Magnetic Rotation Angle Sensors
Fusion of a Hall Sensor Element
This kind of sensor merge a Hall sensor element with an integrated electronic. In this case a digital signal is directly delivered by the modules. This signal can simply indicate the presence and the direction of a magnetic field. It may also have a latch integrated, which allows to note the status which was detected previously.
Traditional magnetic angle sensors use a set of Hall plates orientated in the X and Y axis that convert the amplitude of the rotating magnetic field into a sine and a cosine waveform. The two waveforms are then digitized with analog to digital converters (ADC), and the angle is computed using an arc tangent calculation.
ContactsMagAlpha sensors use the patented SpinAxisTM Hall measurement technique that provides instantaneous angle position in a digital format. SpinAxisTM uses a phase detection approach that eliminates any need for analog to digital conversion or complex angle calculation used by more traditional technologies. Rotation speeds from zero to in excess of 100kRPM are possible.
Sensors can fit in applications from low cost consumer rotary knobs to high-speed motor commutation and position control, also as a replacement for Conventional Optical Encoder. MagAlpha sensor IC and a small magnet are elements that enable the prerequisite for lower system costs and a very small package solution. SpinAxisTM is a trademark of Monolithic Power Systems.