Press Release New triaxial acceleration sensor SMB380 – talented digital sensor for new applications Bosch Sensortec’s fifth product within 18 months ! Freely programmable, fully digital sensor ! Very small dimensions: 3 mm x 3 mm x 0.9 mm ! Specifically designed for low-power applications in consumer electronics products With the new SMB380 acceleration sensor, Bosch Sensortec is adding an extremely small digital sensor with a customized setting function to its product line of triaxial sensors. The SMB380, which is also specifically developed for consumer electronics, is Bosch Sensortec’s fifth sensor within 18 months. The SMB380 is especially suitable for human machine interfaces (HMI), free-fall detection, as well as mobile and ultra-low-power applications. The sensor will be available as an engineering sample from January 2007. Bosch Sensortec plans to start series production in June 2007. By introducing the SMB380, Bosch Sensortec is consistently expanding its product range towards miniaturized sensors. In comparison with the current generation, its size is reduced by 50 percent. Measuring only 3 mm x 3 mm x 0.9 mm, the SMB380 fits into even the smallest mobile devices. Its current consumption of less than 200 µA is a benchmark in the market. The new sensor offers several special features, such as a programmable interrupt pin. Interrupt logic for various application possibilities The sensor supports customer products in evaluating movement profiles and in releasing reactions via an interrupt line. The sensor logic can be configured with the help of a programmable interrupt pin to analyze high-g or low-g thresholds or to recognize gentle movements. [email protected] Corporate Communications Robert Bosch GmbH E-Mail P.O. Box 10 60 50 Phone +49 711 811-7204 Vice President: Uta-Micaela Dürig D-70049 Stuttgart Fax www.bosch-presse.de +49 711 811-7656 January 2007 PI 5680 BST Wü/Vi This, for example, can be used for detecting vibrations or free-fall. Another broad field of application is opened up by a special operation mode. Despite the very low current consumption, this mode can detect acceleration or activate the interrupt function – for example, to wake up a mobile phone from its battery-saving sleep mode. Flexibility for the customer The SMB380 generates a 10bit output signal which is transmitted via a serial interface that is programmable in I2C or SPI mode. In addition, the sensor features an interrupt signal. Different measurement ranges can be configured using the serial interface: ±2 g, ±4 g, and ±8 g. The extremely low-current SMB380 sensor consumes only 1 µA in standby and less than 200 µA in operation mode. This offers various new fields of application for mobile devices. Several applications can be realized at the same time using only a single sensor, e.g. menu scrolling as well as free-fall detection. In addition, current consumption can be reduced even further thanks to the programmable measurement function. About Bosch Sensortec Bosch Sensortec GmbH, a 100 percent subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH, which is the global market leader for automotive sensors, offers micromechanical sensors, application, and foundry services for consumer electronics, security systems, and logistics. So far, its product portfolio includes triaxial acceleration sensors as well as pressure sensors. The company was founded in early 2005 and is headquartered near Reutlingen to the south of Stuttgart (Germany). For more information about Bosch Sensortec, go to: www.bosch-sensortec.com. Bosch has been active in the field of MEMS since 1988 and is one of the pioneers in this technology. Today, hundreds of engineers of the Bosch Group work in the field of MEMS. A wide product range – from pressure and acceleration sensors to yaw-rate sensors – is manufactured for the automotive industry. Annual production at Bosch amounted to more than 100 million MEMS sensors in 2005. Press photo: 1-BST-13886 Page 2 The Bosch Group is a leading global manufacturer of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology. In fiscal 2005, some 251,000 associates generated sales of 41.5 billion euros. Set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (18611942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering,” the Bosch Group today comprises a manufacturing, sales, and after-sales service network of more than 280 subsidiaries and some 13,000 Bosch service centers in over 140 countries. The special ownership structure of the Bosch Group guarantees its financial independence and entrepreneurial freedom. It makes it possible for the company to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future, as well as to do justice to its social responsibility in a manner reflective of the spirit and will of its founder. A total of 92 % of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by the charitable foundation Robert Bosch Stiftung. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG. Additional information can be accessed at www.bosch.com. Page 3