Opening of the Renningen research campus - three ways sensors can improve energy consumption in mobile devices
- Cutting-edge Bosch sensor technology key to reducing energy used in wearables
- Three approaches have been developed by Bosch's Renningen and Palo Alto research centres
- In the future, everyday objects will be equipped with sensors to learn information about its environment and user
Bosch has identified three ways in which it can help improve the battery life of mobile devices and wearables, using its expertise in MEMS sensor technology. Until now, battery capacity in devices such as smart phones, smart watches and augmented reality glasses has not been good enough to keep sensors supplied with power.
Bosch sensor expert, Dr. Franz Lärmer and his team at Renningen have joined forces with Bosch researchers in Palo Alto, Silicon Valley to pursue three different approaches.
The first approach: energy can be harvested from changes in ambient pressure, vibration, or temperature. As part of the publicly funded joint project 9D-Sense, Bosch is working with partners to research this kind of energy harvesting. Tiny rechargeable batteries can store even the most minuscule amounts of energy gathered in this way to provide sensors with power over a long period of time, maintenance free.
The second approach: sensors can be programmed to gather and transmit their data only when absolutely necessary. If a smartphone is lying still on a table, for example, its sensors do not need to be active.
The third approach: Bosch has developed the world’s smallest and most energy-efficient sensor unit. The contents of the BMI160’s tiny housing, which measures 2.5 x 3.0 x 0.8 millimeters, include an accelerometer and a yaw-rate sensor (gyroscope). In a smartphone, the sensor unit measures things such as position. It can also be found in tablet computers and smart watches. In full operational mode, the BMI160’s typical power consumption amounts to a mere 950 microamperes, which is less than half the market standard, as well as a world record. This and other Bosch sensors can be found in three-quarters of all smartphones in the world today.
Larmer said: “The key challenge in the ongoing development of our MEMS sensors is their energy consumption. For example, more intelligence in sensors makes it possible for us to reduce energy consumption.”
Although they are only as small as a pin head, they are changing everyday life in many fields: tiny Bosch micromechanical sensors. In fitness wristbands, they measure physical activity and help people achieve better health and well-being. In cars, sensors identify dangerous situations and instantly alert the control electronics to keep the vehicle on the road. Because sensors detect the earth’s gravity, smartphones can change their screen orientation to suit users’ needs.
Bosch is the world’s leading manufacturer of MEMS sensors (micro-electromechanical systems). Since the start of production in 1995, the company has manufactured more than 6 billion of them. “The key challenge in the ongoing development of our MEMS sensors is their energy consumption. For example, more intelligence in sensors makes it possible for us to reduce energy consumption,” says Dr. Franz Lärmer, a Bosch sensor expert. It is hard to put a number on the many potential applications of sensors. They are a key technology for the internet of things (IoT).
Every object capable of gathering information
Almost all everyday objects are likely to be equipped with sensors in the future, allowing them to gather information about itself and its environment. As a result, the potential applications of these objects will increase tremendously
By measuring atmospheric pressure, one sensor in a wearable can determine which floor of a building the wearer is located on, while another sensor registers every movement the wearer makes. Together with the data from a tiny heart-rate sensor, which is attached to the user’s skin, the sensor automatically transmits a fitness profile containing information about things such as changes in heart rate while climbing stairs. If desired, a smartphone app can transmit the profile to a trainer.
Applications related to early screening and diagnosis are also conceivable. “Changes in how people move can be an early sign of conditions such as dementia or postural defects. They could be measured in a similar way using MEMS sensors. This would allow us to diagnose and treat illnesses at the earliest possible stage,” Lärmer says. “There is no end in sight to the wide range of possible applications of connected sensors. Our research examines these possibilities.”
At its new research centre in Renningen near Stuttgart, Bosch is working on the future of these tiny components. It wants to make them even smaller and more energy efficient, paving the way for new applications.
Animation
How an acceleration sensor works:
http://videoportal.bosch-presse.de/en/clip/_/-/-/Acceleration-sensor-how-it-works
How a pressure sensor works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXIeqeT_FC8
How a MEMS gyroscope works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsjvaYAFN1M
Internet
Bosch Sensortec:
https://www.bosch-sensortec.com/
Information about Franz Lärmer:
http://www.bosch-presse.de/presseforum/details.htm?txtID=3093
Details about BMI160:
http://www.bosch-presse.de/presseforum/details.htm?txtID=6916
Five billion Bosch MEMS sensors:
http://www.bosch-presse.de/presseforum/details.htm?txtID=7120&tk_id=192&locale=de
Sensors – how technology maps the world around it:
http://www.bosch.com/de/com/boschglobal/renningen_1/into_a_connected_future/sensors/sensors.html
Energy harvesting:
http://www.bosch-presse.de/presseforum/details.htm?txtID=6651&tk_id=199
9D-Sense research project:
Press photographs
1-BST-20778, 1-BST-20779, 1-AE-20855, 1-AE-20856-d, 1-BST-20755
Contact person for press inquiries:
Rianne Ojeh, 01895 838 822
Email: Rianne.Ojeh@uk.bosch.com
Mobility Solutions is the largest Bosch Group business sector. In 2014, its sales came to 33.3 billion euros, or 68 percent of total group sales. This makes the Bosch Group one of the leading automotive suppliers. The Mobility Solutions business sector combines the group’s
expertise in three mobility domains – automation, electrification, and connectivity – and offers its customers integrated mobility solutions. Its main areas of activity are injection technology and powertrain peripherals for internal-combustion engines, diverse solutions for powertrain electrification, vehicle safety systems, driver-assistance and automated functions, technology for user-friendly infotainment as well as vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, repair-shop concepts, and technology and services for the automotive aftermarket. Bosch is synonymous with important automotive innovations, such as electronic engine management, the ESP anti-skid system, and common-rail diesel technology.
The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 360,000 associates worldwide (as per April 1, 2015). The company generated sales of
49 billion euros in 2014.* Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility
Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology.
The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 440 subsidiary and
regional companies in some 60 countries. Including its sales and service partners, Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. In 2014, Bosch applied for some 4,600 pa-tents worldwide. The Bosch Group’s strategic objective is to create solutions for a connected life. Bosch improves quality of life worldwide with products and services that are innovative and spark enthusiasm. In short, Bosch creates technology that is “Invented for life.”
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*The sales figure disclosed for 2014 does not include the former joint ventures BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH (now BSH Hausgeräte GmbH) and ZF Lenksysteme GmbH (now Robert Bosch Automotive Steering GmbH), which have since been taken over completely.
