Freescale MMA8450Q is 3-axis accelerometer for mobile phones andsmartbooks

Freescale Semiconductor has introduced the latest in motion-sensing technology to enhance mobile consumer experiences. The MMA8450Q accelerometer is a highly accurate, power-efficient solution that extends battery life for smart mobile devices and captures precise movement via highly sensitive gesture and orientation detection capabilities.

The MMA8450Q accelerometer is designed for next-generation mobile devices, such as smartphones and smartbooks, which require an ideal blend of performance, portability and battery life to satisfy market requirements. The 3-axis digital sensor plays a key role in Freescale’s smartbook tablet reference design, which debuted last month at CES 2010.

The device offers a broad range of embedded and highly configurable functions designed to help OEMs address specific product requirements, including orientation, tap, double tap, jolt, freefall and shake detection capabilities.

The MMA8450Q sensor features 12-bit digital resolution and is contained in a compact, 3 x 3 x 1 mm package. It offers intelligent data management capabilities, with an internal first-in/first-out (FIFO) 32-samples/axis (X-, Y- and Z-axis) memory buffer engineered to improve overall system power savings and response time by offloading functions from the host processor. Using the FIFO buffer along with the embedded functions can allow the end processor to analyze only the required data, while at the same time helping to protect from the possibility of data loss when multiplexing other sensors on the same I2C bus. Configurable power saving modes and auto-wake/sleep capability help designers achieve optimal current consumption. The extensive configurability for each of the embedded functions that can be tied to the auto-wake/sleep function can enable context-aware products for more power efficiency.

Target applications for the MMA8450Q accelerometer include portable consumer devices such as mobile phones and remote controls, as well as smartbooks, eReaders, netbooks, laptop PCs, PMPs and PDAs.

Additional applications include activity monitoring for medical applications, dead-reckoning assistance for navigation applications, position detection for fleet tracking and safety shutoff for power tools and small appliances.

The MMA8450Q sensor is available now for a suggested resale price starting at $1.67 (USD) in 10,000-piece quantities.

The smartbook reference design that contains the MMA8450Q accelerometer is available now for evaluation through local Freescale sales representatives. Reference design details are available at www.freescale.com/smartbook.