Multi-sensor device offers six degrees of freedom
20 December 2011
Smallest MEMS modules from STMicroelectronics will make sleek consumer devices more sensitive.
STMicroelectronics has announced the launch of a new inertial module that integrates three-axis sensing of linear and angular motion in a miniature 3mm x 5.5mm x 1mm package. Reducing size by almost 20% over devices currently in production, ST’s newest iNEMO module with six degrees of freedom delivers advanced motion-sensing capabilities in space-constrained consumer applications, such as smart phones, tablets and other portable electronic devices and will enable even more sleek products in the future.
In addition to the space-saving benefits, ST’s newest iNEMO module enhances user experience and motion-sensing realism through its advanced design and real-time sensor data fusion capabilities. The module design ensures precise alignment of the two sensors’ reference axes and superior thermal and mechanical stability, while ST’s iNEMO Engine data-fusion software employs sophisticated prediction and filtering algorithms to automatically correct measurement distortions and inaccuracies.
The LSM330D multi-sensor module combines a user-selectable full-scale acceleration range from 2 to 16g with angular-rate detection from 250 to 2000 dps along the pitch, roll and yaw axes. There are three main types of angular motion: yaw is rotation around the vertical axis; roll is rotation around the front-to-back axis and pitch is the rotation around the side-to-side axis.
Addressing power constraints in battery-operated portable devices, the module includes power-down and sleep modes and two embedded FIFO (first-in first-out) memory blocks, one for each sensor, for smarter power management. In addition, it can operate with any supply voltage over the range of 2.4 to 3.6V.
Fully software-compatible with ST’s latest-generation 3-axis digital accelerometers (LIS3DH) and gyroscopes (L3GD20), the new iNEMO module makes it easy for customers using ST’s single-function sensors to upgrade their designs, reducing the board size, number of external components, and overall application system complexity.
The smallest 6 DoF (degrees of freedom) device in ST’s iNEMO inertial module family, the LSM330D is available in engineering samples.
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