
Pedestrian position tracking sensor saves up to 80% system power
The 3x3x0.95mm chip enables users to take full advantage of pedestrian position tracking with up to 80% saving in system power consumption compared with a typical GNSS-only solution, without compromising on accuracy. The BHI160BP tracks a person’s position by intelligently applying an inertial sensor based algorithm for Pedestrian Dead Reckoning (PDR). To maintain accuracy, it calculates the user’s relative location based on data collected from the inertial sensors and then re-calibrates itself every few minutes to obtain the absolute position provided by the GNSS/GPS module. This means that the GNSS/GPS module can be kept in sleep mode for most of the time, which drastically reduces a device’s power consumption and extends its operating time, typically from several hours up to several days.
The position tracking capability provided by the BHI160BP also means that a device can maintain solid accuracy even when the GNSS signal is blocked or weak, for example near tall buildings or in shielded indoor areas such as subways. While the current configuration is optimized for use with GNSS receivers (such as GPS), the BHI160BP can also support most of the common global localization technologies. As well as improving localization, the BHI160BP can also serve to handle gesture recognition and 3D orientation, with 3D calculations performed by the sensor itself rather than by an application processor. The device draws only 1.3 mA in active operation mode and is claimed to offer the industry’s lowest-power solution to integrate the Fuser Core (MCU) and a 6- axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU).
Bosch Sensortec – www.bosch-sensortec.com
