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surface while measuring to achieve an accurate reading. However, it is difficult to ensure the horizontal position of the sensor. A three-axis accelerometer may eliminate this problem because an accelerometer can measure tilt. The tilt calculation is then used to compensate the error caused by tilted axes of the magnetometer. A three-axis magnetometer is usually packaged together with a three-axis accelerometer to provide an easy integra- tion and to reduce the axis misalignment. This module is known as an E-compass or a compass module. A magne- tometer or compass module plays a crucial role in many applications (Figure 13). The applications of a three-axis magnetometer or a three-axis compass module may get found in Internet of Things (IoT) / Industrial for movement tracking, Robots/ Drones for compass/navigation, antennas, and objects for orientation, alarms for rotation/magnet detection, and in smart meters for anti-tampering. The anti-tampering appli- cation will get briefly described. Anti-tampering Previously we covered the anti-tampering application using an accelerometer. A 3-axis magnetometer or a compass module can also be used to determine the tampering. These devices may get employed as a switch inside the smart meter. The high full-scale range of the magnetometer offers high flexibility in terms of detecting any magnet that has passed over the smart meter. If the detected magnetic field passes a certain threshold, the 24 ST/Industrial Sensing Solutions ISM330DLC iNEMO ® 6-Axis Inertial Module • Dedicated gyroscope output chain with low latency, low noise, and dedicated low-pass filters for control loop stability (OIS and other stabilization applications) • Ultra-low power consumption: 0.5mA in combo normal mode and 0.75mA in combo high-performance mode • Smart embedded functions and interrupts: Tilt detection, free-fall, wakeup, 6D/4D orientation, click and double-click, and sensor hub feature to efficiently collect data from additional external sensors LEARN MOREu Ultrasonic Detection Predictive Maintenance (PdM) requires collecting data through as many sensors as possible to perform exten- sive analyses to be able to create a reliable and robust predictive model. In many applications, the ultrasound and vibration analyses are considered two critical analy- ses that should get performed while monitoring the health and condition of a machine. For example, ultrasonic detectors are useful in identifying problems in compressed fluid leaks, vacuum leaks, steam trap failures and bearing condition monitoring. A MEMS microphone may get employed for ultrasonic de- tection. The requirements for such a microphone include an ultra-wide bandwidth, high sensitivity (38db, ±1dB), and a high acoustic overload point to avoid sensor saturation due to loud sound detection. The latest microphones con- sume meager levels of power, which makes these devices very attractive for battery-operated applications. Audio activated commands A microphone may get employed for audio-activated functions. A service team could shut down a machine via voice command during the maintenance and repair, preventing the device from turning on accidentally. Magnetometer and Compass Module A magnetometer senses the magnetic field. In static conditions, the projection of the geomagnetic field on the three axes allows the computing heading angle. The magnetometer has to be positioned parallel to the earth's Figure 13: Use cases of a 3-axis magnetometer and a compass module.