CEVA expands sensor fusion product line with new sensor hub MCU

2 mins read

CEVA, a licensor of wireless connectivity, smart sensing technologies, and integrated IP solutions, has expanded its family of sensor fusion products with the introduction of the FSP201.

The sensor is both high-performance and low-power and delivers precise, accurate sensor fusion for motion tracking, heading and orientation detection. The FSP201 has been designed for consumer robotics and other emerging smart devices employing sensor fusion technologies, including XR glasses, 3D audio headsets and the wide range of 6-axis motion use cases across IoT and the metaverse.

The FSP201 combines CEVA’s proprietary MotionEngine sensor processing software into a low-power 32-bit Arm Cortex M23 MCU and offers a high performance and low-cost solution optimised for consumer applications. The FSP201 is able to provide manufacturers with the flexibility to choose from a pre-qualified list of external 6-axis IMU sensors (accelerometer plus gyroscope) - from different sensor suppliers - to ensure supply chain flexibility, and provide the performance and features required for motion tracking, heading and orientation detection, including:

Correction Smoothing: Corrects orientation drift slowly and transparently to the user for head and body tracking to maintain an immersive XR or 3D audio experience;

Auto-Centring: Dynamically recentres the soundstage in 3D audio applications based on a user’s gaze to maintain immersion in dynamic conditions and eliminate drift;

Tilt Independent Heading: Allows for proper heading output even when a robot’s driving surface is uneven, enabling rapid adjustment to obstacles or changes in flooring types;

Inclination Detection: Provides full 3DOF robot orientation allowing detection of surface and device issues that could cause the robot to become stuck or damaged;

Dynamic Calibration: Proprietary algorithms monitor changes in sensor performance and temperature during live operation to deliver the highest performance; and

Sensor Independence: Several low-cost MEMS sensors from leading suppliers are pre-qualified and have drivers pre-integrated to accelerate development and ensure supply chain flexibility.

The FSP201 fits simply into any design and uses I2C and UART industry interfaces for chip connectivity. It can be placed directly on the target product’s main circuit board or designed into a separate module, providing manufacturers with ultimate flexibility. The turn-key sensor hub MCU benefits developers and integrators through faster time-to-market, reductions in development time, reduced BOM cost, and the highest precision and quality.

In addition, the FSP201 is code-compatible with the BNO08X series of 9-axis sensor System-in-Package (SIP) products, facilitating developers to easily migrate to a 6-axis FSP201 based solution or take advantage of CEVA’s sensor fusion technologies in new product lines that do not require 9-axis sensor fusion.

Due to supply chain constraints and component shortages, many MCU and IMU sensor devices continue to experience long wait times. CEVA has secured supply of the FSP201 MCU and IMU sensors to enable fast time-to-market, which makes FSP201 an ideal solution for near- and long-term production requirements.

“We are pleased to expand our portfolio of silicon products for high performance, cost sensitive sensor fusion applications with the addition of the FSP201 MCU,” said Chad Lucien, Vice President and General Manager of the Sensors and Audio Business Unit at CEVA. “High precision motion tracking, heading and orientation are key features of today’s consumer robots and entertainment devices, and are central to emerging metaverse and IoT applications and services. FSP201 ensures developers can rapidly develop products that leverage our industry-leading sensor processing technologies with components that are readily available in 2022.”

The FSP201 is available for immediate sampling along with documentation and evaluation tools via designated distributors.