Date: 7th Jun 2011
MEMS tech enables temperature measurement
by pointing the IR sensor to the object
Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) has announced single-chip
passive infrared (IR) MEMS temperature sensor for measuring
the temperature of any material without making physical
contact. The TMP006 digital temperature sensor provides
manufacturers of mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets
and notebooks, with the ability to measure device case temperature
using Infrared technology. TI says this advancement over
the current approach of approximating case temperature based
on system temperature will enable system designers to optimize
performance while providing a more comfortable user experience.
The TMP006 can also be used to measure temperature outside
the device, enabling new features and user applications.
"The TMP006 solves our customers' need for advanced
thermal management of processors, and allows for optimizing
system performance and safety even as processing power increases
and form factors continue to shrink," said Steve Anderson,
senior vice president of TI's High Performance Analog business.
"And with the TMP006, for the first time mobile device
manufacturers will be able to measure the temperature of
objects outside the phone, which will unleash an entirely
new functionality for apps developers to creatively tap
into."
The TMP006 integrates an on-chip MEMS thermopile sensor,
signal conditioning, a 16-bit analog-to-digital-converter
(ADC), local temperature sensor and voltage references on
a single 1.6-mm x 1.6-mm chip. It provides a complete digital
solution for contactless temperature measurement that is
95 percent smaller than any other thermopile sensor.
Key features and benefits as per TI:
Integrates MEMS sensor with supporting analog circuitry,
reducing solution size 95 percent compared to the competition.
Uses only 240 uA quiescent current and 1 uA in shutdown
mode - 90 percent less power than competitive solutions.
Supports a wide temperature range of -40 degrees to +125
degrees Celsius © with an accuracy of +/- 0.5 degree
C (typical) on the local sensor and accuracy of +/- 1 degrees
C (typical) for the passive IR sensor.
Includes I2C/SMBus digital interface.
Availability: Now.
Packaging: 1.6-mm x 1.6-mm WCSP.
Pricing: $1.50 in 1K-units
For more information visit: www.ti.com
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