Industry’s lowest power MEMS accelerometer unveiled

The three axis device is optimised to operate at 300nA in motion sensing wake up mode, consuming 60% less current than the closest competing sensor. In addition, it uses 2µA at a 100Hz data rate full measurement mode, which ADI claims is 80% less than competing MEMS accelerometers operating at the same frequency. "Designing for low power requires more than low current draw at the component level," said Bill Murphy, product line director, MEMS/sensors group, Analog Devices. "It also means intelligently managing total system power by turning system functions on and off at precisely the correct time. The ADXL362 leads the industry in this respect, enabling applications ranging from healthcare to infrastructure monitoring, where battery life is absolutely critical." As well as additional key features that enable system level power efficiency, the ADXL362 integrates an enhanced, sample activity detection function that distinguishes between different kinds of motion, eliminates false positives and prevents the sensor from turning the system on unnecessarily. Furthermore, it embeds a deep internal FIFO memory block that allows system designers to record data and stream long data sets, reducing processor load and saving additional system power.