PNI公司在日前一場探討 MEMS與傳感器未來發(fā)展的研討會上展示其最新的Sentral Sensor Fusion Hub協(xié)同處理器。這款協(xié)同處理器類似蘋果公司(Apple)日前發(fā)表新款iPhone 5S手機中所搭載的M7運動協(xié)同處理器。 這款微型的Sentral協(xié)同處理器尺寸約僅1.5 x 1.5mm，是專為任何具有運動追蹤功能的移動設(shè)備而設(shè)計的，它就和蘋果的M7一樣，能夠持續(xù)融合來自加速度計、陀螺儀與磁力計的數(shù)據(jù)串流，為任何移動設(shè)備提供精確的位置、方位與航向等資訊。 “我們已經(jīng)采用了搭配自家高精度傳感器的動作處理演算法，使其內(nèi)建于一款通用的協(xié)同處理器芯片中，讓采用各種品牌慣性傳感器的任何行動裝置都能使用，”PNI公司總裁與執(zhí)行長Becky Oh表示。 PNI展示的新款Sentra協(xié)同處理器采用意法半導體的加速度計、陀螺儀與磁加計──根據(jù)先前的拆解報告得知，這和蘋果iPhone 4S采用的是同一品牌的傳感器元件 。

PNI Sensor的Sentral動作傳感器類似蘋果iPhone 5S中所用的M7運動協(xié)同處理器
source：PNI5Uhesmc

在MEMS芯片領(lǐng)域中，意法半導體與博世(Bosch)是彼此間競爭激烈的兩大主導廠商。PNI提供的動作處理融合演算法具有更高精確度，其動作演算法已經(jīng)廣泛應(yīng)用于NASA到任天堂(Nintendo) Wii U GamePad等應(yīng)用中。可惜的是，PNI高精準的非MEMS傳感器對于超薄的智能手機卻過大。因此，有了PNI Sentral 協(xié)同處理器，任何移動設(shè)備制造商都能在精巧的封裝中實現(xiàn)準確的運動檢測演算法。 PNI表示，相較于一般移動設(shè)備中應(yīng)用處理器的運動處理演算法，其Sensor Fusion Hub協(xié)同處理器只需使用不到其1%的功耗，就能執(zhí)行類似的作業(yè)。這是因為PNI的產(chǎn)品采用了專用的狀態(tài)機，而非韌體。9軸自動校正傳感器融合技術(shù)采用專利的卡爾曼(Kalman)濾波器演算法，以提供較韌體能精確的讀數(shù)。 編譯：Susan Hong 參考原文：iPhone 5-Like Motion Processor for Any Mobile Device，by R. Colin Johnson 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載

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{pagination} PNI Sensor Corp. of Santa Rosa, Calif., demonstrated its new Sentral Sensor Fusion Hub coprocessor for the rest of the world this week at the STMicroelectronics Shaping the Future of MEMS and Sensors conference here. The coprocessor is similar to Apple's recently announced M7 "motion coprocessor" chip for the new iPhone 5s. (See: China Is the Only Reason the iPhone 5c Matters.) Designed for any motion-tracking mobile device, the tiny Sentral coprocessor -- measuring just 1.5 by 1.5 by 0.5 millimeters -- constantly fuses the data streams from any accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer (just like Apple's M7) to provide precise location, orientation, and heading information to any mobile device. "We have taken the motion-processing algorithms we use with our own high-precision sensors and put them in a coprocessor chip that any mobile device can use with any brand of inertial sensor," Becky Oh, president and CEO of PNI, told us. At the conference, PNI demonstrated the newly released Sentral coprocessor using ST's accelerometer, gryroscope, and magnetometers -- the same brand of sensors used in Apple's iPhone-4s (according to teardowns). STMicroelectronics is in a dead heat with Bosch for the worldwide lead in the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) chip market. The motion-processing fusion algorithms provided by PNI -- whose motion algorithms are used by everyone from NASA to the Nintendo Wii U GamePad -- up the ante in accuracy. Unfortunately, PNI's high-precision non-MEMS sensors are too big for slim-line smartphones. However, with PNI's Sentral coprocessor, any mobile device maker can get accurate motion-sensing algorithms in a tiny package. PNI says on its website that its Sensor Fusion Hub coprocessor uses less than 1 percent of the power required to run similar motion-processing algorithms on a mobile device's application processor, because it uses a dedicated state machine, rather than firmware. The nine-axis auto-calibrating sensor fusion uses patented Kalman filter algorithms to provide more accurate readings than firmware.

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