TDK announces new Chirp SonicTrack™ inside-out 6-DoF ultrasonic controller tracking solution for all-in-one VR

• Chirp’s tiny “sonar on a silicon chip” enables ultra-wide
  field-of-view, inside-out controller tracking for mobile VR/AR at
  1/1000 power of other solutions
• First VR system to use Chirp SonicTrack tracking solution is the
  developer kit of HTC’s VIVE Focus all-in-one VR system

LAS VEGAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–TDK Corporation (TSE: 6762) expands its Chirp Microsystems ultrasonic
product portfolio with Chirp SonicTrack™, an ultrasonic
six-degree-of-freedom (6-DoF) controller tracking solution for
all-in-one (AIO) virtual reality (VR) systems. Chirp SonicTrack is an
inside-out tracking system that fuses ultrasonic and inertial sensor
data to provide 6-DoF position and orientation tracking of a hand-held
controller with sub-millimeter precision over a field of view (FoV) of
over 240 degrees. The first VR system to use the SonicTrack tracking
solution is the developer kit of HTC’s Vive Focus all-in-one VR system,
where Chirp-enabled 6-DoF controllers allow users to experience
immersive VR content with a standalone headset.

Powered by Chirp’s tiny, ultra-low power ultrasonic transceiver product,
the CH-101, Chirp SonicTrack is the only inside-out tracking solution on
the market today based on true 3D position information. The position
tracking system utilizes sonar by transmitting ultrasonic pulses between
CH-101 sensors inside the VR system’s head-mounted display (HMD) and the
hand-held controllers, providing 3D position information of the
controllers relative to the HMD. Competing camera-based solutions have
only 2D image data, requiring computation-intensive image processing
from multiple cameras to estimate 3D position information. Chirp’s true
3D ultrasonic sensing advantage results in a solution that is much lower
power and better optimized for the mobile processors used in all-in-one
VR/AR/XR systems. The CH-101’s omnidirectional response makes it easy to
track controllers over an extremely wide field of view – another
advantage over camera-based systems.

“Chirp has solved the industry-wide problem of 6-DoF controller tracking
for mobile VR systems,” said Michelle Kiang, CEO and co-founder, Chirp
Microsystems. “Unlike camera-based computer vision systems, ultrasonic
tracking is computationally light. The ultrasonic tracking system also
offers ultralow power consumption as the power required is only a few
milliwatts – about a hundred times less than an optical tracking system.
It allows us to offer an incredibly wide field-of-view so that the HMD
never loses track of the controllers as the user moves around. These
features make our tracking solution ideal for mobile VR and AR systems
where system cost, heat dissipation and short battery life are killer
problems. We couldn’t think of a better platform for our tracking
technology than HTC’s VIVE Focus, which is the most capable all-in-one
VR system on the market today.”

“At Vive, we are constantly striving to push the limits of what is
possible within VR hardware and software to offer a premium experience
for our customers,” said Adrian Tung, Senior Vice President of HTC.
“Through Chirp’s SonicTrack technology, we are able to quickly upgrade
our Vive Focus Developer kits to support 6-DoF control input. This makes
it easier for developers and businesses to implement intuitive controls,
and also greatly expands the potential content library for Focus.”

Chirp SonicTrack is designed to enable VR system providers to introduce
their own 6-DoF controllers with fast time-to-market. Chirp supplies a
hardware reference design and the complete software stack, including a
state-of-the-art sensor fusion software library. Relative to a 3-DoF
controller design, a Chirp SonicTrack 6-DoF controller requires only the
addition of CH-101 ultrasonic sensors. The small size of these sensors
gives customers flexible industrial design options for VR controllers
and HMDs. The Chirp SonicTrack sensor fusion software library uses
minimal processor resources and is ready for use on Qualcomm Snapdragon
and other mobile processors.

Chirp Microsystems, a TDK group company, will showcase the Chirp
SonicTrack platform, along with a comprehensive portfolio of sensors,
electronic components and solutions for mobile, wearables, AR/VR,
automotive, IoT and industrial applications at the Consumer Electronics
Show in Las Vegas, Nevada this January 8 – 11, 2019. See the exhibition
in LVCC, South Hall 3, Booth #30306. Please visit: www.chirpmicro.com
or contact Chirp Sales at sales@chirpmicro.com
for more information.

Glossary

• 6-DoF: 6 Degrees of Freedom
• 3D: 3 dimensional
• FoV: Field of View
• AR/VR: Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality
• XR: Extended Reality
• Ultrasonic: Utilizing, produced by, or relating to ultrasonic
  waves or vibrations.

Main applications

• AR/VR/XR
• Smart home
• Drone and robotics
• Connected IoT devices
• Mobile and wearable
• Automotive

Key features and benefits of the Chirp SonicTrack ultrasonic
controller tracking solution:

• Mobile optimized – ultralow power, light weight and does not require
  base station
• Near-zero computation load
• Works under any lighting condition
• Expanded field of view

About TDK Corporation

TDK Corporation is a leading electronics company based in Tokyo, Japan.
It was established in 1935 to commercialize ferrite, a key material in
electronic and magnetic products. TDK’s comprehensive portfolio features
passive components such as ceramic, aluminum electrolytic and film
capacitors, as well as magnetics, high-frequency, and piezo and
protection devices. The product spectrum also includes sensors and
sensor systems such as temperature and pressure, magnetic, and MEMS
sensors. In addition, TDK provides power supplies and energy devices,
magnetic heads and more. These products are marketed under the product
brands TDK, EPCOS, InvenSense, Micronas, Tronics and TDK-Lambda. TDK
focuses on demanding markets in the areas of information and
communication technology and automotive, industrial and consumer
electronics. The company has a network of design and manufacturing
locations and sales offices in Asia, Europe, and in North and South
America. In fiscal 2018, TDK posted total sales of USD 12 billion and
employed about 103,000 people worldwide.

About Chirp Microsystems

Chirp Microsystems, a TDK Group company, is bringing ultrasonics to
everyday products. Chirp’s piezoelectric MEMS ultrasonic transducers
offer long range and low power in a tiny package, enabling products that
accurately perceive the three-dimensional world in which we live.
Combined with Chirp’s embedded software library, these sensors advance
user experiences with VR/AR, wearables, robotics, drones and occupancy
detection. For more information, please visit: www.chirpmicro.com

You can download this text
http://www.invensense.com/news-media/TDK-announces-new-Chirp-SonicTrack-inside-out-6-DoF-ultrasonic-controller-tracking-solution-for-all-in-one-VR

Contacts

InvenSense
Mr. David A. ALMOSLINO
+1 408-501-2278
pr@invensense.com

Karbo Communications
Ms. Kim LIANTHAMANI
+1 415-255-6512
TDKUSA@karbocom.com