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Palo Alto, CA, United States, 08/19/2008 – Based on its recent analysis of the MEMS pressure sensors market, Frost & Sullivan presents Bosch Sensortec with the 2008 Global Frost & Sullivan Award for Product Innovation in recognition of its development of SMD500 and BMP085 – high-performance, smaller, digital pressure sensors expressly for the consumer electronics industry.
Constantly innovating to keep pace with changing demands in the consumer electronics industry is of primary importance for sensor manufacturers. Pressure sensors are gaining importance in the cell phones market in particular, and are expected to be included in next generation phones for altimeter reading, and possibly even weather forecasting capability. The next field of application will be the support of navigation applications in mobile phones.
“The innovation of SMD500 and its successor BMP085, the smallest digital pressure sensor with low power and low cost, places Bosch Sensortec ahead of the competition, as it exactly addresses the needs of the consumer electronics industry,” explains Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst V. Sankaranarayanan. “Further, Bosch Sensortec leverages its fabrication facility for the automotive market to deliver products with high reliability and in high volumes for the consumer electronics market.”
Expensive analog pressure sensors have been used for a number of years in higher performance, portable GPS units for hiking and other outdoor applications. Besides tough cost and performance challenges, reducing product size without compromising performance has been a stumbling block for manufacturers. Bosch Sensortec was the first to offer digital, high performance, smaller pressure sensors for indoor applications at a different cost model.
While it is the smallest (5x5x1.2 mm) pressure sensor for the consumer electronics industry, the performance of the BMP085 is good enough to resolve one quarter of one meter in terms of altitude change. The uniqueness of this innovation is its smaller size and higher performance to resolve 25 centimeters of altitude change. This enables applications like floor-level detection for pedestrian or indoor navigation.
“As the driving force for sensors shifts from cost to the services it enables, the BMP085 is uniquely positioned to facilitate a whole new level of services – public space, shopping malls, parking garage, airport, trade show – based on its vertical accuracy,” notes Sankaranarayanan.
The killer application for BMP085 is pedestrian navigation and location-based services, and mobile phone OEMs that have a navigation strategy are very interested in this device. Therefore, its applications are in GPS navigation (mulitpath detection, slope detection), in- and out-door navigation, leisure and sports, weather forecast, and vertical velocity indication.
Overall, Bosch Sensortec's products for the consumer electronic industry have a reputation for excellent reliability and great value. Its MEMS pressure sensors product portfolio for the industry is well-positioned to further build the momentum and strengthen its position. Based on these factors, Frost & Sullivan considers Bosch Sensortec a worthy recipient of its 2008 Product Innovation Award in the world MEMS pressure sensors market.
Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated excellence in new products and technologies within their industry. The recipient company has shown innovation by launching a broad line of emerging products and technologies.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.
About Bosch Sensortec
Bosch Sensortec GmbH (bosch-sensortec.com), a 100 percent subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH, offers micromechanical sensors, application and foundry services for consumer electronics, security systems and logistics. Its product portfolio to date 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).
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, partners with clients to accelerate their growth. The company's TEAM Research, Growth Consulting and Growth Team Membership™ empower clients to create a growth-focused culture that generates, evaluates and implements effective growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan employs over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 30 offices on six continents.
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