A new magnetic position sensor from Infineon Technologies can help design engineers whose applications require accurate detection when direction may be rapidly changing. The device combines the company’s technologies in magnetic position sensing and linearized tunnel magnetoresistance to make it a replacement for optical encoders and resolvers.
The XENSIV TLI5590-A6W sensor comes in a wafer-level package and is well suited for linear and angular incremental position detection. Qualified for industrial and consumer applications. Product designers can find it particularly beneficial, for example, in positioning lenses for zoom and focus adjustment in cameras. A low field sensor with TMR technology which was developed for high-volume sensor systems, it can provide ultra-high sensitivity, low jitter, and low power consumption. Compared to linear Hall sensors, TMR sensors offer better linearity, lower noise, and lower hysteresis, says the company. The high signal-to-noise ratio and the lower power enable cost-effective magnetic designs with lower battery consumption.
The device consists of two TMR Wheatstone bridges, where the TMR resistance depends on the direction and strength of the external magnetic field. In combination with a multipole magnet, each bridge provides a differential output signal, i.e., sine and cosine signals. These can be further processed for relative position measurement. It enables fine measurement with accuracy of better than 10 µm, which is achieved by using a suitable linear or rotary magnetic encoder. For more info, see www.infineon.com.
