STMicroelectronics collaborates with Qualcomm for next-gen sensors
Combining the iNEMO LSM6DST six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) with what is believed to be the industry’s first I3C-enabled pressure sensor, the LPS22HH, STMicroelectronics and Qualcomm Technologies claim to provide highly accurate location tracking while meeting the most restrictive power budgets.
As part of the Qualcomm Platform Solutions Ecosystem program, ST contributes pre-validated software to OEMs for its MEMS and other sensing devices to deliver advanced features to the next generation of smartphones, connected PCs, IoT devices and wearables. Qualcomm Technologies has pre-selected ST’s high-accuracy, low-power, motion-tracking IC with intelligent sensor software, and its accurate pressure sensor, for use in its latest 5G mobile reference platforms.
The iNEMO LSM6DST integrates a three-axis digital accelerometer and a three-axis gyroscope in a compact system-in-package (SiP). According to ST, it has the industry’s lowest power consumption, namely 0.55mA in high-performance mode and as little as 4mA in accelerometer-only mode.
For imaging applications, the LSM6DST supports electronic image stabilisation (EIS) and optical image stabilisation (OIS) applications, with a dedicated configurable signal processing path for OIS and auxiliary SPI, configurable for both the gyroscope and accelerometer. The auxiliary SPI and primary interface (SPI / I²C & MIPI I3CSM) can configure the OIS.
ST’s robust and mature low-power ThELMA (Thick Epitaxial Layer for Micro-gyroscopes and Accelerometers) process technology, supports and simplifies integration in low power circuit designs and offers I²C, MIPI I3C or SPI from the sensing element to the application. It also contains a 9kbyte FIFO to allow dynamic data batching and 16 finite state machines that recognise programmed data sequences from the sensor and further reduce system level power consumption.
“Having worked closely with Qualcomm Technologies for many years, we’ve been able to assure sensor performance that meets the demanding requirements of next-generation mobile and wearable devices and software solutions that can be used with the Qualcomm Sensor Execution Environment, said Andrea Onetti, group vice president and general manager, MEMS Sensor division, STMicroelectronics. “Combining the industry’s lowest-power high-accuracy IMU with our high-precision, robust, and extremely stable-over-time-and-temperature pressure sensor, can enable the best possible location accuracy to meet e911 and eCall requirements,” he added.
