TDK has released the Tronics AXO315, a small, high-performance single-axis closed-loop digital MEMS accelerometer. The sensor and its Arduino-based evaluation kit are now available worldwide.
The device is an in-plane linear accelerometer in the ±14g range designed to provide high accuracy and reliability in the harshest environments, withstanding the harsh temperature and vibration conditions common in industrial, land, naval, rail, oil and gas, and construction applications. It provides 1mg one year compound repeatability and 600ppm compound scale factor repeatability in the temperature range from -55c to +105C and at 4g vibration, with excellent vibration resistance. Performance is enhanced by its excellent Allen variance characteristics, with 4µg base instability, 0.006m/s/√h speed random walk and 15µg/√Hz extremely low noise, thus achieving high resolution and low error.
Its properties can significantly reduce the size, weight and cost of materials for a variety of applications. These include servo inclinometer and dynamic inclinometer in industrial motion control units, IMU and INS for GNSS assisted positioning, and navigation for manned and unmanned ground vehicles and trains.
The device provides a forced rebalancing architecture, a 24-bit digital SPI interface, and an SMD package. Its performance is comparable to existing analog quartz accelerometers and mechanical inclinometers, but it is a fraction of their weight, size and price. It also claims better performance than all commercial MEMS sensor components and is easier to integrate than analog sensors.
It is delivered in a lightweight 1.4g sealed SMD J lead ceramic package (12mm x 12mm x 5mm), which facilitates low-cost PCB assembly and reliability even under rapidly changing temperature conditions.
