ST combines accelerometer and gyroscope in automotive safety sensor
Image: STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics has launched four automotive sensors that combine a multi-axis accelerometer and gyroscope in a single package, targeting active and passive safety systems including crash protection, rollover detection, airbag deployment, vehicle stability control and radar beam stabilisation.
The NCS1012BAEP, NCS1012CAEP, NCS1012EAEP and NCS10135AEP are the first products to reach the mass market following ST's acquisition of NXP's automotive and industrial MEMS sensors business, completed earlier in 2026. Each device is an ISO 26262 compliant combination sensor with full internal diagnostics, and all four support SafeSPI, the standard serial peripheral interface used for independent monitoring of automotive safety sensor data.
The devices differ in which axes they measure. The NCS1012BAEP pairs a z-axis (yaw) angular rate sensor with xy low-g acceleration sensing. The NCS1012CAEP and NCS1012EAEP both use an x-axis (roll) angular rate sensor, combined with yz low-g acceleration sensing in the former and xy medium-g sensing in the latter. The NCS10135AEP combines a z-axis angular rate sensor with xyz low-g acceleration sensing.
Key specifications
- Angular rate sensors: full-scale range of ±125 dps, ±250 dps or ±350 dps, with low offset and minimal drift over the automotive temperature range of −40°C to +105°C
- Integrated low-pass filter with 3 dB frequency options from 12.5 Hz to 400 Hz, plus an optional single-pole high-pass filter with fast startup
- Low-g acceleration sensors: nominal full-scale range from ±1.50 g to ±34 g
- Medium-g acceleration sensors: nominal full-scale range from ±15.5 g to ±150 g, with an independent signal chain to minimise noise and low offset/drift over the automotive temperature range
All four sensors are in production now, housed in 24-pin QFN packages measuring 6mm x 6mm x 1.90mm with wettable flanks meeting automotive optical inspection requirements.
ST said its automotive sensing business reflects a commitment to guaranteeing product availability for at least 15 years, which it frames as reducing lifecycle and redesign risk for programmes built on these parts. Simone Ferri, Executive Vice President of the MEMS Sub-Group at STMicroelectronics, described the devices as the first automotive safety combination sensors ready for mass-market deployment, simplifying system architecture and increasing flexibility to scale features.
Separately, Omdia analyst Nora Houlihan said inertial measurement units are expected to grow at a 17.7% compound annual growth rate between 2025 and 2030 as ADAS adoption increases, a forecast attributed to Omdia rather than verified independently.
