Barometric pressure sensor platform delivers ultra-low power consumption

Announcing worldwide availability of the InvenSense ICP-20100 platform, TDK Corp.’s new generation of MEMS barometric pressure sensor platform combines a barometric pressure sensor and a temperature sensor in a 2.0 × 2.0 × 0.8-mm package. This small device targets smart phones, tablets, drones, and smart home appliances.

Thanks to a capacitive MEMS architecture, the InvenSense SmartPressure family delivers lower power consumption and lower noise than competing pressure sensors technologies, said TDK. The ICP-20100, the newest member of the pressure sensor platform, improves on the accuracy, long term drift, and temperature stability of the product family.

The combo sensor solution monitors pressure changes in the range of 30 to 110 kPa and delivers accurate temperature measurements. The ICP-20100 claims the industry’s lowest pressure noise of 0.4 Pa RMS and lowest power consumption of 1.0 µA. It also offers excellent temperature stability with a temperature coefficient of ±0.5 Pa/°C.

The device offers multiple input voltage levels including 1.2 V, 1.8 V and 3.3 V, and a choice of I²C, I3CSM, and SPI interfaces for greater design flexibility. The operating temperature range is -40°C to 85°C.

The device can be configured to achieve ultra-low-noise or ultra-low-power performance as well as in-between those specifications. With ultra-low-noise pressure sensing capabilities, the ICP-20100 can detect altitude changes of less than 5 cm. The sensor helps extend battery life for always-on applications due to its “extreme” low-power consumption, said the company.

The ICP-20100 pressure sensor can operate over wide temperature ranges and deliver measurement accuracies required by a variety of applications, including 3D geolocation and emergency location service (E911), mobile indoor/outdoor navigation, sport and fitness activity tracking, and altitude-hold in drones.

Sampling now, the ICP-20100 is available in a 10-pin LGA package. A development kit (DK-20100) and evaluation platform are available along with necessary software.