MEMS device claims complete inertial measurement

When used with a magnetometer (compass), the MPU-6000 forms a complete inertial measurement unit (IMU), according to the MEMS vendor. An integral motion processor core on the chip includes algorithms to fuse the outputs from the accelerometer, gyro and magnetometer to provide nine-degree-of-freedom functionality for applications including smart phones, touchscreen tablets, 3D TV remote controls, gaming consoles, DSCs and video cameras.

The stakes are huge, according Steven Nasiri, founder, chairman and CEO, Invensense, claiming that over 1 billion combined accelerometer and gyroscope units will be sold next year, and more than 1.4 billion by 2013.

According to analysts, Invensense worked with Apple Inc. during the development of its own integrated motion processing capabilities for the iPhone 4, but lost the contract to STMicroelectronics NV over concerns that a small company like Invensense—with projected sales of about $80 million in 2010—would be unable to meet demand. Invensense claims that it has included in the MPU-6000 all the algorithms for motion processing that Apple's iPhone 4 has, plus many more capabilities that will not be in Apple phones until future upgrades—including image stabilization for both still and video cameras. Invensense also claims it has filled in the gaps in its supply chain that now enable it to meet worldwide demand from even the largest vendors.

Over a billion MEMS gyros will be sold in 2011, rising to over 1.4 billion by 2013, according to Invensense.

1???2??