July 19, 2012 -- Sensor Platforms Inc.’s FreeMotion library of software algorithms and middleware for sensor fusion now supports all major mobile microprocessors. The library supports all sensors used in smartphones and tablets, and Sensor Platforms asserts that supporting the mobile microprocessors “allows mobile device designers and application developers to improve product performance and reduce platform fragmentation, while providing sourcing independence, maintaining sensor calibration, and optimizing power consumption to prolong battery life.”

“Delivering platform software means, in part, that we consider the variations not only in sensor components, but the design skews in our customers’ portfolios, the variations in their manufacturing process, and the diverse user environments that can impact overall performance,” said Ian Chen, EVP, Sensor Platforms.

Supported microprocessors include:

32-bit embedded processors such as ARM’s Cortex-M, Atmel’s AVR and Freescale’s ColdFire families used as sensor hubs; and 64-bit application processors such as Intel’s Atom, nVidia’s Tegra, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon, and TI’s OMAP processors used in smartphones and tablets.

Supported sensors include:

Accelerometers, magnetometers, gyroscopes and barometers from Aichi Steel, AKM, Bosch, Freescale, Honeywell, InvenSense, Kionix, MEMSIC, ST Microelectronics and Yamaha.

Sensor Platforms’ library uses the same code base whether it is implemented as a software module running on an application processor, or as firmware embedded in a sensor hub, to help minimize OEMs’ verification and support efforts across their product offerings, which often include different hardware architectures.

The FreeMotion library provides the sophisticated intelligence needed to combine and process data from various sensors and microprocessors -- sensor fusion -- installed in smartphones and tablets, in order to interpret the users’ movements and situations, and infer their intents. The library brings sensor fusion across the entire suite of alternative sensors and microprocessors on the market, enabling second sourcing for designs. With reliable sampling and ongoing cross-calibration and magnetic anomaly mitigation, the FreeMotion library maintains sensor calibration. Its proprietary algorithms help optimize battery life by providing an automatic gyroscope throttle and other controls.

Sensor Platforms licenses algorithmic software and platforms that enable mobile consumer applications to better serve the users. Learn more at www.sensorplatforms.com.

Visit the MEMS Channel of Solid State Technology, and subscribe to our MEMS Direct e-newsletter!