PORTLAND, Ore. — ST Microelectronics has introduced what it is calling the world’s smallest digital e-compass — a three-axis magnetometer combined with a three-axis accelerometer on a 2x2mm MEMS chip.
By saving board space on next-generation mobile devices, this device should enable new ultra-miniature, location-aware applications. Micro-electromechanical systems already provide much of the smarts to smartphones, and ST is already a major supplier for devices from Apple’s iPhone to Samsung’s Galaxy. However, a new generation of smartphones and other personal devices will have even less board space.
ST said in a press release that its new LSM303C is 20 percent smaller than previous models, saving just under a square millimeter of board space. That does not seem like much, but it will be welcome for devices such as smartwatches or monitoring bracelets, where space is especially precious.
(Source: ST)
The new e-compass will also reduce electromagnetic interference by facilitating more liberal board layouts, ST said. That should improve the performance of indoor navigation and other location-based applications by reducing radio frequency interference from onboard RF transceivers.
The 16-bit LSM303C measures magnetic field strengths of plus or minus 1,600 microTesla (16 Gauss). A programmable accelerometer can be set for ranges of plus-or-minus two, four, or eight Gs. The device includes on-chip power management, thermal compensation, and programmable interrupts for free-fall and magnetic-field detection.
For more detail: ST Hawks Smallest MEMS Compass