ALPS Develops and Commences Mass Production of “HSPPAD Series” Digital Pressure Sensor

Single-Package Sensor with Temperature Compensation Function

Munich, Germany, April 25, 2014 – ALPS ELECTRIC EUROPE GmbH has developed the “HSPPAD Series” Digital Pressure Sensor, ideal for embedding in smartphones and other mobile devices. Mass production commenced in April 2014. Today’s mobile devices and home appliances contain a large number of sensors. Used, for example, to detect the status of doors and lids, as well as environmental characteristics such as direction, illumination, air pressure and humidity, sensors enhance device functionality and performance and create comfortable and convenient operating environments for users. To ensure accurate sensing of air pressure and humidity, the obtained data must be corrected according to the temperature of the surrounding environment. This temperature compensation is conventionally performed within the circuitry of the main unit, however, and simply incorporating a sensor device into the unit has not always resulted in accurate detection. Drawing on market experience with the analog HSPPA Series, 350 million units of which have been produced to date, ALPS has now developed the HSPPAD Series pressure sensor with digital output. Mass production is already underway. The HSPPAD Series has a built-in temperature compensation function, optimized based on data accumulated by ALPS through compensation simulations. This simultaneously removes the need to incorporate temperature compensation circuitry into the main unit and eliminates the power requirement for temperature compensation, contributing to energy savings.   The product also achieves low-noise output with the configuration of the entire sensor, including the detection mechanism, having been optimized through the application of process and simulation technologies established through hard disk drive (HDD) business. This helps to reduce the signal averaging workload of the main unit. Furthermore, the sensor has a wide measurement range of 300 to 1,100hPa. Features Digital pressure sensor with a temperature compensation function - Single-package sensor with a built-in temperature compensation function - Realizes low-noise output, helping to reduce the averaging workload of the main unit - Wide measurement range of 300 to 1,100hPa Principal Applications - Smartphones, other mobile devices and wearable electronics - Environment sensor networks - Indoor navigation Specifications Model: HSPPAD Series Dimensions (W x D x H): 2.5mm x 2.5mm x 0.8mm Output: Digital operating temperature range: -40 to +85°C Measurement range: 300 to 1100hPa Accuracy: ±2hPa Supply voltage: 1.7 – 3.6V Current consumption: 9.5μA

ALPS Electric Co., Ltd. ALPS Electric (Tokyo: 6770) is a leading global manufacturer of high-quality electronic components for mobile devices, home electronics, vehicles and industrial equipment. With the philosophy of “Perfecting the Art of Electronics” ALPS Electric supplies over 40,000 different components to about 2,000 companies all over the world. For more information, visit www.alps.com. ALPS ELECTRIC EUROPE GmbH, a subsidiary of ALPS Electric Co., Ltd., was established in 1979. Since 2013 the European Head Office has been located in Munich and as such co-ordinates the Sales, Marketing and Product Engineering activities of our branch offices in Munich, Düsseldorf, Paris, Milton Keynes, Gothenburg as well as our sales office in Milan.