by Bill Schweber Until fairly recently — roughly 15 to 20 years ago — sensors for ubiquitous physical parameters such as pressure, motion, and magnetic fields were relatively large, costly, power hungry, and electrically incompatible with standard circuitry. All that changed dramatically with the development of MEMS-based sensors (microelectromechanical systems) which etch a sensor into […]
MEMS & Sensors
Smart Force Sensor Reference Design gives 3D info for HMI gear
Design engineers can now rapidly evaluate and deploy new human-machine interface (HMI) devices using the MAXREFDES82# smart force sensor reference design from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: MXIM). Typical weigh scales provide one dimension of information, downward force. The MAXREFDES82# reference design provides both downward force and center of mass, by collecting responses from four […]
Gallery: Electronics in the spotlight at Xponential 2016 unmanned systems exhibition
Though the Xponential unmanned systems exhibition has a reputation for showing off a lot of exotic hardware, there were numerous developments on the electronics front at this year’s event. Themes we noticed included manufacturers paying more attention to the handling of huge data flows generated by optical and thermal sensors that sit onboard UAVs these […]
Interfacing and using bridge sensors
Sensors such as strain gauges, pressure gauges and some magnetic sensors are often bridge devices. They can be full or half bridge although the bridges are usually made of multiple devices connected together, with MEMS sensors being an exception. So, in the case of a strain gauge, a half bridge would be made with one […]
3D image sensor chips bring virtual reality to smartphones
In the future, mobile devices will be able to quickly and realistically detect their surroundings in three dimensions (3D). When they do, it will be thanks to the 3D image sensor chips from Infineon Technologies AG and pmdtechnologies gmbh. REAL3 will enable extremely realistic virtual and augmented reality game experiences that involve the interaction of […]
Low-power sensor fusion platform seamlessly integrates into wearables
Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDNS) and CyweeMotion Ltd., today announced that CyweeMotion’s Sensor Fusion Hub™ software has been optimized for Cadence Tensilica Fusion digital signal processors (DSPs). This solution delivers a fully optimized, low-power sensor fusion platform for seamless integration into mobile or wearable devices. The Sensor Fusion Hub technology from CyweeMotion is sensor […]
Next gen automotive image sensor with LED flicker mitigation
ON Semiconductor is now sampling an LED Flicker Mitigation (LFM) technology in a new 2.3 megapixel (MP) CMOS image sensor that sets a new benchmark for automotive Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) applications. Capable of capturing 1080p high dynamic range (HDR) video, the AR0231AT also includes features that support Automotive Safety Integrity Level B (ASIL B). The […]
High performance system-in-package (SiP) solution for precision-sensing in portable medical devices
ON Semiconductor (Nasdaq: ONNN), driving energy efficiency innovations, has responded to rapidly-evolving product development demands within the portable medical market by introducing Struix, a semi-customizable System-in-Package (SiP) solution for precision sensing and monitoring in a variety of mobile medical electronics including glucose monitors, heart rate monitors and electrocardiogram analyzers. Struix, which means “stacked” in Latin, […]
Intel IDF2014: Sensing the Internet of Things
At the Intel IDF2014 technical conference for makers, developers, and creators held in San Francisco last week, you got the sense that analog is the new revolution in digital. From the Internet of Things to wearable computing to smart consumer products, sensors play a rapidly growing role in those billions of connected devices acquiring, transmitting, and analyzing data — Big Data. Intel’s […]
1-Wire Thermocouple-to-Digital Converters
The MAX31850/MAX31851, cold-junction-compensated, 1-Wire thermocouple-to-digital converters were introduced today. The devices achieve ±2.0°C accuracy (not including sensor nonlinearity) while integrating all of the functions required for a complete (thermocouple-to-digital solution). Additionally, the MAX31850/MAX31851’s 1-Wire interface allows multiple sensor locations to communicate and draw power over a single data line, greatly simplifying wiring requirements. Designers can […]
