3-axis accelerometer and MCU in a 3x3x1mm LGA package

STMicroelectronics has announced details of a miniature smart sensor that combines a 3-axis accelerometer with an embedded microcontroller together in an compact 3x3x1mm LGA package for advanced custom motion-recognition capabilities.

ST has packed MCU to process sensor-fusion algorithms, and a precision 3-axis digital accelerometer in a single device called iNEMO-A. Since MCU inside this features good processing capabilities help reducing the processing time on the host controller and also reduces power consumption in portable electronic devices.

“Customers want smarter motion sensors that integrate both sensing and intelligent decision making in a single package,” said Fabio Pasolini, STMicroelectronics General Manager, Motion MEMS Division, Analog, MEMS and Sensors Group, Industrial and Multisegment Sector. “The iNEMO family gives ST an unrivalled ability to integrate any combination of accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers and other sensors with a powerful ARM-based sensor-hub microcontroller to give our customers the maximum flexibility and scalability in system partitioning.”

Applications targeted by LIS331EB iNEMO-A smart sensor includes wearable sensor applications, motion-activated user interfaces in phones and tablets, and augmented reality. Microcontroller features ARM Cortex-M0 processor core which basically supportd low power consumption. The sensor hub supports the connection of a 3-axis gyroscope, 3-axis magnetometer and a pressure sensor to deliver a full sensor-fusion solution. Other sensors for measuring temperature and humidity can also be connected to this device.

LIS331EB iNEMO-A 3-axis digital accelerometer also contains two embedded finite state machines (FSM) and an embedded FIFO (first-in first-out). The FSM and FIFO enable custom motion-recognition detection, including specific gesture detection, and a pedometer that can run without using the embedded microcontroller. The FSM can also be used to wake up the microcontroller, enabling advanced power management techniques.

3-axis accelerometer in the LIS331EB iNEMO-A features a selectable full-scale range of ±2g/±4g/±8g/±16g. MCU features 64KB Flash Memory and 128KB RAM memory, as well as multiple timers and I/O ports (GPIOs/SPI/I2C/UART).

Availability and price: Samples in Q2 2013 at a unit pricing is US$2.4 for volumes in the range of 1,000 pieces.