Sensors
Two-wire Hall-effect switch ICs come with advanced diagnostics
Allegro MicroSystems Europe have announced the release of a new family of two-wire vertical Hall-effect switch ICs with advanced diagnostics. Allegro’s A1130, A1131 and A1132 have been developed in accordance with ISO 26262. These devices have integrated continuous diagnostic features and a safe output state that supports a functional safety level of ASIL-B. These devices feature a two-wire current output interface that facilitates open/sho...
Gateway device overcomes LIN bus limitations
Global microelectronics engineering company, Melexis, has announced a new LIN-to-LIN gateway that overcomes the limitation of just 16 devices on a typical LIN bus. Each MLX81120 connects as a LIN slave on the main LIN bus and is controlled directly from the vehicle's Body Control Module (BCM). The new device allows for up to 16 LIN RGB slave modules on a private LIN bus, thereby permitting up to 196 LED lighting devices to be connected to a singl...
Sensor fusion: the future of intelligent devices
Sensor fusion is an intriguing idea: if data from more than one sensor can be combined in the right way, the combined data can be more accurate, more reliable or simply provide a better understanding of the context in which the data was gathered. It is perfectly possible to combine data from two or more (or in fact, lots of) sensors to produce extremely rich, context aware data that eliminates the limitations in range or accuracy of the indi...
Environment sensor sends data directly to smartphone
Mouser Electronics is now stocking the 2JCIE-BL01 environment sensor from OMRON Electronic Components. Designed to detect the surrounding environment, the 2JCIE-BL01 is a compact, battery-operable environmental sensor with seven different sensing capabilities. Developers can use the 2JCIE-BL01 in applications such as home remote monitoring, building automation, outdoor weather monitoring, and factory environment monitoring.
Magnetic position sensors comply with highest safety standards
Supplier of high performance sensor solutions, ams, has announced a new series of magnetic position sensors with increased safety and diagnostic capabilities to help automotive OEMs achieve the highest in ISO26262 ASIL system safety-level compliance. The AS5270A/B devices are suitable for many automotive applications including brake and gas pedals, throttle valve and tumble flaps, steering wheel position, chassis ride-height, Exhaust Gas Recircul...
Everything under control with smart sensors
KONUX began with the development of a sensor for monitoring industrial facilities. But the second step was the difference maker: combining hardware with software-based analytics. This permits such applications as real-time monitoring of the switches in a railway system. The company has now won this year's TUM Presidential Entrepreneurship Award. KONUX prevailed against two other start-ups also established with the support of the Technical Univers...
Reliable detection of objects and fill levels
Expanding its portfolio of optoelectronic and inductive sensors with capacitive proximity switches, Leuze electronic is making it possible for users to obtain complete solutions for all detection requirements from a single source. With its new range of capacitive products, Leuze electronic is introducing contactless, wear-free switches which are resistant to electromagnetic influences, interference and contaminants in the air such as dust.
Durable glass developed for public-facing touchscreens
Large-format touch sensor company Visualplanet has formed a strategic partnership with Romag to create touchglass, a glass laminated variant of touchfoil. Building on touchfoil’s success, touchglass bolsters Visualplanet’s offering to worldwide integrators requiring durable and customised glass touch sensors for public-facing touchscreen solutions. Using glass shaping, curving and ceramic printing machinery, Romag will supply gla...
Home automation: Your switch is my command!
At London’s TechXLR8 show that took place 13th to 15th June 2017, Energenie presented Mi|Home, its smart home solution. Established in 2009, Energenie is an innovative consumer tech brand with an app-driven whole house automation solution, as well as an established range of energy saving electrical products. The Mi|Home range allows you to automate your lighting, electrical products and heating through its home automation app...
Levitated nanosphere can measure extremely weak forces
A tiny sphere and a laser beam inside of which it hovers as if by magic: with these simple ingredients Martin Frimmer and co-workers at the Photonics Laboratory of ETH Zurich have developed a highly sensitive sensor. In the future this device is expected to measure, amongst other things, extremely weak forces or electric fields very precisely. Now the researchers have taken a major step in that direction, as they write in a recently publishe...