MEMSIC's new MEMS acceleration sensors for vehicle stability control

ANDOVER, USA: MEMSIC Inc., a leading MEMS solution provider, announced two new dual-axis acceleration sensors for automotive Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and other critical safety applications.

The MXP7205VF and MXP7205VW are MEMSIC’s most accurate ±5g XY and XZ acceleration sensors achieving better than ±30mg of zero-g offset stability from -40C to 105C.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires VSC systems to be present on all cars, truck and busses destined for the US market by the year 2012 and the European Commission has confirmed a similar proposal.

Millions of MEMSIC acceleration sensors with analog outputs have been deployed into VSC equipped cars and trucks already. Now engineering teams working to meet governmental VSC requirements can design next generation VSC systems with a fully automotive qualified, road-proven sensor technology with an SPI-compatible interface.

“With the introduction of the MXP7205 accelerometers, MEMSIC is addressing customer demand for higher accuracy and sensor interface choices in VSC applications,” said Mark Laich, MEMSIC VP of Sales and Marketing. “The processor customers select for implementing the VSC algorithms may not always have complete flexibility in the sensor interface. These new sensors extend the interface to include SPI, in addition to Analog and PWM -- to accommodate a broader range of VSC processor options.”

MEMSIC’s accelerometers have been successful in automotive applications in part because they are inherently immune to the high frequency vibrations prevalent in automotive applications.

Due to MEMSIC’s unique thermal technology which uses heated gas molecules to detect acceleration, MEMSIC’s acceleration sensors have no mechanical resonant frequency because the sensors have no moving parts. The heated gas approach has the additional benefit of an ultra-high shock survivability of greater than 50,000g and very low industry leading ppm failure rates.