ST takes pressure sensors to new heights

From 750m below ground to the top of Mount Everest, smart phones and other portable devices will soon be able to pinpoint their height variation relative to sea level to better than one meter, due to STMicroelectronics’ latest MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) sensor.

ST’s LPS001WP is a tiny silicon pressure sensor that employs MEMS technology to provide extremely high resolution measurements of pressure - and therefore also of altitude - in a compact, thin package well suited for smart phones, sports watches, and other portable equipment, as well as in weather stations and automotive and industrial applications.

One of the first expected applications is the enhancement of portable devices equipped with traditional GPS functions that can only identify the location of the device in two dimensions. With the addition of the LPS001WP, the same devices would be able to identify the precise location in all three dimensions, allowing, for example, a mobile phone to send a call to an emergency fire, medical or police service that identified not only the location of the building but also the particular floor.

Key highlights:

• Piezoresistive pressure sensor
• 300-1100 mbar absolute pressure range
• 0.065 mbar resolution
• Embedded offset and span temperature compensation
• Embedded 16-bit ADC
• SPI and I²C interfaces
• Supply voltage 2.2 V to 3.6 V
• High shock survivability (10000 g)
• Small and thin package
• ECOPACK lead-free compliant

Pricing: $2.80 in quantities of 1000 units.

Availability: December 2010.  

Datasheet: Click here.