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Motion/Velocity/Displacement

InvenSense Unveils MPU for Smartphones

January 26, 2010

Single-chip integrated motion processing unit (MPU) with digital 3-axis gyro and built-in sensor fusion enables concurrent operation of location based services, 3D gaming, image stabilization and gesture recognition.


SUNNYVALE, CA -- InvenSense, Inc., the number one supplier of MEMS gyroscopes[1] for motion processing solutions in consumer electronics, announced the MPU-3000 family of motion processing units. The MPU-3000 features the industry's first 3-axis gyroscope with an embedded Digital Motion Processor (DMP) hardware accelerator engine. Today's multi-purpose smartphones require a small, low-power gyro to provide wide bandwidth for motion-based gaming as well as high sensitivity and low noise performance for navigation assistance, video and still image stabilization and accurate gesture user interface control. The MPU-3000 provides a series of industry first features for complete motion processing in smartphones including the widest range of motions from 250° to >2000°/s, built-in 16-bit ADCs, programmable digital filters, factory calibration to 1% sensitivity, built-in 6-axis sensor fusion, and 13 mW of power consumption.

With a 4x4x0.9mm footprint and I2C or SPI digital interfaces, the MPU-3000 family is the first product of its kind to address handset requirements. The MPU-3000 extends the traditional inertial sensor architecture with the industry's first embedded Digital Motion Processor (DMP). The DMP, together with an embedded FIFO, offloads high-frequency motion algorithm computation from the host application processor, reducing interrupts and host MIPS to improve overall system performance. The MPU-3000 also integrates a secondary I2C interface to link an external accelerometer to the DMP, another first in the product category. This enables the DMP to perform 6-axis sensor fusion on output from the gyroscope and accelerometer and report quaternion output to the handset application processor, offloading the host from sensor timing synchronization and sensor fusion computation. Other features of the MPU-3000 include internal clock generation, an embedded temperature sensor, programmable interrupts, and an FSYNC pin for synchronizing image, video and GPS data.

"The accelerometer introduced consumers to motion sensing in the mobile handset, but the introduction of motion processing with the 3-axis gyro will provide a critical differentiator for smartphone manufacturers as they battle to deliver the next "must have" phone in this $115 billion market," said Will Strauss, Principal, Forward Concepts. "The multi-function motion processors from InvenSense will provide for vast application possibilities in next generation phones that translate to premium revenue opportunities from both the handset and application store as it redefines how we interface with our phones."

The key enabling technology behind the small size and high performance of the MPU-3000 is the company's patented and volume-proven Nasiri-Fabrication platform, which directly integrates MEMS mechanical structures and CMOS electronics at the wafer level enabling the industry's lowest noise specification of 0.03°/s/√Hz, lowest power consumption, and smallest package size. Leveraging its 8 in. fabrication platform and its in-house automated test and calibration facilities in Taiwan, the MPU-3000 is designed to support the high volume requirements of the handset market.

"We have worked for the past several years to deliver a motion processing solution specific to the size, power and diverse application requirements of the handset market," said Joseph Jiang, vice president of the handheld business unit at InvenSense. "The MPU-3000 family is a technological breakthrough that fully leverages our expertise in gyroscope and mixed-signal design, MEMS fabrication, and high volume test and calibration to deliver a truly unique solution to the market."

The MPU-3000 family is available now for sampling by select qualified customers with mass production in Q2 2010. The MPU-3000 is priced under $4 and is aimed at enabling every smartphone with its unique functionality.

(1) iSuppli, MEMS Market Brief, December 2009

About InvenSense
InvenSense is the leader in consumer motion processing solutions, with proven technology and products shipped in millions of units monthly to customers worldwide. The company's patented motion processing technology and volume-proven Nasiri-Fabrication platform address the emerging needs of many mass-market consumer applications such as gaming, mobile handsets, image stabilization and remote controls that require improved performance, enhanced features, and new and more intuitive motion and gesture-based user-interface solutions. InvenSense is a privately held company with headquarters located in Sunnyvale, CA.






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