| BI Technologies Electronic Components, which is part of TT electyronics. is now shipping prototypes of its new MagneTorque compliant torque sensor to customers for evaluation and testing. The MagneTorque sensor is designed to complement BI’s existing potentiometric based torque sensor technology and has been targeted for automotive electric power steering systems.
Based on Hall effect technology, the MagneTorque sensors contain no sliding electrical contacts and provide two complementary analogue output signals for redundancy and differential diagnostic options. This sensor incorporates a unique programmability feature that enables adjustable offset, gain and temperature compensation.
“Customers can utilise these new programmability features at the time of installation to minimise steering system tolerances,” says Dan Sparks, vice president of new business development for BI Technologies. “This feature allows customers to use wider tolerances in their designs without tolerance stack-up concerns. Wider tolerances, of course, translate into lower component and manufacturing costs.”
The sensor is designed to work over a maximum angle of +/-8 degrees with a maximum error of 2%. Accuracy at zero degrees is better than 1%. These specifications include all sources of error and apply over the entire operating temperature range. The MagneTorque sensor can operate in temperatures ranging from
–40º C to +150º C , making it convenient for both column and rack designs.
The durability of BI’s MagneTorque sensor is dependent only on bearing selection and is expected to exceed 10 million revolutions. Prototypes can be supplied to fit a variety of steering shaft configurations and compliance angles.
|
|
|
