High field current sensor reaches to automotive applications
The MLX91216 XHF high field current sensor from Melexis expands its IMC-Hall current sensor portfolio and exceeds the measurement range of 2,000A. The sensor IC eases assembly, boosts accuracy and enhances stability in emerging automotive applications says the Belgian company.
It is capable of measuring current beyond 2,000A, making it suitable for redundant monitoring of battery management systems (BMS), over-current detection in smart fuses and measuring phase currents in traction inverters and boost/recuperation inverters. User-programmable filtering can be used to adjust resolution, response time and bandwidth for optimum signal to noise ratio. The sensor also features built-in diagnostics, including broken wire detection.
The SOIC8 surface mount device contains Melexis’ patented Integrated Magnetic Concentrator (IMC) which enables contact-free measurement of bus bar current in combination with a simple U-shape magnetic shield. When mounted on a PCB, the sensor is positioned over the bus bar, within the shield. This flexibility of positioning is not possible with coreless sensors. The design can accept more mechanical movement because the measurement is not dependent on a magnetic field gradient. Another common occurrence is severe bus bar machining which can cause thermal hot spots, whereas the IMC-Hall technology lends itself to smaller assemblies and surface mount packages.
Available now, the MLX91216 XHF is AEC-Q100 Grade-0 qualified for automotive applications and operates over -40 to +150 degrees C. The sensor has a wide measurement range from ±20 mT to ±350 mT with linearity down to ±0.2 per cent full scale, two microseconds response time and high thermal stability with offset drift below 5mV and sensitivity drift within one per cent.
The MLX91216 XHF extends the family of Melexis IMC-Hall sensors for automotive and industrial applications and joins the MLX91216 High field (HF) versions: 200 to 600A, MLX91216 Very High Field (VHF) versions: 400 to 1200A and MLX91216 eXtra High Field (XHF) versions: 800 to 2,000A.
