Motor control system developers are rapidly replacing older Hall-effect position sensors and magnetic resolution solutions with inductive alternatives that eliminate expensive magnets and other cumbersome transformer-based structures so they can be integrated into printed circuit boards (PCBs). ) simple and compact.
Expanding the world's broadest line of inductive position sensors for the EV engine control market, Microchip Technology announces the IC LX34070 which was developed specifically for EV motor control applications. It includes differential outputs, fast sampling rates and features that make it functional safety ready for compliance with ISO 26262 Automotive Safety Integrity Level – C (ASIL – C) classification.
“The LX34070 inductive position sensor enables lighter, smaller, more reliable motor control solutions that meet stringent safety requirements, reduce overall system costs, and can operate continuously and accurately in the noisy environment of DC motors. , high currents and solenoids of an automobile. ” said Fanie Duvenhage, vice president of Microchip's linear analog and mixed signal business unit. “Designers can use the LX34070 to further streamline EV motor control designs by pairing it with other functional safety-ready Microchip devices, including our 8-bit AVR and PIC microcontrollers, our 32-bit microcontrollers, and our dsPIC digital signal.”
The LX34070 inductive position sensor solution offers numerous advantages compared to magnetic resolvers and linear voltage differential transducers (LVDTs), at a fraction of the cost. By using PCB traces instead of transformer-based magnetic windings and coil structures, the LX34070 device has negligible size and mass compared to alternatives that weigh up to half a kilogram. Accuracy is improved because the LX34070 does not rely on magnet strength and the device improves robustness by actively rejecting stray magnetic fields.
These and other features give designers greater flexibility over where they can place the LX34070 thin and light PCB-based solution in their EV motor control designs.
PCB-based inductive position sensors use a primary coil to generate an AC magnetic field that couples to two secondary coils. A small metallic object disturbs the magnetic field so that each secondary coil receives a different voltage whose relationship is used to calculate the absolute position. Using these techniques, Microchip introduced its first high-volume inductive sensor for automotive and industrial applications more than a decade ago and has many volume production programs. The LX34070 now brings the same proven PCB materials, simplified, low-cost approaches and packaging to EV motor control and other applications that need its high-speed, low-latency benefits.