ST unveils first 3-axis gyroscope for automotive applications

The A3G4250D measures rates up to +/-245d/s and features an angular rate sensor for positioning accuracy and stability for a range of automotive applications. Dead reckoning and map matching capabilities are enabled via a single sensing structure for motion measurement along all three orthogonal axes. This is said to eliminate any interference between the axes and significantly increase measurement precision. According to ST, an on-chip IC interface converts the angular motion data into a 16bit digital bit stream that is transmitted with high reliability to a dedicated microcontroller chip through a standard SPI or I2C protocol. The device is also designed to provide two output lines (interrupt and data ready) and four user selectable output data rates. The 3V single supply sensor integrates power down and sleep modes and an embedded FIFO memory block for smarter power management. In addition, the A3G4250D embeds an 8bit temperature sensor and operates within an extended temperature range from -40 to 85°C. The device is said to be robust to electromagnetic interference and can withstand shocks up to 10,000g.