29 May 2006 -- Micronas introduced the new Hall sensor family HAL 2xy, which are designed for contactless detection of positions and speed in automotive, industrial and consumer applications.
"Hall-effect sensors are immune to mechanical abrasion," said Peter Zimmermann, market manager automotive at Micronas. "They have a longer life-time because they are not prone to environmental contaminants such as vibration, shock, dirt, humidity and high temperatures. We have integrated protection features to allow these Hall sensors to function with unstable voltage supplies. They are resistant to high-frequency electromagnetic fields and guarantee a high ESD resistance. The HAL 2xy offers reverse polarity and overvoltage protection for all pins."
The new Hall sensor family is designed for applications in which position detection is required. In the automotive sector, the HAL 2xy is used for position detection of power windows, sliding roofs, hatchback, foot pedal and fan control. Industrial applications include flow measurement, end-position detection and rotational speed measurement. In white goods, the Hal 2xy is suitable for position detection tasks, like washing machines and induction cookers.
Micronas said it avoids offset errors in the measurement signal with its integrated active "chopper-offset compensation." Changes in temperature, for example, can cause mechanical stress on the chip, which in turn will influence future measurement results. Similarly, further assembly steps at the client's manufacturing site can cause such stress. The "chopper-offset compensation" process developed by Micronas is said to compensate for these effects.
The HAL 2xy is available in TO-92UA and SOT-89B packages, both suitable for overmolding, and operates at temperatures between -40°C and 125°C. Pricing is between 25 cents and 51 cents, depending on product type. Samples will be available in the third quarter of 2006.
