ams AG (SIX: AMS), a leading provider of high performance analog ICs and
sensors, today introduced the AS5600,a magnetic rotary position sensor
which makes it easier than ever before to replace a traditional
potentiometer with a more reliable contactless alternative.
To appeal to manufacturers and users of potentiometers, the AS5600
features a ratiometric output, mirroring the output of a potentiometer
(which is a variable resistor). This means that users of a potentiometer
do not need to change the application code running on their
microcontroller when they replace it with a design based on an AS5600.
Offering precise 12-bit resolution over a full 0-360° rotation, the
AS5600 can measure angular displacement in any application currently
using a potentiometer, including rotary knobs and dials.
By pairing the AS5600 with a low-cost two-pole magnet, design engineers
can implement an angle-measurement system at a similar cost to that of a
mid-range potentiometer, benefiting from the attractive
price/performance ratio of the device.
The magnetic rotary position sensor AS5600 extends ams’s broad portfolio
of magnetic position sensors, which all include proprietary differential
sensing technology, providing high immunity from stray magnetic fields.
The contactless sensing method also offers superior reliability to a
potentiometer’s contacting method. Unlike a potentiometer, in which a
mechanical wiper slides along a conductive armature, a magnetic position
sensor senses rotary motion by measuring changes in the magnetic field
generated by the paired magnet.
This field-sensing method is unaffected by dust, dirt, humidity,
moisture or vibration – phenomena which all tend to distort or disable a
potentiometer’s measurement operations.
While offering better performance and reliability than a potentiometer,
the AS5600 has also introduced new power-saving modes which enable it to
rival the low power consumption of a potentiometer. It implements four
power-saving modes, and automatically switches to the lowest power mode
after one minute of inactivity. In this mode, it scans for movement ten
times a second. On detecting movement, it instantly switches to a
user-selected power mode, operating at a higher sampling frequency. In
lowest power mode, the AS5600 draws just 1.5mA (maximum).
The high accuracy of the measurements captured by the AS5600 is due to
its on-chip Hall elements, a high-performance functional block found in
all magnetic position sensors made by ams. Non-linearity over a full
360° rotation, over the device’s entire temperature range, is just
±0.28% at the digital output. Maximum noise is 0.015°rms.
‘Potentiometers are known to be vulnerable to early failure in
industrial and consumer applications because of contamination by dirt or
humidity,’ said Alfred Binder, business line manager for position
sensors at ams. ‘With the introduction of the AS5600, it is now simple
to replace a potentiometer with a reliable contactless alternative that
offers high resolution, low power consumption and immunity to
contamination.’
A demonstration board for the AS5600 is available online from ams.
For further information on the magnetic rotary position sensor AS5600
and to request samples, please visit www.ams.com/Magnetic-Rotary-Position-Sensor/AS5600.
Download Press Pictures and Block Diagram at http://www.ams.com/eng/Press/Press-Releases/
Copyright Business Wire 2014