Bosch has announced details of its latest inertial sensor platform, the SMI7xy series. Designed specifically for use in active and passive safety systems, as well as in driver assistance systems, the new sensors are claimed to be ‘very robust’, despite compact BGA housing of just 7mm x7mm x1.5mm.
The SMI7xy platform comprises four types of sensors in two categories: type SMI720 and type SMI740 sensors for basic applications, and type SMI700 and type SMI710 sensors for more advanced applications.
The SMI700 comprises a yaw-rate sensor (z-axis) and a 2-axis acceleration sensor (x- and y-axis). This sensor can optionally register high accelerations of up to 35g. In addition to its SPI, the SMI700 comes with a PSI5 interface and a CAN interface – two standard data output interfaces in automotive electronics.
The SMI710 also combines a yaw-rate sensor (x-axis) with a 2-axis acceleration sensor (this time operating on the y- and z-axis). It features a PSI5 interface and a CAN interface. This means it is capable of detecting a rollover, and as a result, meets the requirements for use in demanding driver assistance functions such as roll and pitch stability programs.
The SMI720 sensor is designed specifically for rollover detection. Its housing contains a yaw-rate sensor (x-axis) and a 1-axis acceleration sensor (z-axis). Meanwhile the SMI740 has a yaw-rate sensor (z-axis) and a 2-axis acceleration sensor (x- and y-axis). The SMI740 is designed according to standard ESP specifications, and is therefore tailored to basic vehicle dynamics control.
