Press Release
June 20 , 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
INVENSENSE ENABLES SIMPLER HANDSET USER INTERFACES
WITH MINIATURE MOTION SENSING SOLUTION
Tiny Embedded Dual-Axis Gyro Uses Hand Motion to Enable Intuitive Gesture-Based Commands for Mobile Applications
SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 20, 2006 – InvenSense, the leading provider of motion sensing solutions for mobile applications, today announced a gyroscope-based solution for handsets that can enable easier and more intuitive user interaction through hand motions.
Motion sensing has taken on significant importance in mobile devices as users seek easier and more intuitive ways of interacting with a growing assortment of fixed and mobile media, from small-screen mobile handsets with web browsers and speed dialers to music players, and even large-screen video games. Using hand gestures or body motion to navigate and control 2-D and 3-D digital space offers a natural and more universal interface tool as well as a more enjoyable user experience.
The importance of motion sensing for consumer applications has been validated by large gaming manufacturers such as Sony™ and Nintendo™, who recently announced autumn deliveries of game controllers that can sense six degrees of freedom. However, even the latest IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) systems are typically composed of multiple components packaged together that are not practical or cost-effective enough for integration into tightly packed mobile handset circuitry.
Already the world’s smallest solution in a 6mm x 6mm package, InvenSense’s IDG-300™ gyroscope is also the first integrated dual-axis solution to meet the size, performance, and price requirements of the mobile market. The device combines moving microscopic mechanical structures (MEMS) with electronics to measure rotation in a single die that includes on-chip calibration. Cost-effective integration and manufacture is achieved by InvenSense’s patented method of sealing MEMS and CMOS wafers together prior to dicing the chips. The IDG-300, which can measure more than 400 degrees of rotation per second, is currently in production and is priced at less than $3 in high-volume consumer quantities.
“The large number of mobile devices with different user interfaces can be very challenging and frustrating for the consumer – we are forced to learn keyboards, buttons, styluses, trackballs and joysticks,” said Steve Nasiri, president and CEO of InvenSense. “By enabling an intelligent and intuitive user interface using natural hand movements, the IDG-300 gyroscope can do for mobile equipment what the mouse did for the PC industry.”
Traditional approaches lacking
All current IMU techniques suffer in response and performance compared to a dual-axis, gyroscope-based device. One approach is to combine a three-axis accelerometer and three single-axis gyroscope devices. Another approach uses three-axis accelerometers and three-axis magnetic compass sensors.
Accelerometer data is complex and difficult to interpret without the aid of a gyroscope, and compass sensors are easily corrupted by magnetic noise. The software filters that are required to extract usable information from these systems can create delays and distortions that reduce motion sensing to a rudimentary version of what could be achieved with gyroscopes.
IDG-300 offers greater speed and accuracy for mobile device market
Multi-axis gyroscopes offer the ideal solution for enabling a high-performance IMU platform, by providing a fast and accurate ability to measure absolute rotation in free space. However, up until now, no gyroscope product has offered the size or integration necessary to capture the consumer market.
InvenSense’s IDG-300 dual-axis gyroscope die, measuring 3.5mm x 3.5mm x 1mm, combined with an off-the-shelf three-axis accelerometer, can be packaged together to enable a tiny, integrated and low-cost five-axis motion sensing solution. Furthermore, this configuration, when combined with an external Z-axis gyroscope, offers a complete IMU solution suitable for many other consumer applications. Such a complete configuration is not economically possible using other solutions available today, but will be possible in the future with InvenSense’s technology.
About InvenSense
InvenSense is the leading provider of motion sensing solutions for mobile applications. The company’s motion sensing technology addresses emerging mass-market applications such as image stabilization, mobile navigation, location-based services and smart user interfaces that use hand motion and gesture-based commands. InvenSense obtained series A funding of $8 million from leading Silicon Valley venture firms in 2004. InvenSense’s corporate offices are located in Santa Clara, Calif. More information can be found at www.InvenSense.com.
For more information contact:
InvenSense Inc.
Daniel Goehl
408.988.7339 x103
dgoehl@invensense.com
Camelia Bobic
408.988.7339 x130
cbobic@InvenSense.com
The IDG-300 is a trademark of Invensense. Sony and Nintendo are trademarks of the Sony Corporation and Nintendo Co., Ltd., respectively.