STMicroelectronics and Omron collaborate on flow sensor technology

The device is made up of a proprietary Omron transducer and a companion analogue front end chip developed by ST. These technologies have been integrated into a complete stand alone subsystem. The resulting flow sensor, which incorporates mems and micro thermal sensor technology, is designed to be intrinsically compensated for both temperature and pressure variations, while a built in circuit aims to compensate for the variation of multiple gas composition. The sensor is dust resistant to comply with international gas meter standards. Mounted on a pcb measuring 7.2 x 8.6cm, the gas flow sensor has been designed to provide high accuracy with low power consumption, built in motor drivers for valve control, and protection against temperature and vibration effects. The sensor board includes a power STM8L152 microcontroller with 32Kbytes of flash memory and an lcd display driver. It also features the STLM20 temperature sensor, the LIS332AR accelerometer and the M41T82 real time clock, as well as power management and motor control devices. "We are confident that this new collaboration will put both partners at the forefront of the emerging market for electronic gas meters," said Yoshio Sekiguchi, senior general manager of the Micro Devices Division of Omron.