“New and improved” are frequently used terms for consumer products. Sensor suppliers also frequently improve existing and often well-established products and the improvements can address many different product attributes. In some instances, the improvements result in the creation of a new product family based on company patent(s) or proprietary techniques used in the established product(s) or a new product in an established family.
In some case, the change could be as simple as a price reduction from the established product based on achieving higher experience curve volumes. More common improvements include, higher performance as indicated by higher accuracy or greater resolution, as well as higher operating range, including higher temperature operation.
In other instances, changes in the product’s packaging including a smaller form factor are increasingly common today. Closely related to the packaging is a newly established product qualification to achieve higher reliability or in some cases, having passed rigorous qualification testing or even meeting an industry certification level.
Often, more than one improvement results from the latest changes. For example, using its proprietary DURAsense unique packaging and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) pressure sensor integration strategy, DunAn’s recently announced TP series uses a button configuration where the packaging approach provides improved performance and achieves a lower price.
For many portable, battery powered applications, a common improvement for many sensor and other products is lower power consumption and operation from a lower supply voltage. For example, to achieve low power consumption and superior accuracy in a tiny (SOT) package, Analog Devices developed and recently introduced its ADT7301 temperature sensor.
No matter what the improved aspect is, new end products and systems benefit from the continuous improvement efforts of established and new sensor suppliers.