隨著越來越多的MEMS傳感器出現(xiàn)在移動裝置中，如今MEMS設(shè)計重點已經(jīng)從分離式MEMS組件轉(zhuǎn)向MEMS傳感器數(shù)據(jù)整合。 美國新成立的公司Sensor Platforms Inc. (SPI)的執(zhí)行副總裁Ian Chen表示，來自于多個傳感器的原始數(shù)據(jù)如何“融合”與“詮釋”，將會顯著影響系統(tǒng)的功耗和應(yīng)用性能。 以此作為公司使命的SPI，日前推出了一套中間件設(shè)計及軟件算法庫。該公司宣稱，透過使用移動裝置中的多個傳感器數(shù)據(jù)，“能夠詮釋用戶所處的情境架構(gòu)與意圖?！? 目前在智能手機與平板電腦中常見的MEMS傳感器包括加速度計、磁力計、陀螺儀與氣壓計(晴雨表)。 在《EETimes》日前發(fā)表的MEMS產(chǎn)業(yè)數(shù)據(jù)庫與報告中，將多個MEMS傳感器組件整合的趨勢稱為“傳感器融合革命的崛起”。該報告中亦指出，當(dāng)今的MEMS組件供貨商和系統(tǒng)設(shè)計師正面臨一個懸而未決的問題：誰將主導(dǎo)傳感器的架構(gòu)？包括將在何處進行處理，以及主板級傳感器融合架構(gòu)？ 雖然許多公司采用在單一芯片上整合所有傳感器，并為智能化組件封裝各種功能(這其實也并非易事)的方式，SPI公司卻選擇了另一種途徑：提供一種獨立于硬件之外，完全以軟件為主的傳感器融合方案。 該公司表示，這種基于程序代碼的單一軟件方案可在跨平臺使用。它完全能夠執(zhí)行于應(yīng)用處理器、傳感器或整個系統(tǒng)上。 基于軟件的傳感器融合一個最顯著的優(yōu)勢就是靈活性(flexibility)。Chen說：“我們的軟件方案可讓系統(tǒng)設(shè)計者為每個傳感器選用不同的供應(yīng)來源。這種供應(yīng)來源的靈活性是至關(guān)重要的，因為各種傳感器分別具有不同的價格與性能點?！? 為移動設(shè)備整合進更多的傳感器很容易，但如何盡可能地減少隨之而來的功耗卻是個問題。 但SPI公司的 FreeMotion軟件庫包含了一套專用算法，能夠“在用戶緩慢移動時，關(guān)閉較耗電的傳感器，如陀螺儀，以其它低功耗傳感器的方式仿真其功能。這將降低傳感器約90%的功耗。”他補充道。 關(guān)于可靠性的問題，陳說，雖然知之者甚少，但有些智能手機的電子羅盤校正功能可能相差到90度。也因此，為保證精準(zhǔn)，所有的傳感器都需要經(jīng)常進行校準(zhǔn)。而FreeMotion軟件庫是建立在更可靠的取樣以及持續(xù)不斷進行交叉?zhèn)鞲衅餍?zhǔn)的基礎(chǔ)上，從而能為應(yīng)用程序開發(fā)人員與終端用戶提供更可靠的傳感器信息。 總之，只是一味地將更多的MEMS傳感器整合進系統(tǒng)中，并不足以改善功耗、彈性度、可靠性，以及應(yīng)用的性能等。 Semico Research的首席技術(shù)分析師Tony Massimini說：“系統(tǒng)設(shè)計人員如何充分地加以利用所獲得的繁多的數(shù)據(jù)呢？我們目前還可能只是蜻蜓點水而已?！贝送?，他坦言，“事實上，這個產(chǎn)業(yè)還處于早期發(fā)展階段。許多甚至對于MEMS不熟悉的系統(tǒng)設(shè)計人員們需要這一類的軟件開發(fā)工具。” 不僅是系統(tǒng)設(shè)計人員，應(yīng)用程序開發(fā)人員可能也需要這類軟件開發(fā)工具：他們正試著從移動設(shè)備的傳感器取得更多動作數(shù)據(jù)，并加以利用于目前新開發(fā)的應(yīng)用程序上。Chen表示，SPI正推出 FreeMotion軟件庫API，所以由其傳感器校準(zhǔn)和傳感器融合所產(chǎn)生的數(shù)據(jù)為應(yīng)用程序開發(fā)人員提供了具有更高準(zhǔn)確性的有力數(shù)據(jù)。而應(yīng)用程序需要與用戶有關(guān)的各種信息及其情境架構(gòu)，而不只是用戶的位置或其動作與方向的變化而已。FreeMotion軟件開發(fā)工具為擴展應(yīng)用程序能從傳感器數(shù)據(jù)取得信息的類型提供了重要的基礎(chǔ)。 本文下一頁：市場格局 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載

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• 2011消費與移動MEMS廠商TOP10：排名與實力
• 完善供應(yīng)鏈讓MEMS產(chǎn)業(yè)重振雄風(fēng)1H8esmc

{pagination} 市場格局 SPI公司的主要競爭對手就是目前正自行開發(fā)傳感器融合軟件的MEMS傳感器組件供貨商。 2012年2月，飛思卡爾半導(dǎo)體(Freescale Semiconductor)為其電子羅盤推出Xtrinsic傳感器融合軟件。電子羅盤應(yīng)用結(jié)合了磁力計提供的航向以及慣性傳感器的校正數(shù)據(jù)，為磁場失真進行補償。飛思卡爾為其MEMS傳感器用戶提供免費下載的傳感器融合算法。 而意法半導(dǎo)體(STMicroelectronics；ST)于2011年秋天推出名為iNEMO引擎?zhèn)鞲衅魅诤咸准膫鞲衅魅诤纤惴ā?a href="javascript:void(0);" target=_blank>ST表示，其iNEMO引擎能結(jié)合其iNEMO慣性模塊，共同打造完整且可客制化的硬件/軟件多軸MEMS傳感器解決方案，以強化動作并準(zhǔn)確辨識方位。 這些MEMS傳感器供貨商使用專有的軟件庫，目的在鎖定客戶使用其產(chǎn)品；相形之下，Chen表示，SPI公司獨立于硬件之外的傳感器融合軟件在這方面提供了更大的靈活性。 而Massimini認(rèn)為，傳感器融合仍處于早期發(fā)展階段并預(yù)期未來在吸引更多的市場關(guān)注后，將會帶來更多的創(chuàng)新。盡管目前尚未形成有效的競爭格局，Massimini認(rèn)為Movea公司可能成為SPI的潛在對手。 Massimini說，SPI才剛成立進入這一市場之際，Movea公司已經(jīng)為客戶提供解決方案多年了。Movea為移動裝置、平板電腦、互動電視，以及便攜醫(yī)療電子(eHealth)等市場提供與運動響應(yīng)相關(guān)的軟件、固件與半導(dǎo)體IP。目前，Movea已經(jīng)開發(fā)出一款可讓開發(fā)人員用Movea IP模塊建置算法的系統(tǒng)，現(xiàn)正與一家CAD供貨商共同合作，期望開發(fā)出一款可用于設(shè)計ASIC的工具。 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 參考英文原文MEMS' new battleground: Hardware-agnostic sensor fusion?

相關(guān)閱讀：
• 2011消費與移動MEMS廠商TOP10：排名與實力
• 完善供應(yīng)鏈讓MEMS產(chǎn)業(yè)重振雄風(fēng)1H8esmc

{pagination} MEMS' new battleground: Hardware-agnostic sensor fusion? Junko Yoshida 3/26/2012 12:01 AM EDT NEW YORK – As more and more MEMS sensors are showing up in mobile devices, the focus of MEMS design has begun shifting from discrete MEMS components to MEMS sensor data integration. How raw data from multiple sensors is “fused” and “interpreted” makes a noticeable difference in a system’s power consumption and apps performance, according to Ian Chen, executive vice president, Sensor Platforms, Inc., a San Jose, Calif.-based start-up. Keeping that premise as the company mission, Sensor Platforms is rolling out Monday (March 26th) a library of software algorithms and middleware designed, according to company claims, “to interpret users’ contexts and intents” by using data from multiple sensors in mobile devices. Commonly found MEMS sensors in today’s smart phones and tablets include accelerometers, magnetometers, gyroscopes and barometers. The recently published EE Times Confidential’s MEMS Sector Database and Report calls the trend for integration of multiple MEMS sensors “the rise of sensor fusion revolution.” The report points out that one unanswered question confronting today’s MEMS component suppliers and system designers is: “Who will determine the sensor architecture, where the processing will reside and the motherboard-level sensor fusion architecture?” While some companies may integrate all these sensors in a single monolithic device and wrap everything in smart components (although not an easy feat), Sensor Platforms has chosen another approach: offer sensor fusion in software that’s hardware agnostic. The company says that its single code-base software can be used across platforms. It can be run in its entirety on an apps processor, on a sensor hub, or spread over the system. That gives one clear advantage to Sensor Platforms’ software-based sensor fusion, said Chen: flexibility. “Our software allows system designers to pick and choose different supply sources for each sensor. The flexibility in sourcing is critical since these sensors come at different price and performance points.” Another advantage of Sensor Platforms’ software lies in the conservation of sensor power, according to the company. Throwing more sensors into a mobile device is one thing. But how to minimize the associated power consumption is another. Chen noted, “Up to 10mW is added in power consumption when sensors are in use.” Sensor Platforms’ software library, called “FreeMotion Library,” comes with a proprietary algorithm that can “turn off power hungry sensors, like the gyroscope, and emulate its function with lower power sensors when user movements are slow.” That translates into “dropping sensor power consumption by 90 percent,” he added. Then, there is the issue of reliability. Although not broadly advertised, some smart phones’ compass calibration can be off by 90 degrees, according to Chen. “All sensors require frequent calibration to maintain their data quality,” he noted. Sensor Platforms’ FreeMotion Library is built on an architecture that supports reliable sampling, and ongoing cross-sensor calibration to assure reliable sensor information – both for application developers and end users, the company said. In sum, just designing a number of MEMS sensors into one’s system is hardly enough to improve a system’s power consumption, flexibility in system designs, sensor data or reliability and apps’ performance. Tony Massimini, chief of technology at Semico Research, noted: “Now with all this data, how do the system designers fully utilize it? We may be just scratching the surface.” Further, he acknowledged, “The industry is at an early stage. System designers, many new to MEMS, need software development tools.” The need for SDK is not limited to systems designers. It extends to apps developers, who are trying to leverage motion data – collected by sensors in a mobile device – in their new apps. Chen said Sensor Platforms is rolling out the FreeMotion library’s API, so the data produced by its sensor calibration and sensor fusion provides apps developers robust data with better accuracy. Further, Chen said that “apps need information and context about the user, not just the user’s location or changes in his motion or direction.” The FreeMotion software development kit offers “a foundation to extend the type of information that applications can gain from sensor data,” according to Sensor Platforms. Competitive landscape Sensor Platforms’ key competitors are likely to be MEMS sensor component suppliers, who are developing their own sensor fusion software. Earlier this year, Freescale Semiconductor, for example, introduced its own sensor fusion algorithms called Xtrinsic for electronic compass. Electronic compass applications combine magnetometer-provided headings with corrections from inertial sensors that compensate for stray magnetic fields. Freescale is offering its sensor fusion algorithms as a free download for its MEMS sensor users. Meanwhile, STMicroelectronics last fall rolled out its own sensor fusion algorithms called iNEMO Engine Sensor Fusion Suite. According to ST, its iNEMO Engine can be combined with ST’s iNEMO Inertial Modules to create complete and customizable hardware/software multi-axis MEMS sensor solutions for enhanced motion and accurate heading recognition. These MEMS sensor vendors use proprietary libraries to lock customers into their products, explained Sensor Platforms’ Chen, in contrast to his company’s hardware-independent sensor fusion software. Semico’s Massimini, describing sensor fusion as “still at early stages,” expects “more innovation as it draws more attention.” While the competitive landscape remains far from being defined, Massimini mentioned Movea as a potential competitor. “Movea has been delivering solutions for several years while Sensor Platforms is a startup just hitting the market,” he said. Movea is offering motion-responsive software, firmware, and semiconductor IP for markets such as mobile and tablets, Interactive TV and sports and eHealth. Massimini noted, “Movea has developed a system that allows system developers to implement their algorithms using Movea IP blocks. Movea is working with a CAD vendor so the output of this tool can be used to design an ASIC.”