#MEMS: "6-axis Combo Chip Adds Motion Engine

Invensense was first to combine an accelerometer and a gyroscope into a single micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) chip, followed by STMicroelectronics and Bosch. Now ST has announced its second-generation device just slightly larger that the second-generation Invensense model announced last week. Samsung is already using ST's first generation combo MEMS, but many more will likely follow in 2013 as the advantages of a single-chip solution--smaller size and lower power--become obvious to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs): R. Colin Johnson



Here is what EETimes says about ST's combo MEMS chip: The volume of STMicroelectronics’ latest 6-axis MEMS chip has been halved and the device adds programmable motion sensing engines. ST’s iNEMO inertial module, the LSM330, combines a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope and two programmable state machines for gesture recognition. ST supplies the inertial sensor for Apple's iPhone and iPad, both of which use separate accelerometer and gyroscope chips. Samsung was recently found to have switched to ST's LSM330DLC 6-axis combo chip for its Galaxy S III GT smartphone. The LSM330, successor to the LSM330DLC, measures just 3 x 3.5 mm.
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