physics

InvenSense

InvenSense is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand InvenSense rather than just read about it. In short: InvenSense Inc. is an American consumer electronics company, founded in 2003 in San Jose, California by Steve Nasiri. It is the provider of the MotionTracking sensor system on chip (SoC) which functions as a gyroscope for consumer electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, wearables, gaming devices, optical image stabilization, and remote controls for Smart TVs.

Key takeaways

InvenSense belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect InvenSense to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of InvenSense from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

InvenSense Inc. is an American consumer electronics company, founded in 2003 in San Jose, California by Steve Nasiri. It is the provider of the MotionTracking sensor system on chip (SoC) which functions as a gyroscope for consumer electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, wearables, gaming devices, optical image stabilization, and remote controls for Smart TVs. InvenSense provides the motion controller in the Nintendo Wii game controller and the Oculus Rift DK1. Its motion controllers are found in the Samsung Galaxy smartphones and most recently in the Apple iPhone 6.

History Founded in 2003, InvenSense is headquartered in San Jose, California with offices in Wilmington, Massachusetts, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, France, Canada, Slovakia and Italy. In December 2016, the company was acquired by electronics company TDK for US$1.3 billion. InvenSense became part of the MEMS Sensors Business Group in 2017. In February 2018, Chirp Microsystems joined InvenSense through its acquisition by TDK.

Technical capabilities InvenSense MotionTracking tracks complex user motions with the use of motion sensors such as microelectromechanical gyroscopes, (including 3-axis gyroscopes), accelerometers, compasses, and pressure sensors. The system then calibrates data, and creates a single data stream. With complex movement tracking comes a drain on battery life. In June 2014, the company announced a low power gyroscope chip that used just under six milliwatts of power in a chip and was just 0.75 millimeters thick. InvenSense also provides Optical Image Stabilisation for smartphone cameras, which are important to detect hand movements and reduce shake in photographs. InvenSense's compact gyroscope was designed to provide antishake features on the smallest camera phones.

See also List of system-on-a-chip suppliers

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with InvenSense

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what InvenSense claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to InvenSense before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about InvenSense ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of InvenSense

In research: InvenSense appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses InvenSense in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: InvenSense is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2003 establishments in California, Accelerometers, Companies based in San Jose, California, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for InvenSense outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study InvenSense in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what InvenSense means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain InvenSense out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is InvenSense in simple terms?

Why does InvenSense matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study InvenSense?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on InvenSense.