Elevate Your Precision Inclinometer Applications Using FXLS8971CF and FXLS8961AF Accelerometers

Sensors proliferation is growing by leaps and bounds. We are surrounded by smart sensors and they continue to expand into all aspects of our life. Trillions of intelligent devices continue to make our daily life easier with even the most mundane devices and appliances being equipped with sensing technology.

The broad portfolio of sensing technologies combined with computing and connectivity enable transformation across a range of IoT, Industrial, Medical and Automotive applications.

Unveiling NXP’s New Low-g Accelerometer Family

NXP’s next-generation sensors feature a strong balance of intelligent integration, logic and customizable platform software to enable smarter, more differentiated applications. Our recently launched FXLS8971CF and FXLS8961AF accelerometer family is designed to meet precision inclinometer applications needs where performance over temperature is critical. FXLS8971CF is a 3-axis low-g accelerometer with high performance over temperature targeted for Industrial and Medical IoT applications. FXLS8961AF is a 3-axis low-g accelerometer with high performance over temperature targeted for automotive security and convenience applications.

Performance Over Temperature: Critical Specification for Certain Applications

Accelerometer performance, especially in varying temperature conditions, is crucial because temperature variations can affect its accuracy and overall performance. For consistent performance, the accelerometer must reliably perform across a broad temperature range. Temperature Coefficient of Offset (TCO) and Temperature Coefficient of Sensitivity (TCS) are the key parameters related to performance of the accelerometer under varying temperature conditions.

• The TCO parameter is an indication of how much the accelerometer’s offset drifts as temperature changes. A lower TCO means the accelerometer maintains its accuracy better across different temperatures.

• The TCS parameter indicates how the accelerometer’s sensitivity (response to acceleration) changes with varying temperature. A lower TCS suggests that the accelerometer sensitivity remains stable across different temperatures.

There are certain precision inclinometer or level measurement applications where accelerometer TCO/TCS performance is critical. Let’s take an example of mirrorless digital camera image stabilization where the accelerometer helps in detecting camera inclination and compensating for it to reduce blur. Cameras rely on accelerometers to stabilize images and video by detecting and compensating for camera tilt or shake. This translates to better overall performance in image and video capture.

The accelerometer in mirrorless cameras can heat up due to several factors. Prolonged use of the camera, especially during intensive tasks such as video recording or continuous shooting, can increase the temperature of all internal components, including the accelerometer. The heat from other components like the image sensor, processor or lens motors can contribute to the accelerometer’s temperature rise. Temperature variations can affect the accelerometer's sensitivity and accuracy, potentially impacting image stabilization performance. Better TCO and TCS specs minimize errors caused by temperature fluctuations, leading to more precise measurements of motion and orientation.

Why FXLS8971CF and FXLS8961AF Accelerometers Stand Out

Our newly launched FXLS8971CF/FXLS8961AF accelerometer family is most suitable for applications where performance over temperature is a crucial requirement. These sensors stand out with market leading ±0.2 mg/°C TCO and ±0.005 %/°C TCS performance for high precision inclinometer/level measurement applications. These sensors integrate advance feature sets like flexible sensor data change detection (SDCD) function, vector magnitude, auto-wake/sleep, and FIFO/LIFO features. Along with these advanced features, these sensors operate at low power (Idd Hibernate mode as ~15nA and for low power modes ODRs up to 6.25 Hz Idd as <1uA typical) and support configurable power modes. These products meet the specification and reliability requirements for automotive (FXLS8961AF) and industrial (FXLS8971CF) applications with extended temperature range from –40 °C to +105 °C.

Remarkable FXLS8971CF and FXLS8961AF Accelerometer Performance for Targeted Applications

These new accelerometers unlock significant use case opportunities for innovation in various applications.

Industrial and Medical IoT applications for FXLS8971CF: Camera image stabilization, tilt sensing, laser range meters, equipment monitoring, automated patient beds, smart inhalers, etc.

Automotive security and convenience applications for FXLS8961AF: Vehicle headlight autoleveling, bike lean angle detection, electrified doors, telematics boxes, tow detection, car alarms, etc.

Start Your FXLS8971CF/FXLS8961AF Evaluation Using Sensors Development Ecosystem

Our sensor development ecosystem offers unmatched enablement and development flexibility with software and tools to simplify your out-of-box experience.

The FXLS8971CF/61AF accelerometer family is supported with our sensor development ecosystem. It is comprised of Arduino® shield boards FRDM-STBI-A8971 and FRDM-STBA-A8961, sensors drivers (ISSDK) integration through MCUXpresso SDK and an evaluation GUI. The sensor shield boards can be default kitted with LPC55S16-EVK, FRDM-K22F and FRDM-MCX MCUs.

We are also expanding our sensor development ecosystem by partnering with MikroE to create small form factor click boards. Inclinometer 4 click is fully compatible with the mikroBUS™ socket and can be used on any host system supporting the mikroBUS™ standard.

The FXLS8971CF/61AF accelerometer evaluation boards are supported with IoT Sensing SDK (ISSDK) for NXP’s LPC55S16 and latest FRDM-MCX MCUs through MCUXpresso SDK  and Application Code Hub .

Learn more about FXLS8971CF and FXLS8961AF accelerometer products. Also access our sensors development ecosystem to accelerate your evaluation and development.

Author | Amit Purohit

Amit Purohit is a Senior Principal Staff member at NXP Semiconductors, where he drives sensors enablement ecosystem strategies for industrial and medical sensors. His role emphasizes improving customer ease of use and advancing innovative technologies. With over 15 years of experience in semiconductors focused on sensors, compute and connectivity technologies, Amit leverages his extensive expertise to drive impactful solutions and differentiate NXP’s offerings.