www.ti.com SENSOR TECHNOLOGY 25 www.power-mag.com Issue 1 2024 Power Electronics Europe isolated amplifier with integrated DC/DC converter. Sensor ICs are also involved in automotive systems beyond battery management and charging systems. While not a recent development, the electrification of systems across the entire automobile – from windshield wipers to seat adjustment motors – continues to provide opportunities for more efficient system design through sensing. Linear, 3D, angle, switch and latch Halleffect sensors enable precise responses for real-time feedback of the actuator or motors, helping automotive systems contribute to a more responsive and comfortable environment for drivers. In addition to using sensors to improve driver and passenger comfort in modern vehicles, automotive engineers are seeking to implement systems that can improve the overall safety of the vehicle by detecting failures before they occur. This requires sensor ICs with diagnostic features that support device- and system-level functions to detect, monitor and report failures during operation. Position sensors, such as TI’s TMAG5170-Q1, TMAG5170DQ1 or the TMAG5173-Q1, are designed to monitor automotive system operation and detect faults quickly in order to help engineers meet regulatory requirements such as those in the ISO 26262 standard up to ASIL D level. Data centres Servers in data centres store and analyse an ever-increasing flow of data, which increases server power consumption. Achieving higher power densities and thus improved efficiency in server power-supply units (PSUs) is one way to optimise data centre operations. Meeting the strictest efficiency standards for PSUs, 80 Plus Titanium has become a minimum requirement for current and next-generation data centres. Current sensing plays a major role in helping achieve this level of efficiency and can be implemented with isolated amplifiers and Hall-effect current sensors. Sensors like the AMC3302 and TMCS1100 precision isolated current sensing ICs can help server PSUs meet the >96% system efficiency threshold required by the 80 Plus Titanium standard. The AMC3302 isolated amplifier provides input voltages of ±50mV, enabling the use of a shunt resistor with smaller resistance to help reduce the amplifier’s power dissipation and improve system efficiency. While the TMCS1100 Hall-effect sensor converts signals through the magnetic field inside the IC itself, eliminating the need for an isolated power rail. These sensors also reduce power losses through their input conductor resistance, which can be >1mΩ for highcurrent sensing. Energy management The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources requires more than changes in energy generation. It also depends on the efficient distribution and management of power from electric grids to buildings and homes. A simultaneously sampling ADC with a wide dynamic range and internal calibrations, e.g., the ADS131M04, can be used to achieve reliably accurate energy consumption data in an electricity meter, an integral application for efficient energy management. The ADS131M04 can connect directly to a resistor divider, current transformer or shunt for designs that require a multiphase meter with shunt measurements. These sensors can reach high measurement accuracies (0.1 accuracy class), while a high sample rate can provide a basis for harmonics measurement to provide load management and other advanced features. Robotics and automation Increased demand for automation across all industries is boosting the use of robots in both factories and our daily lives. For autonomous robotic systems to be successful, they must be able to interact in their contextual environments as they collaborate, co-work and co-exist with humans and other robots. Collaboration and safety are made possible through vision, radar and lidar sensing in robots since these modalities allow the robot to perceive the proximity and nature of objects around it. Similar to humans, robots rely on their sense of sight, hearing and touch in order to react to the world around them. These senses allow them to stop or reduce their speed when humans or another robot are approaching, or when there is an obstacle in their path. Similarly, in ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems), sensors are deployed around the vehicle to provide a Figure 2: Server racks in a data centre.
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