A new generation of inertial measurement units optimized for smartphone applications

Bosch Sensortec introduces the BMI260 series, a new generation of high-performance MEMS inertial measurement units (IMUs) for smartphone applications. The series includes four sensors - BMI260, BMI261, BMI263 and BMI264 - offering a wide range of features, including full Android compatibility, I3C interface and sensor synchronization support.

The new IMU is equipped with a high-performance accelerometer and supports indoor SLAM (Simultaneous Positioning and Mapping) to provide high-precision step recording, motion detection and accurate data. In addition to improved performance, the BMI260 series significantly reduces power consumption and extends smartphone battery life. Thanks to its low latency and OIS (optical image stabilization) and EIS (Electronic image stabilization) support, the BMI260 series delivers sharper images and ultra-smooth video stability.

"The BMI160 series has successfully sold over one billion units, and our next generation BMI260 series IMU builds on this solid foundation." Dr. Stefan Finkbeiner, CEO of Bosch Sensortec, said, "The new series of IMUs offers enhanced accelerometer performance, a number of powerful features and interfaces, and more importantly, component realign (CRT) capabilities for self-calibration of the stationary gyroscope. End users can now expect many new features to come online, as well as a faster, smoother and near-perfect experience."

Wide range of functions

The BMI260 is the base model in this family, combining Bosch Sensortec's high-end accelerometer performance with Bosch gyroscope technology proven for automotive applications. Its strong endurance against temperature fluctuations and PCB stress enable extremely precise acceleration sensing. The BMI261 model is fully compatible with Android and is optimized for "constant communication" gesture and behavior recognition in smartphones. The BMI263 is the first Bosch Sensortec product to fully comply with the latest I3C standard defined by MIPI, supporting asynchronous and synchronous timing control. Each device contains a primary and a secondary interface that can be configured independently in either I²C or SPI. This enables dual SPI configurations, camera modules, or auxiliary sensor connections such as magnetometers. Finally, the BMI264 model offers extended support for synchronization features in smartphones.

Built-in gyroscope self-calibration

Each new IMU device includes the industry's first static component realign (CRT) feature for built-in gyroscope self-calibration. With this feature, it is not necessary to use rotational stimulation to calibrate the sensitivity of the MEMS gyroscope. This plug-and-play capability is expected to significantly accelerate testing and manufacturing processes, further reducing costs for device manufacturers and accelerating time to market.

Use OIS/EIS to present high-definition images and videos

The new IMU series has powerful OIS and EIS functions. Its exceptionally low latency (for example, support for Google Daydream View), minimum group latency (up to around 600μs), and high-precision timestamp (accuracy around 40μs) greatly improve photo and video quality for end users. The dual SPI interface enables a single IMU to serve two SPI-based modules and support stereo or 3D camera operation. Using the BMI260 series on the motherboard enables full HMI and OIS features such as stable panoramic photo panning and dynamic video tagging.

Ultra-low power consumption

Maintaining ultra-low levels of power consumption helps significantly extend smartphone battery life and shorten end user charge cycles. At full output data rates (ODR) of up to 6.4 kHz, the typical current consumption of the accelerometer and gyroscope is maintained at a level of 700 μA. By achieving high output data rates at low current consumption, smartphone manufacturers can avoid making design concessions in order to reduce the unpleasant aliasing effect, which can lead to the inability to distinguish between different signals at lower ODR downsampling.

The BMI260 IMU series offers an intelligent power management system that enables all "constant communication" functions to operate in the IMU's ultra-low power domain. As a result, the main application processor only needs to be woken up in a few dedicated cases, providing maximum idle cycles for the main processor. For example, the system can operate reliable gesture and behavior recognition at only 30 μA of power.