Differential Pressure Sensors Gain Intelligence with NimbleSense

How integrated architecture transforms performance, reliability, and design flexibility

A New Age for Differential Pressure Sensing

Differential pressure sensors are crucial in systems that need accurate measurement of air, gases, or liquids. By comparing pressure at two points, like across a valve, filter, airway, or duct, they identify obstructions, confirm flow conditions, and help ensure stable operation. They are essential components of many products, including medical ventilators, anesthesia machines, spirometers, industrial flow controllers, and HVAC systems.

Although differential pressure sensing has existed for centuries, its modern form emerged in the late 1960s with the development of piezoresistive silicon technology. Over the years, MEMS manufacturing significantly improved mechanical structures and miniaturization. However, despite major advancements in system intelligence across medical, industrial, and consumer devices, the pressure sensors themselves remained surprisingly unchanged.

This stagnation forced engineers to rely on piecemeal solutions to meet the performance needs of their end markets by combining separate MEMS devices, amplifiers, filters, processors, and calibration steps. The outcome: longer development cycles, added complexity, and inconsistent performance across different deployment environments.

Superior Sensor Technology set out to change this.

The NimbleSense™ Architecture: A System-in-a-Sensor Breakthrough

Recognizing the limitations of traditional sensor modules, Superior Sensor Technology developed NimbleSense™, the industry’s first System-in-a-Sensor architecture. This innovation combines the MEMS die, signal processing chain, advanced digital algorithms, and application-specific intelligence into a single, configurable platform. The concept mirrors the evolution of semiconductor design from discrete ICs to highly integrated SoCs. With NimbleSense™, differential pressure sensors now have the same embedded intelligence that has revolutionized computing, mobility, and automotive electronics.

Figure 1:  System in a Sensor Block Diagram

By combining programmable software modules with hardware-level optimization, NimbleSense enables engineers to:

• Develop more accurate, stable, and dependable pressure-based systems
• Minimize external circuitry and streamline design.
• Customize performance for every application
• Speed up time-to-market while lowering overall system costs.

This architecture transforms the pressure sensor from a single-purpose component into a versatile, reconfigurable subsystem.

A Toolbox of Technology Building Blocks

At the heart of NimbleSense is a library of modular, proven building blocks. Designers can select the features they need, whether it’s stability enhancement, noise filtering, range scaling, or closed-loop control, and create a sensor system precisely tuned for their application.

Figure 2: NimbleSense Architecture Building Blocks

Below is an overview of the blocks currently available:

1. Multi-Range^TM: Multi-range capability enables a single sensor unit to be factory-calibrated and performance-optimized to support up to 8 pressure ranges.
   Benefit: Simplifies inventory, supports multiple product models, and eliminates the need for numerous discrete sensors.

2. Z-Track^TM: Z-Track uses a proprietary zero-drift algorithm to virtually eliminate long-term offset error.
   Benefit: Vital in medical applications like spirometry, where even minor inaccuracies can affect diagnosis or treatment decisions

3. Closed Loop Control (CLC): Integrated control logic for directly managing valves, motors, or actuators to maintain desired flow profiles.
   Benefit: Enables devices, such as ventilators and UAVs, to maintain highly stable airflow with minimal external electronics.

4. Advanced Digital Filtering: Application-tuned filters reduce sampling noise to below the mechanical noise floor.
   Benefit: Maximizes accuracy in dynamic environments. Ideal for industrial flow systems, HVAC control loops, and medical breathing circuits

5. 50/60Hz Notch Filter: Provides built-in rejection of common mains power noise frequencies.
   Benefit: Simplifies HVAC and building automation systems by removing the requirement for external filtering components.

6. Pressure Switch: The built-in switch activates when the specified pressure threshold or set point is reached.
   Benefit: The fast, fail-safe feature eliminates the need for an external switch in your product.
   

The Result: A New Standard for Precision Sensing

With NimbleSense, product designers no longer need to assemble complex, error-prone sensor chains. Instead, they leverage a unified subsystem that delivers:

• 5–10× higher performance than traditional differential pressure sensors
• Reduced drift and enhanced stability across diverse environmental conditions
• Lower development and manufacturing costs through integration
• Faster time to market with configurable features
• Application-specific optimization without custom hardware

NimbleSense lets engineers prioritize innovation over sensor workarounds, ushering in a new era of intelligence and adaptability in pressure sensing.

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