Dec 14, 2018   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Christmas goes digital: why mini Bosch components will feature in so many gifts this Christmas

This year once again, the gifts under the Christmas tree will be emitting beeps, buzzes, and radio waves. According to the Consumer Technology Association, holiday consumer tech sales are poised to hit a record $96.1 Billion in the U.S. this year. This could be a smart watch, a game console, or of course a smart phone. This also means that Bosch will figure prominently under people’s Christmas trees, even though few may realize it. There’s at least one Bosch MEMS sensor in more than half the smartphones on the planet, and five of them on average in every new car. And there are millions more in drones, game consoles, fitness wristbands, and vacuum-cleaning robots. Bosch has produced more than ten billion of these miniature sensors in its wafer fab at Reutlingen since 1995. “MEMS sensors are the building blocks of the connected world. They endow everyday objects with sensory perception and connect them with the internet,” says Jens Fabrowsky, member of the executive management of the Automotive Electronics division at Robert Bosch GmbH. With the number of connected devices rising fast – Gartner expects the global count to come to 20 billion by 2020 – MEMS sensors are sure to become chip-sized superheroes that we simply cannot do without.

Ten billion sensory organs

Rectangular or square and smaller than a pinhead at between one and four millimeters tall, these components are not easily seen. But however unremarkable MEMS sensors may seem at first glance, these mighty mites are the stars and polymaths of the connected world. “MEMS sensors measure the world and teach electronic systems how to see, feel, and smell. They turn a simple cell phone into a smartphone that takes sharp pictures and navigates on the street and over multiple stories in buildings,” Fabrowsky says. With the benefit of MEMS sensors, drones glide smoothly and can be controlled precisely even in winds. Installed in fitness trackers and smart watches, they count steps, stairs, and calories. These diminutive sensors’ fine-tuned receptors measure temperature, air pressure, humidity, and even air quality. They allow indoor air-conditioning and ventilation systems to be controlled more efficiently and, when office meetings drag on, they can trigger smartphone reminders that it is time for some fresh air. The first MEMS sensors developed nearly 25 years ago were not meant for smart-home technology or consumer electronics; they were destined for cars. These perceptive miniatures furnish data to the control units about when the car brakes or accelerates, as well as about the direction the car is traveling. The ESP electronic stability program uses this information to keep cars, trucks, and even motorcycles safely on track and in their lanes. Moreover, the GPS never loses sight of its destination, even if its signal is temporarily interrupted.

What exactly are MEMS sensors?

Microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS for short, are a combination of electronic and mechanical hardware. Every MEMS sensor consists of tiny silicon structures that are machined into a silicon wafer with a special type of etching process. For example, under a microscope, an acceleration sensor’s structures look like gossamer combs arranged in opposing and interlocking patterns. Some of these fine comb-like structures measure a mere four micrometers across – that is just a tenth the size of an ant’s leg. The force of a car accelerating or braking squeezes these combs. This changes the electrical voltage between the individual teeth, transforming a mechanical force into an electrical signal. A control unit interprets this signal and processes it further as a digital value. Bosch developed the manufacturing process behind MEMS technology nearly 25 years ago. It still forms the basis of today’s production runs, which take up to 14 weeks and entail several hundred steps. These tiny sensors are manufactured under exacting cleanroom conditions, as even the smallest airborne particles would disrupt their production. One cubic foot of air – that is about 30 liters – may contain no more than one particle weighing half a microgram. To put this into perspective, that equates to a cherry pit in Lake Constance – or 360 million bathtubs.

Additional information:

Video: Acceleration sensor: how it works

10 billion MEMS sensors on the internet

Mobility Solutions is the largest Bosch Group business sector. In 2017, its sales came to 47.4 billion euros, or 61 percent of total group sales. This makes the Bosch Group one of the leading automotive suppliers. The Mobility Solutions business sector pursues a vision of mobility that is accident-free, emissions-free, and stress-free, and combines the group’s expertise in the domains of automation, electrification, and connectivity. For its customers, the outcome is integrated mobility solutions. The business sector’s main areas of activity are injection technology and powertrain peripherals for internal-combustion engines, diverse solutions for powertrain electrification, vehicle safety systems, driver-assistance and automated functions, technology for user-friendly infotainment as well as vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, repair-shop concepts, and technology and services for the automotive aftermarket. Bosch is synonymous with important automotive innovations, such as electronic engine management, the ESP anti-skid system, and common-rail diesel technology.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 402,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2017). The company generated sales of 78.1 billion euros in 2017. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. As a leading IoT company, Bosch offers innovative solutions for smart homes, smart cities, connected mobility, and connected manufacturing. It uses its expertise in sensor technology, software, and services, as well as its own IoT cloud, to offer its customers connected, cross-domain solutions from a single source. The Bosch Group’s strategic objective is to deliver innovations for a connected life. Bosch improves quality of life worldwide with products and services that are innovative and spark enthusiasm. In short, Bosch creates technology that is “Invented for life.” The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 440 subsidiary and regional companies in 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. The basis for the company’s future growth is its innovative strength. At 125 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 64,500 associates in research and development.

Additional information is available online at: www.bosch.com, iot.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com, twitter.com/BoschPresse.