The initial product in what Austriamicrosystems claims is the world's first, fully-featured 3D Hall family is the AS5410. The linear position sensor senses absolute position in automotive and industrial applications. It allows absolute position sensing of a simple two-pole magnet immediately after starting up the device; without the need for a prior reference that has been run within the application. Position sensing is possible over large mechanical travel distances even with very small magnets, says the company. It claims that a travel distance of 40mm can be achieved with a small 4x4x3mm NeFeB magnet. Differential measurement techniques including several 3D Hall sensor elements mean the 3D Hall output remains stable even when the device is subject to external stray magnetic fields. Programming the internal EEPROM of the sensor allows it to convert a range of geometries including curved movements, non-linear scales, and tilted chip or magnet geometries into a linear output signal. To achieve a linearised output (up to 0.5% accuracy), the sensor provides an internal linearisation table with 33 base points. Four pre-set basic operating encoder modes are selectable via SPI. The company is developing the family to operate up to 150°C and from a supply up to 18V.
