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>TI FROM THE EDITOR: SENSORS NEED SENSOR-FOCUSED INTERFACES.

Article Excerpt
Sensors need signal conditioning electronics to enable the sensor to have the desired performance characteristics for a particular application. Without signal conditioning, a sensor's signal is typically too weak to be useful. Moreover, a raw, unconditioned sensor signal is subject to measurement errors and to inaccuracies due to environmental factors, such as temperature and humidity. Errors that raw sensors are subject to exhibiting include offset, non-linearity, erratic levels of sensitivity, frequency, hysteresis, and long-term drift.

As the sensor market has expanded and sensors have been used as the key enabling technology in a wider array of high-volume applications, ASICs that have been specifically designed to interface with sensors have become increasingly important for ensuring that the sensor performs effectively in a specific application and can be used in a multi-sensor network. Sensor ASICs can also serve a vital role in low- and medium-volume applications for sensors.

A universal sensor interface that would work with a wide range of sensors that have different output signal formats would greatly streamline the ability of users to integrate different types of sensors into their systems or applications. A sensor with a universal interface would, moreover, have greater "plug-and-play" capability and be more easily incorporated in a wider range of applications.

However, in the sensors industry, which is characterized by varied markets/applications, each having certain specific requirements with respect to sensor performance characteristics and sensor signal conditioning, one must caution against designing a sensor ASIC that offers more functionality than the application requires. Sensor ASIC providers can benefit by focusing on providing basic signal conditioning functionality (such as amplification, offset and non-linearity correction, temperature compensation) in a more effective yet cost-efficient manner. A sensor ASIC provider can also likely find opportunities in the sensor marketplace by gaining expertise in interfacing sensors with a particular type of output or in interfacing sensors used in a particular application area. However, a sensor ASIC provider with experience in interfacing different types of sensors for particular applications is better positioned to capitalize on diverse markets and business opportunities.

ZMD (Dresden, Germany)(www.zmd.biz ) has over the years become established as a key provider of sensor signal conditioning ICs for a diverse range of sensor-based applications (for example, medical, automotive, HVAC/building control) and types of sensors (for example, resistive bridge-output pressure sensors, force sensors, position sensors, rotational speed sensors). ZMD's IC are also used in hearing aids.

ZMD offers sensor ICs for such applications as automotive (e.g., crankshaft sensing, fuel rail sensors, refrigerant, brake fluid pressure sensing, electrically assisted power steering), personal care, white goods, building and industrial automation, as well as office automation. The company provides signal conditioning ICs for such types of sensors as: piezoresistive or...

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