Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany: The first sensor signal-path design tool that enables engineers to move from concept to simulation to prototyping of common sensor solutions, claims developer National Semiconductor. The tool would be used for those sensors found in medical, industrial, and high-end consumer products.
According to the company, the WEBENCH Sensor Designer tool reduces design time and cost by configuring a complete sensor signal-path solution with just a few keystrokes. Previous to this development, an engineer would have to spend time matching sensor characteristics and performance with an op amp’s dc performance and an ADC’s resolution and accuracy. Additional time would then be required for circuit evaluation and prototyping.
WEBENCH matches the industry’s leading bridge pressure sensors, photodetector sensors, and thermocouple sensors with NSC’s PowerWise energy-efficient op amps and pin- and function-compatible 8-, 10-, 12-, 14- and 16-bit ADCs.