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New and Notable Product Design

Dual and tri-axis acceleration measurements provide new functionality to several products. Here are five examples.

Randy Frank -- Design News, December 5, 2005

DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER

Samsung YP-T8QW (http://rbi.ims.ca/4402-541). A triaxial accelerometer designed into this portable digital player provides a new slant on functionality. The unit has the capability to decode several of the popular audio formats, play games, and view photos and text stored in the 2 Gbyte hard drive. In addition, Freescale Semiconductor's MMA7260Q 3-axis acceleration sensor enables the scrolling of the menu and the gaming function by tilting the unit as well as providing protection for the hard drive in the event of a freefall. The accelerometer's sensitivity is selectable from 1.5, 2, 4, and 6g levels of acceleration. For more information on Freescale Semiconductor's MMA7260Q 3-axis acceleration sensor, go to http://rbi.ims.ca/4402-542.

DRIVING DATA

TESLA Electronics G-TECH/Pro RR (http://rbi.ims.ca/4402-543). For high performance driving, TESLA Electronics provides the data to drivers to increase their edge. In addition to measuring rpm through the cigarette lighter and display torque measurements along with sequential shift lights, the unit measures and displays forward and lateral acceleration. The unit has x, y, and z precision accelerometers for accurate and consistent readings. The road racing/autocross mode allows users to record and replay the g's and rpm from a practice run or race. The unit's 2 Mbytes of memory can store up to two hours of data that can be downloaded to a PC for analysis.

INSTRUMENTED GOLF CLUB

SmartSwing Intelligent Club (http://rbi.ims.ca/4402-544). A dual-axis accelerometer embedded in this club's grip provides avid golfers the ability to analyze their swings during normal play or practice. SmartSwing engineers use two of Analog Devices' ADXL210 10g 2-axis accelerometers as well as three gyroscopes to measure golf swings that can reach velocities of 125 mph or more. Operation at the maximum g-level for as long as 10 msec, a small footprint, and low power consumption were critical factors in the choice of the accelerometers. For more information on Analog Devices' ADXL210 accelerometer, go to http://rbi.ims.ca/4402-545.

ACCELEROMETER-ACTUATED BLOOD PRESSURE CUFF

Omron HEM-637 (http://rbi.ims.ca/4402-546). To avoid inaccurate readings that can occur with an automatic blood pressure cuff from an improperly positioned arm, Omron senses that the unit is correctly positioned at the height of the user's heart. Analog Devices' ADXL202E dual-axis, ±2g accelerometer senses the angle and height of the user's elbow to initiate the measurement or to stop the measurement if it detects an out-of-position situation or unusual motion occurrence. The accelerometer's low noise floor of 200 µg/rt-Hz typical at 5V operation allows the resolution of signals below 2 mg for bandwidths below 60 Hz. For more information on Analog Devices' ADXL202E accelerometer, go to http://rbi.ims.ca/4402-547.

HIGH-RESOLUTION INCLINOMETER

MicroStrain FAS-A Inclinometer (http://rbi.ims.ca/4402-548). To provide an analog output voltage proportional to angle, the FAS-A uses a pair of DC accelerometers with a 12-bit A-D converter, a microcontroller, and a D-A converter. The unit measures 360 degrees of inclination for a single axis or ±70 degrees on two axes. A user-programmable infinite impulse response (IIR) digital filter averages data points and weighs the new data more heavily than the previous data for high-resolution static measurements or situations where unwanted vibration and translational acceleration could affect the readings. Target applications for the FAS-A include leveling, angular positioning, angular tracking, and stability measurements.

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