ams AG: Easy-to-Use Magnetic Position Sensor Offers Durable, Contactless Replacement for Potentiometers
September 08 2014 - 5:36AM
Business Wire
Simple ratiometric output, high resolution, low power
consumption and attractive price/performance ratio make new AS5600
attractive to designers of industrial and consumer
equipment
ams AG (SIX: AMS), a leading provider of high performance analog
ICs and sensors, today introduced the AS5600,a magnetic rotary
position sensor which makes it easier than ever before to replace a
traditional potentiometer with a more reliable contactless
alternative.
To appeal to manufacturers and users of potentiometers, the
AS5600 features a ratiometric output, mirroring the output of a
potentiometer (which is a variable resistor). This means that users
of a potentiometer do not need to change the application code
running on their microcontroller when they replace it with a design
based on an AS5600. Offering precise 12-bit resolution over a full
0-360° rotation, the AS5600 can measure angular displacement in any
application currently using a potentiometer, including rotary knobs
and dials.
By pairing the AS5600 with a low-cost two-pole magnet, design
engineers can implement an angle-measurement system at a similar
cost to that of a mid-range potentiometer, benefiting from the
attractive price/performance ratio of the device.
The magnetic rotary position sensor AS5600 extends ams’s broad
portfolio of magnetic position sensors, which all include
proprietary differential sensing technology, providing high
immunity from stray magnetic fields. The contactless sensing method
also offers superior reliability to a potentiometer’s contacting
method. Unlike a potentiometer, in which a mechanical wiper slides
along a conductive armature, a magnetic position sensor senses
rotary motion by measuring changes in the magnetic field generated
by the paired magnet.
This field-sensing method is unaffected by dust, dirt, humidity,
moisture or vibration – phenomena which all tend to distort or
disable a potentiometer’s measurement operations.
While offering better performance and reliability than a
potentiometer, the AS5600 has also introduced new power-saving
modes which enable it to rival the low power consumption of a
potentiometer. It implements four power-saving modes, and
automatically switches to the lowest power mode after one minute of
inactivity. In this mode, it scans for movement ten times a second.
On detecting movement, it instantly switches to a user-selected
power mode, operating at a higher sampling frequency. In lowest
power mode, the AS5600 draws just 1.5mA (maximum).
The high accuracy of the measurements captured by the AS5600 is
due to its on-chip Hall elements, a high-performance functional
block found in all magnetic position sensors made by ams.
Non-linearity over a full 360° rotation, over the device’s entire
temperature range, is just ±0.28% at the digital output. Maximum
noise is 0.015°rms.
‘Potentiometers are known to be vulnerable to early failure in
industrial and consumer applications because of contamination by
dirt or humidity,’ said Alfred Binder, business line manager for
position sensors at ams. ‘With the introduction of the AS5600, it
is now simple to replace a potentiometer with a reliable
contactless alternative that offers high resolution, low power
consumption and immunity to contamination.’
A demonstration board for the AS5600 is available online from
ams.
For further information on the magnetic rotary position sensor
AS5600 and to request samples, please visit
www.ams.com/Magnetic-Rotary-Position-Sensor/AS5600.
Download Press Pictures and Block Diagram at
http://www.ams.com/eng/Press/Press-Releases/
ams AGPatricia MoosburgerMedia Relationsphone: +43 (0) 3136
500 31235press@ams.comwww.ams.com
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