Fairchild Semiconductor has begun full-scale expansion into the MEMS market with the launch of a 6-axis MEMS Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU).

The reason Fairchild is targeting the MEMS market is straightforward. As the IoT (Internet of Things) era emerges, inertial sensors are being integrated into most related applications, causing the MEMS market to grow rapidly.

Fairchild's move into the MEMS market has been anticipated for several years. In 2011, the company acquired Jyve for MEMS processing technology, and last year acquired Xsens, the world's leading motion tracking algorithm company, thereby securing both hardware and software technologies for MEMS.

Acquiring Specialized Companies to Secure MEMS Hardware/Software Technology

The FIS1100 6-axis MEMS Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), born from the results of such strategic investments, integrates Fairchild's proprietary AttitudeEngine motion processor with an industry-leading 9-axis sensor fusion algorithm.

Lee Jong-heun, General Manager at Fairchild Korea, stated, "The differentiation of this product lies in reducing the overall system power consumption between the sensor and MCU, and providing a fusion algorithm that can reduce the development effort when using 9 axes through the library provided by Fairchild."

The company announced that the FIS1100 IMU with embedded AttitudeEngine motion processor and XKF3 sensor fusion offers low power consumption and provides "Always-on" sensor technology required for various applications such as sports, fitness, healthcare wearable sensors, pedestrian navigation, autonomous robots, and virtual and augmented reality.

Lee noted, "Always-sensing sensors are no longer an additional feature but have become a basic function of all portable devices. We plan to continue leveraging our expertise in reducing power consumption to ensure sensors remain constantly active and provide accurate information."

The AttitudeEngine processor internally processes 6-axis inertial data at high speed and delivers it to the host processor at a lower speed matching the requirements of the specific application, thereby offsetting the need for high-frequency interrupts.

This allows the system processor to maintain sleep mode for extended periods, while maintaining functionality and accuracy, thereby extending battery life. In other words, the MCU, which mainly handles calculations, typically consumes high power; however, Fairchild's DSP within the sensor module shares some of the calculation burden, thereby relatively reducing the MCU's power consumption.

General Manager Lee noted that as a result, system-level power consumption is reduced by up to one-tenth. Starting with this product, Fairchild aims to develop processors optimized for inertial sensors and create an environment where customers can develop efficient products.

Beginning with Niche Market, Planning to Expand Market

"Developers face difficulties in developing software for pedometers or applications that track footstep trajectories to match sensors on each platform. However, we possess the appropriate software technology for this, and we will continue to provide such functionality within the libraries we create."

Subsequently, Kim Gwi-nam, CEO of Fairchild Korea, stated, "The biggest feature of this product is that it enables developers to conveniently develop applications, which is why the response has been quite positive. In the early stages, we plan to focus our sales efforts on the niche market that requires our solution, and gradually expand into the mass market."