Motion-Sensing MEMS Gyros And Accelerometers Are Everywhere

To complement its acceleration sensors in applications ranging from gaming and remote-pointing to car navigation and compensation for camera shaking, STMicroelectronics also recently introduced a family of 15 single-axis and multi-axis MEMS gyroscopes. The family, which comprises a wide 30- to 6000-dps (degrees per second) full-scale range, includes single-axis (yaw) and two-axis (pitch-and-roll, pitch-and-yaw) devices.

Either configuration can provide two separate outputs for each axis at the same time—an unamplified output value for the general detection of angular motion and a four-fold amplification for high-resolution measurements. High-volume unit pricing is $2.50.

For applications such as disk-drive protection in handhelds, STMicroelectronics has announced a three-axis accelerometer with absolute analog output that operates at low voltages—2.16 to 3.6 V. The LIS352AX is insensitive to battery power-supply voltage variations and demonstrates high stability over a wide temperature range for both zero-g offset and sensitivity. Builtin self-test makes it possible to verify sensor functioning after board assembly. Volume pricing is $1.30 each.

In March, Cornell University spinoff Kionix introduced the KXTF9 tri-axis accelerometer with a new interface it calls “Directional Tap/Double-Tap.” It creates up to 12, unique, tap-enabled commands for end-use developer-specified functions. Directional Tap/Double-Tap detects quick, light taps or double taps on any of the six faces of an object.

According to CEO Greg Galvin, “A single tap to the face of a cell phone could send the call to voicemail or silence the ringing. A tap to the left could enable the navigation functionality. A doubletap on the bottom could provide a transition to Internet access.” Other features include a user-programmable output data rate (ODR), selectable 8-bit or 12-bit resolution, user-selectable 2-, 4-, and 8-g g-ranges, and a digital high-pass filter with a userselectable cutoff frequency. The device operates at supply voltages from 1.8 to 3.6 V dc.