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Sensor Platforms, Inc. Introduces the SSP1493 Low Power, Multi-Channel Sensor Interface IC

Chip Provides Super Low Cost, High Performance and A Highly Flexible Sensing Solution for Deeply Embedded Sensor Applications

San Jose, CA - October 10, 2006- Sensor Platforms, Inc. (San Jose, California), a fabless semiconductor company dedicated to providing IC solutions to the sensor industry, today announced the availability of its SSP1493 Sensor Signal Conditioning and Interface Integrated Circuit .The SSP1493 Chip is a low cost standard solution for use in high performance, large volume sensor applications where cost is a major driver, including sensor enabled consumer electronics, smart toys, and next generation cell phones. It is especially valuable where several different sensors must be driven by a single chip; it has nine sensor ports and can measure resistive, capacitive, inductive, pulse-coded, current-mode and voltage-mode sensors all with a single chip.

The SSP1493 employs a novel counter-based resonant sensor measurement technique which was pioneered in its predecessor the SSP1492. The technology provides a high level of flexibility and performance while still being extremely cost effective. Its frequency-based analog front-end is combined with an ultra-efficient, yet flexible, deeply-embedded state machine that provides the user with a very high level of control and operating configurability without the additional cost and system overhead required by a general purpose micro-controller. Such a "deeply embedded" solution is critical in highly cost competitive markets where sensors are starting to gain significant popularity; this is especially true in applications where a high-level of code-based reconfigurability is less important than lower costs. In many cases, a full-blown micro-controller may be overkill, while a deeply embedded solution will be just right.

The SSP1493 has ten user-configurable I/O channels that can directly drive most types of sensor elements including resistive, capacitive, inductive and piezo-resistive varieties (allowing nine sensors to be used in most configurations, since a resistor must be used on one port with certain sensor types). In addition to being able to directly drive and read sensor elements, each of the 10 channels can be individually configured as an analog input, analog output, digital input or digital output based upon the user's command. The user commands and the sensor data are input and output from the SSP1493 via a 2-wire, bi-directional I2C serial data bus. The SSP1493 contains several band-gap voltage references which enable it to operate accurately over a large range of power supply voltages-from 2.5V up to 3.7V-without compromising the sensor's accuracy or performance.

The SSP1493 operates off of a fully internal 150MHz system clock that does not require any external timing components, thus making it an even more cost-effective solution for its intended applications.

George Hsu, Chief Executive Officer stated, "We're the only semiconductor company with the sole mission of enabling the development and commercialization of sensor applications. Our unique expertise in mixed signal analog integrated circuit design and sensor knowledge in areas as diverse as pressure, temperature, acceleration, magnetism, tilt, gas, light, force, strain, position, and so forth has been directly responsible for the successful development of highly effective IC solutions for the sensor industry and its target applications. The SSP1493 and its predecessor, the SSP1492, are very good examples of the types of products which can result from our in-depth knowledge and expertise within the sensor and IC fields."

"I believe that the sensor world is currently at a crossroads as more and more industries recognize the incredible value and enhanced functionality that sensors can bring to their applications. The opportunities at this juncture are enormous, but any successful sensor solution must be turnkey, affordable and work flawlessly. The end-customer-the system integrator-prefers not to invest in creating in-house sensor expertise in order to deploy sensor applications, so they're looking for the types of solutions, products and expertise that companies like ours can offer."

Price and Delivery

The SSP1493 is available in 2.0mm x 2.2mm bondable bare die and in 5.0mm x 5.0mm 32-pin QFN RoHS-compliant packaged configurations with prices starting at $1.00 and $1.50 per part in sample quantities. Evaluation kits will be available in the last quarter of 2006 at $100 per kit. Please inquire for volume pricing quotes.

Contact

Please contact Kevin Shaw at [email protected] or call 408-850-9366.

About Sensors Platforms

Sensor Platforms, founded in 2004, enables both challenging and mundane sensor applications through its innovative integrated circuit solutions which result from its unique combination of in-depth sensor expertise in conjunction with its unparalleled analog integrated circuit design excellence. Primary customers include sensor manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers and systems integrators that have applications which demand cutting-edge sensor performance at affordable costs for their customers. Sensor Platforms is located at 2860 Zanker Road, Suite 210, San Jose, CA 95134. Its website is at www.sensorplatforms.com.

EDITORS NOTE: Please refer to the Sensor Platforms website www.sensorplatforms.com to download graphics to support the press release.

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