Position Sensors / Detectors / Transducers
Inductive Sensor offers non-contact position sensing.
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Press Release Summary:
Autopad(TM) provides absolute position as well as 360° angle and linear displacement sensing for automotive and vehicle applications. Sensor consists of moveable puck, which interacts with fixed pad containing series of transmit and receive coils that generate specific magnetic field. Virtually immune to temperature, vibration, and other environmental factors, sensor achieves linearity of less than 1% with 0.1% resolution at 10 bits and input/output rate of 1 kHz.
Original Press Release:
OPTEK's Autopad(TM) Contactless Sensor Delivers Absolute Position, Angle and Linear Displacement Sensing
CARROLLTON, TX (June 29, 2005) - Giving automotive electronics design engineers a new non-contacting precision position sensor that provides absolute position as well as 360-degree angle and linear displacement sensing, TT electronics OPTEK Technology has developed a versatile inductive sensor technology that can be used for a wide range of automotive and vehicle applications. Designated as Autopad(TM) technology, the patented sensor consists of a moveable "puck," which interacts with a fixed "pad" containing a series of transmit and receive coils, which generate a specific magnetic field. The puck's movement varies the phase of the magnetic field and thus can be used to determine absolute position.
"Our Autopad(TM) technology produces an extremely rugged position sensor that is virtually immune to temperature, vibration, and other environmental factors that can interfere with other types of sensors," said Dale Teeters, director of OPTEK Technology's automotive business unit. "The sensor is also remarkably tolerant to misalignment, particularly in the Z-axis direction."
In a typical automotive application, the Autopad(TM) sensor pad would contain a series of transmission coils (sine or cosine patterns embedded in a PC board, or printed conductors or actual coil windings), as well as a "receive" coil (usually an aerial loop around the perimeter of the pad). The "puck," or moving part of the sensor, is typically a small disc that interacts with the transmission and reception coils to change the phase of the magnetic field generated by the pad. Multiple pucks can be detected in relation to a single pad.
These phase change signals are processed by an external electronics assembly that is used to measure the position of the puck in relation to the pad, and thus determine absolute position along the X, Y or Z axis; 360-degree angle sensing, as well as linear position sensing along a straight or curved surface, depending on the geometries chosen for the pad design. The electronics assembly is customer and application specific, and can be implemented with discrete components; an ASIC solution will be available in 2006 for higher volume standard applications.
The Autopad(TM) technology achieves linearity performance of <1%, with 0.1% resolution (at 10 bits), and an input/output rate of 1kHz. The sensor's output is analog (ratiometric) or pulse-width modulated (PWM); other standard automotive BUS protocol interfaces are also planned.
Automotive applications for Autopad(TM) technology include chassis height sensors, headlamp leveling, ride height and suspension control systems, pedal and steering sensors, throttle position sensors, gearbox and transfer case sensing systems for standard and automatic transmissions; as well as vehicle-driver interfaces, such as panel controls, switches and mirror or seat position adjustment systems.
Pricing for the Autopad(TM) sensor technology will be determined by each application's requirements (as a custom sensor). Lead times can be estimated on an individual basis after prototype development per customer.
For more information on the Autopad(TM) sensor technology, contact TT electronics' OPTEK Technology at 1645 Wallace Dr., Carrollton, TX, 75006; call 972-323-2200, e-mail at sensors@OPTEKinc.com or visit OPTEK on the web at www.OPTEKinc.com.
OPTEK Technology is a leading manufacturer of standard and application-specific sensors using infrared, visible, magnetic and fiber optic technologies focused on applications in office machines, industrial equipment, encoders, automotive electronics, military and high-reliability applications, and medical diagnostic equipment. Headquartered in Carrollton, TX, the company is ISO/TS16949:2002 and BS EN ISO 9001:2000 certified. OPTEK Technology was acquired by TT electronics in December 2003.
TT electronics plc is a global electronics company manufacturing a broad range of advanced electronic components, assemblies and sensor modules for the automotive, industrial, telecommunication, computer and aerospace markets.
