Industrial three-axis accelerometer has high offset stability

Murata has introduced a three-axis accelerometer for the industrial market that combines high offset stability over temperature and time, good linearity, low noise density, and excellent robustness. The SCA3400-D01 XYZ accelerometer is meant for use in industrial applications such as structural health monitoring (SHM), machine control, inertial measurement units, and construction tools and systems.

The offset stability of an accelerometer refers to the consistency of its output when at rest, but subject to varying temperatures or the effects of aging. Ideally, this output should be zero, but it is often not, and so equipment makers need to calibrate their designs to account for this. The more stable the offset is, the greater the accuracy of the sensor’s measurements. Also, high offset stability enables equipment makers to calibrate their designs for the product’s lifetime, rather than expecting users to regularly recalibrate to maintain accuracy.

In the case of the SCA3400-D01, the offset drift over lifetime 0.5mg for the X and Y axes and 2mg for the Z axis. The offset error introduced by varying its operating temperature is 2mg on the X and Y axes and 3mg on the Z axis. The Murata SCA3400-D01 offers exceptional performance in terms of accuracy. It exhibits a linearity error figure of 1mg over a 1.2g range and a noise density of 20µg/√Hz, both of which contribute to more precise measurements.

Another feature of the three-axis accelerometer that should appeal to industrial equipment makers is the user-selectable dynamic range and low-pass filtering, which enables designers to configure the part for the best combination of resolution, linearity, and noise performance for the application. The part also has self-diagnostic features that enable it to detect when a measured signal is reliable.

The SCA3400-D01 (8.6 × 7.6 × 3.3mm; 0.3 × 0.30 × 0.13-in) is built on the latest version of Murata’s proven 3D MEMS process and uses the company’s latest ASIC design and processes. It will be available as single parts on an evaluation PCB, sample bags of four parts, and reels containing either 100 or 1,000 pieces.