Supplier Spotlight - InvenSense | Symmetry Blog

Each week, we'll be showcasing one of our suppliers from our line card and what distinguishes them from the competition. This week's supplier is InvenSense, a global provider of MEMS sensor platforms found in Mobile, Wearables, Smart Home, Industrial, and Automotive products.

Who is InvenSense?

InvenSense, a TDK Group Company, is a world-leading provider of MEMS sensor platforms found in Mobile, Wearables, Smart Home, Industrial, and Automotive products. The company’s patented Fabrication Platform, MotionFusion® technology, audio solutions, and location software and services addresses the emerging need of many mass-market consumer applications via improved performance, accuracy, and intuitive motion-, gesture- and sound-based interfaces.

In May of 2017, InvenSense became part of the MEMS Sensors Business Group within the newly formed Sensor Systems Business Company of TDK Corporation. TDK currently focuses on three market segments: automotive, industrial equipment & energy, and information & communications technology (ICT). As part of its strategy for growth in these key areas, TDK has identified sensors and actuators, energy units and next-generation electronic components as three product areas for strategic growth aimed at unlocking new business opportunities in the sphere of the Internet of Things (IoT). Sensors are viewed as an important IoT-enabling technology, and sensor products and the technology portfolio of TDK will expand dramatically as a result of its acquisition of InvenSense.

Founded in 2003, InvenSense is headquartered in San Jose, California and has offices in Boston, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, France, Canada, Slovakia and Italy.

What are their most popular products? 

MotionTracking solutions are rapidly becoming key functions in every consumer electronics device as it provides a more intuitive way for consumers to interact with their electronic devices by tracking their motions in free space and delivering these motions as input commands. Audio is similarly becoming complementary to motion as a means for interacting with contextually aware devices and applications. InvenSense’s vision is to be the leading provider of sensor Systems on Chips (SoC) platform solutions providing an ‘AlwaysOn’ solution by enabling the most seamless sensing experience at the lowest power.

InvenSense’s microphone portfolio builds on a strong heritage of industry firsts, including continuous improvement of MEMS microphone SNR, ever-higher integration levels, and even lower power consumption. InvenSense combines the capability to sense audio along with cutting-edge motion detection, which is important for many contextual awareness applications.

InvenSense’s MotionTracking portfolio of products and services accurately tracks complex user motions, requiring the use of motion sensors such as gyroscopes, accelerometers, compasses, and pressure sensors, properly calibrating the data, and then fusing the sensor outputs into a single and accurate data stream for use by motion applications. InvenSense delivers turn-key solutions with fully integrated MotionTracking devices, robust MotionFusion algorithms, and in-use calibration firmware. The company’s patented fabrication process is the key technology which enables direct integration of MEMS mechanical structures with CMOS electronics at the wafer level.

How do their products help your design?

InvenSense MotionTracking technology is comprised of five core proprietary elements: the Fabrication process, advanced MEMS motion sensor designs, application specific mixed-signal circuitry for sensor signal processing, MotionFusion algorithms and calibration firmware that intelligently assimilates data from multiple sensors for use by end applications, and the MotionApps™ platform of drivers and application programming interfaces (APIs). Although all five elements are critical to providing a complete MotionProcessing solution, the patented Fabrication platform is the core differentiating technology. As a result of our modular and scalable platform architecture, our current and planned products span increasing levels of integration, from standalone single-chip gyroscopes to fully integrated sensor system on chip (SoC) MotionTracking solutions.

Looking to integrate InvenSense products with your design? Our Applications Engineers offer free design and technical help for your latest designs. Contact us today!