STMicroelectronics LSM6DSV16X inertial measurement unit

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STMicroelectronics has introduced LSM6DSV16X, a 6-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) embedding ST’s Sensor Fusion Low Power (SFLP) technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and adaptive-self-configuration (ASC) for power optimisation.

The architecture of the inertial measurement unit enables sophisticated processing in the edge, making the device suitable for advanced 3D phone-mapping, context awareness in laptops and tablets, reliable and precise gesture recognition for XR headsets, and always-on activity tracking. All the processing is done in the MEMS sensor itself, which also contains a triple sensing core to meet the differing needs of user-interface controls and optical/electronic image stabilisation (OIS/EIS).

The IC integrates an enhanced finite state machine (FSM), to detect fast events and custom gestures. Updates to ST’s machine-learning core (MLC) raise the performance of inference algorithms such as human activity recognition. ST has published ready-to-use MLC and FSM algorithms on GitHub to help product designers cut time to market when implementing these advanced capabilities in new products. The IMU also makes the AI features, extracted by MLC, available for external processing.

With ASC, the sensor can optimise its own settings such as measurement range and operating frequency, independently and on the fly, without host intervention. Teamed with ST’s Sensor Fusion Low Power (SFLP) technology, it enables the IMU to host fast edge processing with minimal energy demand. SFLP allows gesture recognition or continuous tracking while drawing as little as 15 µA.

The inertial measurement unit integrates in an IMU a charge-variation (ST Qvar) sensing channel to monitor changes in electrostatic charge, either through electrodes in contact with the body in a smartwatch or fitness band or by non-contact sensing (“radar”). ST MEMS sensors with ST Qvar support advanced user-interface controls such as touch, long press, and swipe, which provide seamless interactions.

The high-accuracy 6-axis MEMS IMU contains a 3-axis low noise accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope for accurate sensing in an industry-standard size and with the new I3C interface. Both structures benefit from high stability after reflow soldering, which saves equipment manufacturers recalibrating the IMU on the production line. The IMU is in production now in a 2.5 x 3.0 x 0.83 mm 14-lead LGA package.

For further information, please visit: www.st.com/lsm6dsv16x.