The leading MEMS vendor for portable and consumer applications STMicroelectronics has recently extended its motion-sensor range by adding a three-axis digital-output accelerometer. This accelerometer combines enhanced functionality, miniature footprint, and significantly reduced power consumption, which is 90% lesser compared to the existing market solutions.
ST MEMS functional sensors
This accelerometer is an ideal fit for motion sensing applications and features in power and space constrained gadgets like game controllers, remotes, and mobile phones. The accelerometer has 3x3x1 mm dimensions and low operating current consumption of 2 micro-amps. The sensor offers accurate output over complete-scale ranges of or - 16g/+ or - 8g, or + or - 2g/+ or - 4g/+ resulting in high stability over temperature and time.
The LIS3DH accelerometer incorporates three analog to digital converter channels and a temperature sensor for easy integration with companion chips like gyroscopes. Aadvanced features like 4D/6D orientation detection, including double click and click recognition, and the mode for power-saving sleep-to-wake-up also incorporated. In the sleep-to-wake-up mode, the read chain is kept active to wake up an event occurs. The output data rate is increased automatically.
Other key features include a programmable FIFO (first-in first-out (FIFO) type of memory block along with two programmable interrupt signals for enabling notification of motion detection, double click/clicks and other conditions immediately.
The LIS3DH is the latest entry in the MEMS line of ST. It was designed and manufactured using the same production-process technique that ST has applied to 700 million plus motion sensors.
It is software and pin-to-pin compatible with every ST accelerometers in the LIS331 line, enabling customers to 'hot swap' easily and safeguard their application development. Volume production is programmed for early Q3 2010.