Sensors

PNI Sensor and EM Microelectronic have revealed the Sentral sensor fusion hub, a new, highly effective way to integrate complex motion sensors on mobile devices. The Sentral sensor fusion hub is the first hub designed specifically to manage sensor outputs on a low-power integrated circuit, making 9-axis motion sensing outputs both super-precise and practical to implement.

Intersil has joined with Renesas to develop a sensor signal conditioning solution for thermocouple, pressure and strain gauges. The companies have demonstrated the new solution, which is being distributed through Avnet Memec, at Embedded World February 26-28 2013 in Nuremberg, Germany.

Oxygen can be measured with the aid of various physical processes. The Fujikura oxygen sensor is a zirconium dioxide solid electrolyte sensor which employs the current limitation principle. In contrast to conventional solid electrolyte sensors, no reference gas is required.

PEWATRON was quick to recognise the changing times and has extended its wide range of pressure sensors by adding a large selection of digital interface sensors. Most in demand are sensors with the I2C interface. These sensors can be operated using a supply voltage in the range 2.7…5.5 VDC. The resolution is 12 bit.

An innovative new ultra-miniature package offering has been introduced for the family of current sensor ICs available from Allegro MicroSystems Europe. Allegro’s smallest current sensor linear IC, the ACS711, is now housed in a 0.75 mm thick low-profile QFN package measuring only 3 mm × 3 mm. This new micro-sized device is possibly the smallest fully integrated linear current sensor IC in the world.

IBM and NXP Semiconductors N.V. today announced the first results of a smarter traffic pilot, conducted in the Dutch city of Eindhoven. The trial demonstrates how the connected car automatically shares braking, acceleration and location data that can be analyzed by the central traffic authority to identify and resolve road network issues.

IPETRONIK`s- Business division IPEmeasure extends the second generation of its CAN- measurement modules of M-Series to a four channel universal counter module with sensor excitation and adjustable trigger thresholds.

STMicroelectronics today announced a new member in its multi-core microcontroller (MCU) family aimed at functional safety applications for car electronics. The new device combines compliance with the most stringent automotive safety standards (ISO 26262) and increased non-volatile memory size, giving a simple upward migration path from existing parts and strengthening ST’s product line of fault-tolerant microcontrollers for mission-critical aut...

Smartphones are set to become even more flexible and more satisfying to use, thanks to a unique sensor system developed by STMicroelectronics. Combining three optical elements in a single compact package, the VL6180 is the first member of ST’s FlightSense family and uses a new optical-sensing technology that reduces the incidence of dropped calls and enables innovative new user interactions with smartphones.

STMicroelectronics has added a high-performance standalone 3-axis magnetometer to its MEMS sensor portfolio. The new sensor delivers high performance in a very small package. Because of its small size and high performance, the sensor is ideal for mobile phones, tablets or personal navigation devices. ST’s standalone magnetometer is also perfectly suited to indoor navigation applications where it reliably calculates dead-reckoning when no satell...