STMicroelectronics ISM330ISN inertial measurement unit

Click2Contact

STMicroelectronics’ ISM330ISN always-on 6-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) for movement and position sensing uses its embedded intelligence to deliver high performance for its size and power. Suitable for IoT and industrial applications, the IMU is set to accelerate response time and extend battery life in equipment such as condition monitors for predictive maintenance, as well as battery-operated asset trackers and industrial applications such as robots.

The intelligence built into the IMU enables smart devices to perform advanced motion-detection functions in the sensor without interaction with the external microcontroller (MCU), thus saving power at system level. ST’s approach integrates a specialised processor, the intelligent sensor processing unit (ISPU), in a small area directly on the sensor chip, optimised for machine-learning applications. This enables the product to have a 50% smaller footprint and consume 50% less power than a typical co-packaged MCU, the company says.

Developers can program the ISPU using ST’s NanoEdge AI Studio, a tool that many have used to deploy AI applications on STM32 microcontrollers. This technology is now available for programming the ISPU, enabling users to easily generate automatically optimised machine-learning libraries. Designing an anomaly detection library with AI learning capability directly inside the ISPU is possible with minimal data and just a few clicks; no specific data-science skills are needed.

The IMU contains a 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope with low-noise sensing performance, and an output data rate (ODR) of 6.6 kHz. With the ISPU, the sensor is said to enable consistently high accuracy while consuming only 0.59 mA in combination mode with the accelerometer and gyroscope active. The product has the same 3 x 2.5 x 0.83 mm package outline as conventional inertial modules, so designers can upgrade their products quickly with no obligation to change an established circuit board layout.

For more information: www.st.com/ispu.