Pressure SensorBarometric Pressure Sensor Basics

What is a barometric pressure sensor?

Barometric pressure sensors detect atmospheric pressure values and height changes and are used in smartphones, smartwatches, drones, etc.
Current barometric pressure sensors are prevalent in a wide variety of products that use MEMS technology.

Typical Types

Barometric pressure sensors that use MEMS fall into two main categories, piezoresistive and capacitive types.
In general, capacitive versions of this sensor are superior for their low noise and low power consumption current.

Typical Applications

Smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, activity trackers, cycle computers, drones, autonomous mobile robots, vacuum cleaners, weather observation devices, smart inhalers, CPAP

Features

Compact, capacitive MEMS, low noise, low current consumption, compatible with waterproof designs, built-in temperature sensor, compatible with temperature compensation, I2C/SPI digital interface, interrupt functionality, SMD mounting

Mechanics and Principles

This sensor detects atmospheric changes using a MEMS diaphragm.
Murata barometric pressure sensors use a capacitive type, converting the capacitance value between the diaphragm and electrodes to an atmospheric pressure value.
Capacitive MEMS are known for low current consumption and low noise.

The ASIC interior contains a temperature sensor which outputs a temperature compensated atmospheric pressure value. They are also compatible with I2C/SPI digital interface by using built-in ADC and filter.

Basic Configuration

MEMS, ASIC, metal lid, gel, board, wire bonding