The MEMS accelerometer, designed for hearables and portable devices, offers voice activity detection, power-saving features, and easy integration.
Space is limited in hearables, smartwatches, and other portable consumer products, so components must be compact. OEMs want plug-and-play step-counters and sensors that are easy to implement without detailed knowledge. Bosch Sensortec has introduced the BMA580, the smallest MEMS accelerometer in the world. It has built-in features for easy design. The BMA580 is designed for hearables with voice activity detection.
The accelerometer is 76% smaller in footprint and reduced in height from 0.95 mm to 0.55 mm compared to Bosch’s current BMA253 accelerometer. This reduction is achieved with an innovative Wafer Level Chip Scale Package (WLCSP). The compact size of the accelerometers allows for easy placement on a PCB, and their integrated features simplify integration for design engineers in portable products.
The accelerometer has introduced innovative voice activity detection and advanced features for hearable devices. Unlike typical microphones in hearables that consume a lot of power by being always-on, the MEMS uses bone conduction to detect voice vibrations and wakes the microphone from sleep, saving overall power. This sensor is unique in combining bone conduction with its small size. It also enables user interaction with hearables, such as answering or ending calls through single, double, or triple taps, using an algorithm in its software.
The new accelerometer is suited for gesture recognition in toys, fall detection in laptops and other devices, and power management functions like putting a smartphone to sleep when not moved.
The accelerometer offers multiple power modes, automatically switching from low-power to high-power modes to extend battery life, and provide flexible connectivity options, including an I3C interface.
“The demand for tiny sensors with ever-increasing performance is growing as the industry moves towards more stylish and minimalist designs that require smaller sensors,” said Stefan Finkbeiner, General Manager and CEO of Bosch Sensortec. “The new BMA530 and BMA580 provide an ultra-compact, fully-featured solution to meet this demand.”
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