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If we rotate our smartphone from horizontal to vertical position , the picture also rotates with it. Ever wonder how this happens???....you will be surprised to know that it’s not Apple or Samsung’s Engineers that make it happen. This niche technology is controlled by niche tech companies like Invensense (INVN). Following post gives the overview of the technology behind this niche market and how Invenses’s core competence is helping it thrive in this space.
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First let us look at this great video that explains a simple question -
How a Smartphone Knows Up from Down
THE BUSINESS CYCLE : The largest customer segment for this technology are the Smartphone manufacturers. For every new Smartphone model , the Smartphone company invites all its vendors to present their designs for the respective areas. For instance when Samsung was designing its Galaxy S5 line of product it might have invited Invensense and ST Microelectronics to present their designs for Accelerometer / Gyroscope component. Invensese won the design and got the order to supply the sensors for that model. Thus depending on the success of Samsung Galaxy’s S5 product line Invenses’s sales of sensors will be affected. Economics of this business : The companies need to invest substantial resources towards R&D to develop their own technology before they can market it . To make things worse , they need to be extremely agile in the cost front because their customers expect the costs to come down over a certain period of time. Any upturn in the semiconductor or consumer electronics industries could result in increased competition for access to the third-party foundry and assembly capacity on which these companies are dependent to manufacture and assemble their products. None of the third-party foundry or assembly contractors can provide assurances on the capacity, hence the companies like Invenses have to live with this risk. The competition is in the last mile. In this case its to do with the apps that increase the value of the sensor’s functionality for any smartphone producer. Over the last decade, advances in technology have led to a rapid growth and proliferation of consumer electronics devices used for communication, entertainment, convenience and business that include sensor technology. In order to differentiate products and increase sales in intensely competitive markets, consumer electronics device manufacturers have been eager to adopt new sensor device based features and functionalities, expand use cases and create new, compelling user interfaces and interactive experiences using technologies, such as touch screen and, more recently, voice-controlled and motion-based functions. Most mass market smartphone manufacturers have successfully introduced consumers to motion-based features which enables gaming, navigation and health and fitness applications. More advanced motion sensing and voice and motion processing capabilities facilitate motion-based video gaming, voice and motion based device control, navigation, health and fitness and advanced display functionality have become a part of the standard feature set of smartphone, tablet and wearable devices. These capabilities are also being incorporated into a range of other consumer electronics devices. The momentum behind the adoption of motion interfaces in consumer electronics and other applications illustrates how technology can change the way consumers interact with their electronics devices, as well as set consumer expectations for future consumer products. Key MEMS Based Motion and Audio Sensors Sensors that are able to detect motion in three-dimensional space have been commercially available for several decades and have been used in automobiles, aircraft and ships. Use of MEMS based audio sensors has grown significantly in the consumer electronics markets. While the size, power consumption, cost, manufacturing methods, calibration requirements, audio performance and other design complexities involved with MEMS motion and MEMS audio sensors has historically limited their mass adoption in consumer electronics. The following five principal types of motion and also audio sensors are important for motion interface in free space and a positive consumer audio experience: Accelerometers (G-sensors) measure linear acceleration and tilt angle. Single and multi-axis accelerometers detect the combined magnitude and direction of linear, rotational and gravitational acceleration. They can be used to provide limited motion sensing functionality. For example, a device with an accelerometer can detect rotation from vertical to horizontal state in a fixed location. As a result, accelerometers are primarily used for simple motion sensing applications in consumer devices, such as changing the screen of a mobile device from portrait to landscape orientation. Gyroscopes (Gyros) measure the angular rate of rotational movement about one or more axes. Gyroscopes can measure complex motion accurately in free space, tracking the position and rotation of a moving object. In contrast, accelerometers primarily detect the fact that an object has moved or is moving in a particular direction. Unlike accelerometers and compasses, gyroscopes are not affected by errors related to external environmental factors, such as gravitational and magnetic fields. Hence, gyroscopes greatly enhance the responsiveness of the motion sensing capabilities in devices and are used for advanced motion sensing applications in consumer devices, such as full gesture recognition, movement detection and motion simulation. Magnetic Sensors (Compasses) detect magnetic fields and measure their absolute position relative to Earth’s magnetic north and nearby magnetic materials. Information from magnetic sensors can also be used to correct errors from other motion sensors, such as gyroscopes. One example of how compass sensors are used in consumer devices is reorienting a displayed map to match up with the general direction a user is facing. Many smartphones and tablet devices have begun incorporating compasses to enable enhanced gaming and location-based applications. Pressure Sensors (Barometers) measure relative and absolute altitude through the analysis of changing atmospheric pressure. Pressure sensors can be used in consumer devices for sports and fitness or location-based applications where information can be used for elevations or floor-specific location. Audio Sensors (Microphones) detect audible sound, as well as ultrasound in some use cases. The audio signal received by a microphone is delivered to circuits that convert it to a digital signal to be processed, transmitted, played back or stored. Microphones are used in devices like mobile phones, digital still and video cameras, laptops, headsets, smart watches, remote controls and even industrial applications. Multiple microphones are often used in mobile phones to ensure high quality pick up of the desired audio signal. INVENSENSE’ S CORE COMPETENCE : The foundation of their MotionTracking devices is their patented fabrication platform, which enables integration of standard MEMS with CMOS (also known as CMOS-MEMS) in a small, cost-effective wafer-level solution. Combining a MEMS wafer with an industry standard CMOS wafer reduces the number of MEMS manufacturing steps, and enables wafer-level testing, and the use ofThe foundation of their MotionTracking devices is their patented fabrication platform, which enables integration of standard MEMS with CMOS (also known as CMOS-MEMS) in a small, cost-effective wafer-level solution. Combining a MEMS wafer with an industry standard CMOS wafer reduces the number of MEMS manufacturing steps, and enables wafer-level testing, and the use of wafer-level packaging, thereby reducing back-end costs of packaging and testing and improving overall product yield and performance. In addition to their CMOS-MEMS process, they have developed low-cost, high-throughput proprietary test and calibration systems, which further reduces back-end costs. They have pioneered a technological breakthrough in high-volume manufacturing of low-cost, high-performance MEMS motion processors. Combining this unique high-volume fabrication capability with their other core proprietary technologies, they are able to deliver our MotionTracking devices with industry-leading integration and cost-effectiveness. Fabrication platform enables the integration of multiple motion sensors, such as gyroscopes and accelerometers, on a single chip with processing capability. Their latest generation of MotionTracking devices have both an embedded three-axis gyroscope and three-axis accelerometer on the same chip, enabling integrated six-axis motion interface functionality. As a result of integrating multiple sensors, their products can eliminate the traditional calibration steps required with discrete solutions as well as offload the intensive motion interface computation requirements from the host processor. Over time, they believe they can integrate more advanced features and functionalities into their solution. Most MEMS devices are manufactured in proprietary in-house fabrication facilities utilizing numerous fabrication steps, esoteric substrates and MEMS-specific manufacturing processes that are not compatible for integration with standard CMOS fabrication processes. Their patented fabrication process allows them to utilize a fabless business model without relying on specialty foundries for MEMS manufacturing. Their fabless model enables cost-effective, high-volume production and provides them with the flexibility to quickly react to their customers’ needs. Additionally, their ability to perform wafer-level testing combined with our close collaborative relationships with third-party foundries enables them to better control the manufacturing process and product yields, resulting in lower cost and improved device performance and reliability. Their Audio technology includes three core components: MEMS elements designed specifically for high-quality audio sensing; ASICs—the circuits that take the raw sensor output and process it for transmission; and packaging technology, which is a very important part of the acoustic design of the microphone. InvenSense is one of the few microphone suppliers that develops all three components of the entire microphone, giving them better control of the overall acoustic system. This advantage allows them to better support their customers’ needs and deliver differentiated products to market. I have also found that Invensense is not just a hardware company. It has actively collaborated with Google in helping it develop Android’s capabilities towards developing applications related to motion sensors. Their MotionApps platform enables device manufacturers with limited motion interface experience to rapidly incorporate higher level motion-enabled applications in their products. Following is a 45 minute video where David Sachs from Invensese gives a talk "Sensor Fusion on Android Devices" NOTE : The video was developed in Aug-2010, so the content might seem old, but the basic concepts discussed are still relevant and it showcases Invensense's ability to collaborate with Google. Click here to view the video. |
