At Sensors Expo 2019, Neil Cersell, President of the Cersell Company Inc., explains his company’s magnetic sensors that are available beyond the magnetic actuation market (Pt 1). With the three-wire, solid-state sensor, Cersell solves a rather simple but costly problem. In the North American market, a PNP type is prevalent and in the European market, […]
How do sensors for magnetic sensing applications work? Pt 1
At Sensors Expo 2019, Neil Cersell, President of the Cersell Company Inc., explains his company’s magnetic sensors that are available for magnetic actuation market. The magnetic actuators can be the round line ISO-6432 disposable style, a rectangular box style, tie-rod cylinders, short stroke clamp cylinders and even rotary actuators. All of these designs have a […]
What are the do’s and don’ts of sensor commercialization?
If you have a new sensor or sensor technology that you want to establish in the marketplace, getting some advice from industry experts could prevent you from making mistakes that others have made. The Micro, Nano and Emerging Technologies Commercialization Education Foundation (MANCEF) is an excellent source for experts in this area. MANCEF’s charter is […]
How can data loggers help ensure food and beverage safety?
Just about all areas of the food and beverage industry including commercial kitchens, transportation, storage or food service, require temperature and often humidity monitoring to ensure that the product has been kept within an acceptable range to avoid contamination and bacteria growth. The technology requirements are essentially the same for the sensor in each of […]
What Dev Kits are Available for New Designs?
At Sensors Expo 2019, Marc Hervieu from STMicroelectronics explains different development kits that are available to help designers expedite their design efforts in several areas, including cellular, LoRa and cloud connectivity for the Internet of Things. Working with partners Verizon (ST SIM card) and Quectel (ST LTE modem), the ST Microelectronics / Verizon LTE-M IoT […]
What type of packaging exists for sensing pressure?
At Sensors Expo 2019, Tom Nguyen, CEO of DunAn Sensing, explains innovative packaging for silicon microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) pressure sensor die that does not sacrifice performance. To complement its stable silicon MEMS die, DunAn Sensing is investing in packaging that takes advantage of the stability and adds flexibility without giving up performance in the package. […]
How can you sense tilt to control a robotic arm?
At Sensor Expo 2019, Devon Brock, Manager of Product Knowledge for the Sensor Group within TE Connectivity explains the DOG2 microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) -based inclinometer used to control a robotic arm. The two-axis tilt sensor provides ±90-degree measurements in the x and y axes. In the robotic arm, the inclinometer with its built-in electronic provides […]
What does it take to overcome audio noise?
At Sensor Expo 2019, Edoardo Gallizio from product marketing for MEMS & Sensors in the Americas at STMicroelectronics explains a voice recognition demo using sensor fusion that was development in conjunction with partner bdSound. The system is a reference design that uses ST’s MP23DB01HP digital microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphone and the LIS25BA audio accelerometer to […]
How does a finger unlock a door?
At Sensor Expo 2019, Marcia Ratton from TDK InvenSense demonstrates how the UltraPrint Sensor (TCFS-3000) precisely identifies a finger print. Integrated into a door lock, the image from the sensor is displayed on a screen to demonstrate the clarity and details of the image. The ultrasonic fingerprint imaging uses proprietary InvenSense, a TDK Group company, […]
What does complete predictive machine maintenance look like?
At Sensor Expo 2019, Edoardo Gallizio from product marketing for MEMS & Sensors in the Americas at STMicroelectronics demonstrates a complete predictive maintenance reference design. Multiple sensors are part of the monitoring where some sensors are mounted directly on a spinning wheel to continuously measure vibration. The sensors gather the data, a microprocessor accesses the […]
What happens when the earth moves?
At Sensors Expo 2019, Satya Dixit from Applications and Systems Engineering at Rohm Semiconductor explains the capabilities and applications for an earthquake sensor module. The earthquake detection module (BP3901) has correctly detected 200 out of 205 previous cases of seismic events. Waveform differences between a seismic event and an external event such as a collision […]
How can you improve the next-generation IMU?
At Sensors Expo 2019, Lou Thaddeo, the Director of Business Development for Thales Visionix Inc. discusses how Visionix’s newest NavChip Series 3 inertial measurement unit (IMU) plays a critical role in helmet mounted displays for pilot head tracking and other applications. The 6-axis (3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope) IMU implements enhanced performance over NavChip Series […]
How does sensor fusion improve an alarm system?
At Sensors Expo 2019, Tanja Hofner, a Principal Hardware Engineer for RF and Sensors in Infineon’s Power Management and Multimarket segment explains the operation of the company’s Integrated Alarm System demo. The demo uses two Infineon sensors: the digital XENSIV IM69D130 microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphone and a DPS310 digital barometric pressure sensor as well as […]
What sensors can be used in an AC system?
At Sensors Expo 2019, Devin Brock, Manager of Product Knowledge and Training for Sensors Solutions at TE Connectivity, explains the numerous opportunities for a variety of sensors in an air conditioning (AC) system. The working table top heating ventilating and AC (HVAC) system from New Product Innovations has wired and wireless sensors from TE Connectivity […]
How can solar provide power to the IoT?
At Sensors Expo 2019, Ben Lanail, Director of Business Development at Alta Devices, explains how his company’s thin-film solar voltaic cells can provide power for a variety of devices and applications, including the Internet of Things (IoT). Made from wide band gap (WBG) gallium arsenide (GaAs), the cells have very good light to electricity conversion […]
How can an RTC feature stabilize an image sensor’s output?
At Sensors Expo 2019 in San Jose, CA, Sahil Choudhary, a product marketing manager at InvenSense, demonstrates how the real-time clock (RTC) feature in his company’s 6-axis (accelerometer and gyroscope) sensors provides accuracy and stabilization for critical imaging applications. For a specific device frequency, say 10 Hz, the RTC input ensures that the 10 Hz […]
What makes a winning sensor?
At Sensor Expo 2019 in San Jose, CA, Travis Taylor, an Associate MTS at Maxim Integrated, demonstrates the Health Sensor Platform 2.0 that won the Sensors Expo 2019 Innovative Product of the Year Award. It can measure electrocardiogram (ECG), optical heart rate and temperature. In addition to its wrist-worn display, the measured information can be […]
How can you achieve a low power sensor node?
At Sensors Expo 2019 in San Jose, CA, Chet Jewan, Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Eta Compute, describes the demos in his booth. The sensor node consists of the Eta Compute ECM3531 application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a ROHM Semiconductor RF device and sensors – all running off of a small solar […]
What’s missing from many smart homes today?
In the home of the future, many different types of sensors will allow the owner and authorized users to activate several functions remotely. To avoid unauthorized users from accessing these systems and even gaining entry into the home, security must be designed in. At Sensors Expo 2019 in San Jose, Steve Hanna from Infineon who […]
What information does a proximal flow sensor provide?
At Sensors Expo 2019 in San Jose, CA, Lucas Tschuor, Head of Field Application Engineering at Sensirion, explains how his company’s proximal flow sensor is used in respiratory applications with the help of a teddy bear. With a very sensitive device, breathing cycles can be detected and help the patient breathe providing an ideal sensor […]
How can you have touchless touch sensing?
At Sensors Expo 2019 in San Jose, CA, Håkan Persson, CEO of Neonode Inc., demonstrates touchless sensing using his company’s vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) technology. Neonode’s zForce® (zero force) patented optical sensing technology uses infrared light, invisible to the human eye to provide a holographic touch screen, essentially making air touchable. The holographic design consists […]
How can lasers be used for touch sensing?
At Sensors Expo 2019 in San Jose, CA, Bengt Edlund, the Vice President of Distribution & Partner Sales for Neonode Inc. demonstrates the touch sensing capabilities that Neonode’s ZForce AIR sensor module can provide to non-glass surfaces. The laser light based touch sensor provides a unique approach to increasingly common touch sensing applications and enables […]
How can picture-like images be obtained from LiDAR?
At Sensors Expo 2019, Steve Ehrsam, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Innovusion, explains how extensive details can be observed in the Innovusion Cheetah LiDAR system. Providing image-grade or picture-like images from 300 lines of angular resolution, the system can see cars over 270 meters away, detect small objects and even read signage. The […]
How do you get your sensing idea into production?
If the idea is already in the design phase, you may just be looking for a company that will manufacturer (fabricate or fab) your device. The choice of a fab involves different criteria including, of course, cost. In addition to the wafer fabrication packaging is also a major consideration. A fab process that allows wafer […]
How do you know that the temperature was always controlled in a shipping container?
With state-of-the-art tracking telematics technology and a wide variety of sensors, a logistic service that provides ship, train and roadway/trucking and, in some cases, air transportation can literally track the container and monitor its contents from the shipping dock to the final destination. One company that provides data and services for the supply chain industry, […]