Barometric Pressure Sensor Keeps Drones Stable

Bosch Sensortec’s BMP388 MEMS-based barometric pressure sensor is suited for altitude tracking in consumer drones, wearables, and smart homes. According to the company, the BMP388 delivers reliable altitude stabilization, where accurate measurement of barometric pressure provides the essential altitude data for improving flight stability and landing accuracy.

 

In addition to drones, the BMP388 is said to be a one-size-fits-all solution for increasing the accuracy of navigation and fitness applications in wearables and smart homes. For example, using altitude data to improve GPS precision or to determine floor levels inside buildings. It can also improve the precision of calorie counting in wearables and mobile devices, for example by identifying if a person is walking uphill or downhill when using a step counter.

 

In terms of specs, the device specifies a temperature coefficient offset (TCO) of 0.75 Pa/K between -20°C to 65°C, comes in an LGA package measuring 2 mm x 2 mm x 0.75 mm³, exhibits a power consumption of 2.7 µA at 1 Hz during full operation, relative accuracy of ±0.08 hPa (±0.66 m) over a temperature range from 25°C to 40°C, and absolute accuracy between 900 and 1100 hPa is ±0.40 hPa over a temperature range from 25°C to 40°C.

 

The BMP388 will be available in March 2018. For more engaging information, checkout the BMP388 datasheet.