STMicro Targets Automotive Applications with Three-Axis Accelerometer Motion sensor targets security and navigation applications

For years, technology companies have promoted the idea that cars could be outfitted with the same kind of “black box” technology that aircraft had. A device would record information in the event of an accident and reveal movement, direction, angle and other data. I first wrote about the concept for MIT Technology Review six years ago, and quoted the CEO of a company manufacturing so-called “event data recorders” who optimistically but incorrectly believed they would first appear in the 2007 model year.

In hindsight, it’s easier to see that what may bring these “black boxes” closer to reality are the three-axis accelerometers coming onto the market. STMicro is the latest to release such a device, which measures movement in multiple directions; Freescale and Hitachi have already released three-axis accelerometers.

STMicro says the AIS326DQ accelerometer is the first of a range of products as part of its strategy to expand its business in consumer MEMS to automotive applications. Marco Ferraresi, Automotive Unit Business Manager for STMicro cites potential applicability for the new accelerometer in vehicle alarms, tracking and monitoring, seat controls, navigation and antenna positioning, as well as black-box capabilities. The new accelerometer can also be used in applications such as vibration monitoring in heavy-duty equipment and shipping-container security. STMicro will initially target Tier 1 and Tier 2 manufacturers in the automotive industry as well as aftermarket alarm manufacturers. Ferraresi would not reveal the names of any customers, other than to say he was negotiating with both U.S. and EU manufacturers.

Ferraresi says the new device offers more flexibility in terms of where it’s located in an automobile. “A two-axis accelerometer has to be mounted properly, to ensure that it directionally aligns with the acceleration the application needs to measure. You can mount a three-axis device anywhere.”

He says the STMicro device has an adjustable range between ± 2g and ± 6g in any direction; that allows manufacturers to adjust its sensitivity. “This is a very powerful device, but you need to find the right tradeoff so that a false event does not trigger the alarm. The manufacturers can program it to filter out accidental bumps.”

Ferraresi says there are other potential applications to drive deployment of accelerometers in vehicles. “If you lose the GPS signal — for instance, when you’re in a tunnel — you can still use the accelerometer to track the movement of the car,” he says, citing the need for this capability both for stolen vehicles and for shipment tracking.

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