Sensing platforms simplify development of consumer applications

The evaluation tools are designed to help engineers more easily develop and evaluate sensor applications. The E Series consists of two multifunction sensor evaluation units, while the sensing platforms in the M Series are said to be compact, specialised evaluation modules. "By combining Epson's state of the art quartz and semiconductor technologies, these powerful new products fulfil a strong market need and will provide enhanced value to customers in a variety of industries," stated Ryuhei Miyagawa, deputy coo of Epson's Microdevices Operations Division. Targeted at applications including motion sensing, motion analysis, position sensing and interfaces, the new devices combine hardware (a unit or module), which processes and digitises sensor data. Complimentary software displays and stores this sensor data and is then sent to a pc via one of the many wired, wireless and other interface options. The multifunction sensor evaluation units in the E Series are designed to perform a variety of sensing tasks. They have a six axis sensor, which consists of three Epson gyroscopes. These provide accuracy and stability (±1,000 deg/s) on three axes and a triaxial accelerometer with a dynamic range of ±6G, a triaxial geomagnetic sensor and a pressure sensor. These evaluation units are available with either a ZigBee or usb interface. The M Series consists of more compact sensor evaluation modules with specialised sensor functions. The S7U4E002002 is a motion sensor with six degrees of freedom, while the S7U4E002003 is a position sensor with a GPS receiver. Specialised for a single function, each of the modules can be built into portable, handheld evaluation equipment. A micro usb interface board is also available for performing evaluations in a pc environment.