High-Accuracy Inclinometer with Programmable Machine-Learning Core

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• STMicroelectronics’ high-accuracy, low-power and 2-axis digital inclinometer can sense tilt along two horizontal axes and reduces cost by simplifying system design
• Optimal for applications such as industrial automation and structural-health monitoring of buildings

STMicroelectronics introduces the IIS2ICLX, a high-accuracy, low-power, 2-axis digital inclinometer for use in applications such as industrial automation and structural-health monitoring (continuous condition screening through sensors on buildings and infrastructure). It features a programmable machine-learning core and 16 independent programmable finite state machines that help edge devices save power and reduce data transfers to the cloud.

Many high-accuracy inclinometers are single-axis devices, whereas the 2-axis IIS2ICLX accelerometer can sense the tilt with respect to a horizontal plane along two axes (pitch and roll) or, by combining the two axes, can measure the tilt with high and repeatable accuracy and resolution for a single direction of the horizontal plane over a range of ±180 degrees. The digital output simplifies system design and reduces Bill-of-Materials (BOM) cost by saving external digital-to-analogue conversion or filtering.

With an advanced embedded function, the IIS2ICLX lowers system-level power consumption and extends the operation of battery-powered nodes. The sensor’s inherent characteristics simplify integration into high-performing products while minimising the effort and cost of calibration.

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Using MEMS accelerometer technology, the IIS2ICLX inclinometer includes: 

• Selectable full scale of ±0.5/±1/±2/±3g 
• Provides outputs over an I2C or SPI digital interface
• Embedded compensation maintains stability over temperature to within 0.075mg/°C
• High accuracy and repeatability under fluctuations of ambient temperatures
• Ultra-low noise density of 15μg/√Hz enables high-resolution tilt sensing as well as sensing of low-level and low-frequency vibration
• Operating temperature range: -40 degrees Celsius to +105 degrees Celsius 

Suited for industrial settings

The combination of high stability and repeatability, high accuracy and high resolution makes the IIS2ICLX suitable for industrial applications such as:

• antenna pointing and monitoring
• platform levelling
• forklift and construction machines
• levelling instruments
• equipment installation and monitoring
• installation and sun-tracking for solar panels
• Industry 4.0 applications such as robots and autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs)

For structural-health monitoring, accurate measurement of inclination and vibration with the IIS2ICLX can help assess the integrity of structures such as tall towers and infrastructures like bridges or tunnels. Affordable, battery-powered MEMS tilt sensors containing the IIS2ICLX enable many more structures to be monitored for safety, making them economically viable for use in expensive technologies.

To ease the adoption of the IIS2ICLX and accelerate application development, specific software libraries are also provided to support sensor calibration and real-time computation of tilt angle. Such software libraries are part of the X-CUBE-MEMS1 expansion software package for STM32Cube.

The IIS2ICLX is housed in a high-performance ceramic-cavity LGA package measuring 5mm x 5mm x 1.7mm. It is available now in sample quantities.