High-performance magnetometer completes range of magnetic, acceleration and gyroscopic sensors delivering ultimate design flexibility.
STMicroelectronics has added a high-performance 3-axis magnetometer to its MEMS sensor portfolio. The new sensor delivers high performance in a very small package.
Because of its small size and high performance, the sensor is ideal for mobile phones, tablets or personal navigation devices. ST’s magnetometer is also perfectly suited to indoor navigation applications where it reliably calculates dead-reckoning when no satellite signal is available.
By introducing the 2 × 2 × 1mm LIS3MDL magnetometer, ST now offers unique flexibility for designers to implement movement and position detection in space-constrained products such as smartphones and personal navigation devices. The device can also be combined with other discrete sensors from ST such as 3-axis MEMS accelerometer or 3-axis MEMS gyroscope, to build sensors with as many as 9 degrees of freedom (DOF).
Using ST’s iNEMO Engine Sensor Fusion software, designers can further enhance location-detection capabilities by integrating additional miniature sensors from ST’s portfolio for multiple-DOF (M-DOF) sensing. Sensor Fusion software helps coordinate any combination of sensors from ST’s broad portfolio to create reliable, high-quality M-DOF systems quickly and efficiently for location-based services, enhanced motion-based gaming, and pedestrian dead-reckoning for indoor and multi-floor navigation.
Samples of the LIS3MDL are available and mass production is scheduled for Q2 2013. Unit pricing is US$0.60 for volumes in the range of 1,000 pieces.
