New ICs for well suited for automotive applications

The LX3302 improves the LX3301A with an extended temperature range to 150°C, and a richer set of system interfaces which include analogue sine/cosine outputs, single edge nibble transmission (SENT) and Peripheral Sensor Interfaces (PSI5), as well as the standard analogue output and pulse width modulated (PWM) output.

In addition, the LX3302 has double the EEPROM available in the LX3301A, allowing for eight-point calibration, versus six-point calibration, which increases system accuracy by 1-bit and permits less precise, lower cost sensor manufacturing. The new device features LVDT principles, resulting in immunity to noise and interference.

“Microsemi is excited to expand our market opportunities with the LX3302, as our inductive sensing technology can replace the incumbent Hall effect sensors, which are susceptible to external magnetic fields and/or metal objects in close proximity. Inductive technology eliminates the magnet, thereby improving immunity to such interference,” said Shafy Eltoukhy, Vice President and Business Unit Manager at Microsemi. “Customers can use this emerging technology in a wide variety of mechanical motion sensing applications, as it provides significant improvement in temperature stability, reliability, safety and system costs.”

As sensors are the key element in the feedback loop of virtually all closed loop systems, the LX3302 is well suited for a variety of applications related to control systems and industrial automation, including linear displacement measurement (fluid level sensing, gear position for transmission actuator position and brake lamp switch/proximity detection) and angular motion measurement (robotic arm position, rotating shaft position, pedal position and rotary controls). It also meets strict automotive application requirements, including AECQ100-certified grade 0, and comes with Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) documentation support. Microsemi’s automotive support team is also provided to ensure customer success with the product.

The implementation of sensors continues to expand throughout the automotive and industrial markets. For example, according to MEMS Journal, the number of new light vehicles (cars and light trucks) shipped worldwide will grow from approximately 85 million in 2014 to 110 million by 2020. These vehicles currently feature an average of 60-100 sensors on board, but as cars are rapidly getting ‘smarter’, the number of sensors is projected to reach as many as 200 sensors per car. This translates to approximately 22 billion sensors used in the automotive industry per year by 2020.

The LX3302 and other products in the LX33xx sensor IC family can be used with Microsemi’s motor drive reference design utilising the company’s SmartFusion 2 system-on chip (SoC) field programmable gate array (FPGA) and a motor control IP suite to process the sensor inputs and motor drive algorithms. The sensor inputs can be connected to the motor control evaluation board.