most advanced, feature-rich magnetic sensors available today, outclassing reed switches and traditional Hall-effect devices in a wide range of open/close and position-sensing […]
Color sensor detects color temperature, brightness, RGB components of ambient light for adjusting display qualities
ROHM Semiconductor has recently announced the availability of a color sensor for display-equipped devices such as smartphones and tablets capable of detecting the color temperature, brightness, and RGB components of ambient light. A working demo will be showcased at this year’s Sensors Expo held on June 28-29th at booth 616, at the McEnery Convention Center […]
Low-power piezo vibrator brings annunciation to wearable devices
Murata Americas today introduced the PJFV series. This miniaturized, low power consuming product leverages piezoelectric ceramics to provide vibration notifications and announcements to wearable devices. It measures just 10.5mm ´ 3.8mm ´ 2mm, has a rated working voltage of 3V, and current consumption of 2mA rms. Light and sound sensing products have historically been used for notification and announcement functions. With the roll-out of the PJFV series, now vibration solutions can […]