Sensors

There are two sensor choices, reed and Hall-effect switches. They have many similarities but also significant differences, explains Martin Reizner. Demand for reed switches has risen significantly in the recent past. This is primarily due to their mechanical structure, which reduces energy consumption to zero when the switch is in a passive state. That is why reed switches are an ...

There are two common methods to monitor a heart rate in a wearable device, but it is important to understand the limitations of each, says Mark Patrick. Heart rate measurement is no longer confined to a clinical setting. Thanks to the widespread availability of wearable technology, such as smartwatches, it is now possible for consumers to accurately track their heart ...

Melexis claims that its Hall-effect sensor, the MLX90394 Triaxis micropower magnetometer, balances the design trade-off between low noise, current consumption and cost. With on-the-fly selectable modes and advanced configurability, it aims to enable high reuse and fast time to market. This contactless solution is suitable for rotary, linear and 3D joystick control in gaming and industrial peripherals. Replacing mechanical solutions, ...

Melexis has added the MLX91231, a shunt-based sensing automotive current sensor for IVT (current, voltage, and temperature) and a digital microcontroller (MCU). The sensor is designed to measure low voltage electronics in vehicle safety systems. It has sensitivity drift error over temperature and lifetime below ±0.25% and a 1.5μV input referred offset drift error over the same conditions. Integrating the ...

LEM has announced three-phase current sensors that fit silicon carbide power modules typically used in 800V vehicle traction inverters. “Developers of automotive traction inverters are increasingly using three-phase power modules such as Hybridpack Drive from Infineon, Acepak Drive from ST Microelectronics, SSDC from ON Semi, and others such as Starpower and CRRC,” according to LEM. “The current sensor offers current ...

Hamamatsu Photonics has introduced a UV model of its ‘micro’ spectrometer series. C16767MA is sensitive across 190 to 440nm with a typical resolution of 5.5nm (FWHM, so ±2.25nm to 50%). Update: scroll down for how it works, probably Vital statistics are 20.1 x 12.5 x 10.1mm and 5g. “For example, C16767MA can be mounted in water quality monitors, analysing the ...

STMicroelectronics has introduced a precision digital current, voltage and power monitor with a an I3C bus interface. Called TSC1641, it has two 16bit ΣΔ converters at its inputs, allowing simultaneous measurement of current (LSB=2.5µV) and voltage (LSB=2mV). The measured voltage can be anywhere from 0 to 60V (65V abs max), and the two current terminals sense with either polarity across ...

Murata’s novel soil sensor can now handle synthetic soils. “In recent years, the use of synthetic culture soil such as rock wool and coconut peat is popular for crops including tomatoes and strawberries,” according to the company. “Since the water retention capability of these kinds of culture soil is extremely high compared to general culture soil, proper measurement of water ...

Renesas has invented a non-contact industrial rotary inductive position sensor that works up to 600,000rpm and has a propagation delay less than 2μs. This image is part one of the snippets of information available Beyond that, the company is not saying much as the IC (or ICs) is is not scheduled for mass production until Q2 next year. It is ...

A government contract, worth £88 million, has been placed with UK company Smiths Detection to develop chemical sensing equipment to protect UK Armed Forces. The UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) say the sensor technology will have the capability to detect and monitor the presence of toxic industrial chemicals, including chemical warfare agents. The government describes it a first ...