ST unveils world’s first dual core gyroscope

According to the semiconductor specialist, the innovative system architecture of the L3G4IS dual core gyroscope means equipment manufacturers only need to use a single gyroscope for the two different functions. This, says ST, reduces the size, system complexity and cost in mobile phones, tablets and other smart consumer devices. The design of the gyroscope employs separate output paths optimised for the two different functions in a 4x4x1mm package. The device is designed to address, at the same time, motion and gesture recognition and optical image stabilisation for sharper mobile camera photos. "ST's dual core gyroscope lights two candles with one flame," said Benedetto Vigna, corporate vice president and general manager of ST's Analog, MEMS and Sensors Group. "Instead of using two dedicated sensors with significantly different specifications, phone and tablet manufacturers can now simply integrate a single gyroscope for both gesture recognition and camera image stabilisation, which enables more reliable performance, sleeker form factors, and lower costs." In a bid to address power constraints in battery operated portable devices, ST has included power down and sleep modes and an embedded FIFO memory block. The sensor outputs data through independent I²C and SPI interfaces and offers additional digital embedded features, such as configurable low and high pass filters. The gyroscope embeds a temperature sensor and can operate with any supply voltage over the range of 2.4 to 3.6V. ST's L3G4IS dual core gyroscope is sampling now and volume production is scheduled for Q2 2012.