Microchip introduced the LX34070 IC designed for EV motor control applications, extending the world's broadest line of inductive position sensors into the electric vehicle motor control market. Inductive replacement of Hall-effect position sensors and old-fashioned magnetic resolver solutions reduces system cost and simplifies the structure, making it more suitable for assembly into a simple and compact PCB.
LX34070 Inductive Position Sensor
The LX34070 is an inductive position sensor IC with features such as differential output and fast sampling rate, enabling lighter, smaller, and more reliable motor control solutions, functional safety compliant with Automotive Safety Integrity Level C (ASIL- C) ISO 26262 standard in classification.
Offered in a 14-pin TSSOP package with an extended operating range (-40°C to +160°C), it is suitable for a wide range of commercial, industrial, medical, and automotive sensor applications.
Pairs with other functionally safe Microchip devices including 8-Bit AVR and PIC microcontrollers, 32-Bit microcontrollers, and DSPIC digital signal controllers to further simplify electric vehicle motor control designs.
Microchip LX34070 IC Inductive Position Sensor
In contrast to magnetic resolvers and linear voltage differential sensors (LVDTs), the LX34070 is independent of the strength of the magnetic field, using PCB traces to generate the magnetic excitation signal and detect the presence of metallic targets within the generated magnetic field. Combined with its strong immunity to stray magnetic fields, it improves accuracy, stability, and reliability.
PCB-based inductive position sensors use a primary coil to generate an AC magnetic field, coupled with two secondary coils. Microchip has long leveraged these technologies to deliver the first high-capacity inductive sensors for automotive and industrial applications. The LX34070 introduced this time has the same mature PCB materials, methods and simplified low-cost packaging, which is more suitable for electric vehicle motor control and other applications that require the advantages of high speed and low latency.
Additionally, the LX34070 offers flexible calibration options for many applications. For remote sensor applications, the device is programmed with the power line VIN signal and verified with one of the output signals, eliminating the need for additional pins and signals.
The Working Principle and Application of Inductive Position Sensor
The Inductive position sensor is a device that uses the change of coil self-inductance or mutual inductance to realize non-electrical measurement. It is mainly composed of three parts: oscillator, switch circuit and amplifier output circuit.
Its working principle is to convert measurement parameters such as displacement, pressure, vibration, strain, flow, etc. into inductance changes, and convert them into voltage or current output by the circuit to realize the conversion from non-electricity to electricity.
Because of its simple structure, high sensitivity, high output power, low output impedance, strong anti-interference ability and high measurement accuracy, it is widely used in various engineering physical quantity detection and automatic control systems.