The industry’s most sensitive in-plane Hall-effect switch for position sensing was unveiled by Texas Instruments (TI), providing engineers with an affordable and approachable substitute for magnetoresistive sensors.
With the help of an integrated magnetic concentrator, TI’s TMAG5134 Hall-effect switch can detect magnetic fields as weak as 1mT in a variety of applications, including window and door sensors, personal electronics, and home appliances.
Because of its sensitivity, smaller magnets can be used, which lowers system-level expenses even more. Additionally, engineers have more design flexibility because to the TMAG5134’s in-plane sensing feature, which allows it to detect magnetic fields parallel or horizontal to a printed circuit board.
Today, engineers use reed switches or tunnel magnetoresistive (TMR), anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR), or giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensors to achieve high sensitivity levels in low-power, compact position-sensing devices.
However, because they call for specific materials and fabrication methods, these technologies frequently have high costs and complicated manufacturing processes.
Hall-effect technology, on the other hand, allows engineers to drastically lower design costs and accelerate time to market while doing away with the requirement for specialist manufacturing.
Due to their low sensitivity, Hall-effect switches have not historically been regarded by designers as practical substitutes for TMR, AMR, GMR, or reed switches.
Engineers can now get more sensitivity than conventional Hall-effect sensors without the added expense and complexity of magnetoresistive sensors thanks to TI’s TMAG5134, which marks a major shift in the position sensing market.
Leadership Comments
“The electronics we interact with in our daily lives, from our laptops to our smart home systems, use sensors to help make decisions based on the world around them,” said Jason Cole, vice president and general manager, Sensing Products at TI. “For decades, TI’s sensing portfolio has enabled engineers to achieve greater accuracy, power efficiency and reliability in their designs. The TMAG5134 Hall-effect switch builds on these years of innovation, delivering a simplified, cost-effective solution that creates new possibilities for design engineers across industries.”
For more information, read the technical article, “The Hall effect: How an in-plane switch increases sensitivity and lowers design cost.”
More Details
The TMAG5134 Hall-effect switch helps extend battery life in sensing applications by consuming just 0.6µA on average. Its integrated magnetic concentrator technology amplifies the sensor signal, eliminating the need to bias the device with as much current.
TI’s magnetic sensing portfolio offers engineers a variety of switches, latches, and single- and multiaxis linear and angle sensors to fit their design needs.
With devices such as the TMAG5134 Hall-effect switch and comprehensive development resources, the portfolio aims to make designing with high-performance sensing technology simpler and more accessible.
Availability
Manufactured internally at TI’s 300mm fabs, the TMAG5134 is available on TI.com in production quantities. Engineers can accelerate development with TI’s comprehensive support resources, including an evaluation module and the free Texas Instruments Magnetic Sense Simulator (TIMSS) tool.
With this tool, designers can quickly simulate magnetic field behavior and sensor outputs based on specific sensor-magnet configurations in their designs.
