TDK expands smart sensor family

At electronica 2022, TDK Corp. announced product line expansions for its SmartAutomotive and SmartIndustrial sensor portfolios. These include a 3-axis MotionTracking sensor platform for non-safety automotive applications and 6-axis IMUs for navigation applications.

Expanding its SmartAutomotive line of ASIL and non-ASIL motion sensors, TDK has introduced the InvenSense IAM-20380HT high-temperature automotive 3-axis MotionTracking sensor platform solution for non-safety automotive applications. The platform includes the IAM-20380HT 3-axis MEMS gyroscope and the DK-20380HT developer kit.

(Source: TDK Corp.)

The IAM-20380HT is a stand-alone gyroscope that is housed in thin 3 x 3 × 0.75 mm (16-pin LGA) package. Like other SmartAutomotive devices, it is built on a monolithic system-on-chip that eliminates the wirebonding interconnections between the sensing element (MEMS) and the electronic front-end (CMOS) to deliver performance and reliability benefits, said TDK.

The gyroscope can operate over a wide temperature range of -40°C to 105°C and delivers high accuracy measurement data for a variety of non-safety automotive applications including, navigation and dead reckoning, vehicle tracking, telematics, door control, and vision systems. It extends the FIFO depth up to 4096-byte, compared to the previous generation 3-axis gyros.

TDK said the IAM-20380HT provides best-in-class low noise performance with leading bias instability to guarantee accurate vehicle location and industry-leading sensitivity tolerance.

Other features include on-chip 16-bit ADCs, a programmable full-scale range of ±250 dps, ±500 dps, ±1000 dps, and ±2000 dps; programmable digital filters, an embedded temperature sensor, two programmable interrupts, and I²C and SPI serial interfaces. The devices are reliability tested according to AEC-Q100 Grade 2.

For industrial applications, TDK expanded its SmartIndustrial line of motion sensors with the launch of the InvenSense IIM-46234 and IIM-46230 fault-tolerant inertial measurement units (IMUs). These IMUs target navigation applications that require accurate, stable, and best-in-class bias instability at an affordable price, said the company.

(Source: TDK Corp.)

The IIM-46234 and IIM-46230 modules include multiple 6-axis sensors, each of which can measure three dimensions of linear acceleration and three dimensions of rotational rate. These industrial IMUs offer 1.9 deg/hr gyroscope bias instability, fault tolerance, and micro-second accurate time stamping features. They offer low offset and sensitivity variation over temperature.

The new devices integrate TDK’s unique SensorFT feature for fault tolerance that combines the multi-IMU hardware design with TDK’s proprietary fault detection and recovery software, which provides built-in redundancy and early warning capabilities. These sensors could provide advanced warnings for preventative maintenance.

They offer factory calibration across the full operating temperature range of -40°C to 85°C for offset, sensitivity (scale factor), G-sensitivity, and cross-axis sensitivity. The calibration over the full temperature range guarantees best performance not typical in standard IMUs, which often deteriorate in performance as temperatures increase or decrease, said TDK. “It also provides stable measurements across all temperatures to minimize errors in position and angle for navigation applications,” said the company.

These industrial IMUs offer precise measurements, even in harsh environments with high vibrations and wide temperature variations, which makes them suited for a variety of navigation applications, including high-end real-time kinematic positioning (RTK) and GNSS/INS units, precision agriculture, construction machinery, and industrial robots. The modules also include a microcontroller that provides multiple options for communication and sensor fusion.

Both product lines are available through most of TDK’s global distribution partners. They are showcased at TDK’s main booth #B3.560 at electronica, Nov. 15-18, Munich, Germany.