BMI260 is a family of Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) for Smartphone, launched by Bosch Sensortec. It consists in three sensors, BMI260, BMI261 and BMI263, with an extensive range of features, including full AndroidTM compliance, an I3CSM interface, and support for sensor synchronization. This IMU family is equipped with a high-performance accelerometer and provide highly accurate step counting, motion detection and precise data to support indoor SLAM. The BMI260 IMU family supplies an intelligent power management system enabling all always-on features to run inside the ultra-low power domain.
IMUs able to accelerate testing and manufacturing processes
Each device includes a primary and secondary interface that can be configured independently in I²C or SPI. This enables dual SPI configuration, camera modules or auxiliary sensor connections, for example a magnetometer. Each device includes the industry’s first motionless Component Retrimming (CRT) feature for built-in gyroscope self-calibration. This eliminates the need to calibrate the sensitivity of the MEMS gyroscope using a rotation stimulus. This plug-and-play feature promises to accelerate testing and manufacturing processes to further reduce cost and time-to-market for device makers.
IMUs with OIS and EIS features
The BMI2160 family owns powerful OIS and EIS features. Low latency, minimal group delays (max. about 600 μs) and high-precision time stamps (accuracy about 40 μs) substantially improve photo and video quality for end users. Dual SPI interfaces enable a single IMU to serve two SPI-based modules, supporting stereo or 3D camera operation. Using the BMI260 family on the mainboard enables congruent HMI and OIS functions, such as stabilized panorama photo panning and action video tagging.
IMUs which can keep power consumption low
Power consumption is kept very low, helping to noticeably prolong smartphone battery life and reduce charging cycles for end users. At a full output data rate (ODR) of up to 6.4 kHz, the typical current draw for both the accelerometer and gyroscope is kept at a level of 700 μA. By enabling high output data rates with low current consumption, smartphone manufacturers can avoid compromising their designs with unpleasant aliasing effects – an effect that causes different signals to become indistinguishable when sampled at lower ODRs.
