Date: 07/06/2012

Integrated sensor solution from Freescale for portable devices based on the Windows 8 OS

Freescale Semiconductor has announced its support of Microsoft Windows 8 sensor requirements with a fully enabled 12-axis sensor development reference platform.
General availability for the Freescale platform is planned for Q3 2012.

"In the extremely competitive and fast-paced mobile computing market, customers need comprehensive, quickly deployable solutions," said Seyed Paransun vice president and general manager of Freescale's Sensor & Actuator solutions division. "Freescale's sensor solution for Windows 8-based portable devices is engineered to dramatically reduce system complexity by seamlessly providing critical hardware and software components, thereby enabling customers to rapidly apply their distinct differentiation and unleash unbounded user experiences."

The Xtrinsic MMA8451Q 3-axis accelerometer, Xtrinsic MAG3110 3-axis magnetometer, Xtrinsic MPL3115A2 precision altimeter, pressure and temperature sensor and an analog ambient light sensor are included in the Freescale 12-axis sensor platform. The platform supports a selection of compatible gyroscopes. Integration of Freescale's ColdFire+ MCF51JU128VHS microcontroller is an added advantage. The ColdFire device acts as a sensor hub and couples with Freescale sensor fusion software to efficiently combine, configure and process the sensor data to the requirements of the Windows 8 operating system. The reference platform communicates with the host PC via USB using standard HID drivers.

The Freescale 12-axis sensor reference platform leverages the strengths of the individual sensors to synthesize data such as motion, location, ambient light and human proximity into an integrated whole, resulting in more accurate, reliable and sensitive device performance. The platform offloads sensor fusion tasks from the host processor to the Freescale sensors.

"Achieving successful sensor fusion is increasingly essential as the number of sensors in mobile devices continues to rise," said Jérémie Bouchaud, director and senior principal analyst, MEMS and Sensors at IHS. "Smart sensor fusion is especially critical for devices combining an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a compass. By 2016 IHS estimates that 1.2 billion handsets, tablets and laptops will be equipped with these three sensors together, up from 249 million in 2011."