Motion Sensor Market Growing 20.3% Annually

All those accelerometers, gyroscopes and compasses and in mobile and gaming applications add up quickly. In fact, in the new report “Motion Sensors for Consumer & Mobile Applications,” Yole Developpement researchers expect 2009’s sales of $847M to reach $2.56B in 2015 – a 20.3% annual growth rate. Yole projects that many applications will employ 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope combined into a single package within 2015. Compasses (magnetometers) now popular in handsets will add gaming and digital still cameras (DSC) for advanced geo-tagging to the list of applications driving their usage. Over 50 companies targeting these applications will make the product offerings quite interesting and competitive.

For more information on the Yole Developpement report “Motion Sensors for Consumer & Mobile Applications,” click here.

Accelerometer Designed for Continuous Operation to +482°C (+900°F)

At 482°C, Meggitt Sensing Systems Endevco model 6233C is rated considerably higher than the recently announced 6222S model that had a maximum 260°C operating environment. Available standard ranges of 10, 50 and 100 pC/g, the model 6233C offers a differential output with excellent performance stability over temperature and a wide operational bandwidth. The case isolated units have a standard three-point ARINC mounting and a rugged 2-pin 7/16-27 UNS 2A threaded receptacle. Target applications include high-precision vibration monitoring of high-temperature jet and turboprop engines, helicopter and rotorcraft HUMS, gas turbines and nuclear power plant machinery and equipment.

For more information about the Endevco model 6233C high temperature accelerometer, click here.

Sensor System Ensures Heat Sink Efficiency

Heat sinks must efficiently conduct heat away from the electronic components that generate this heat. The new Tactilus® heat-sink analysis system helps you quickly and precisely test and correct the surface contact and pressure distribution between the heat sink and its source. Even a slight warping of the heat exchange structure or reduction in surface contact area can have a profound effect on cooling efficacy. If the pressure distribution is not uniform, heat conduction will be low, and the electronics may overheat.

The Tactilus sensor lets you see actual contact forces and pressure distribution data on the circuit board components. As the mounting screws between the CPU and the heat sink are torqued, the sensor sends signals to map and measure the changing pressure distribution between the mating surfaces. These data are displayed through the software. The heat sink interface can be tested, manipulated, and repositioned in real-time. The sensor also provides the pressure data needed for FEA simulation predictions.

Unlike conventional transducers, this sensor is flexible and 0.015-in. thick (0.38 mm), allowing it to be placed between the CPU and heat sink without affecting the assembly. The sensor pad has 625 resistive sensing points arrayed on a 25 × 25 grid. The total sensing area is 2 in. × 2 in. The scan speed is up to 1,000 Hz, and the operating pressure range is 0 to 100 psi (0 to 7 kg/cm2).

It collects and processes data using Windows-based software that:

• Creates pressure versus time graphs and histograms

• Performs 2D, 3D and 360 degree image rendering and region of interest scaling

• Displays maximum, minimum and average pressures and does force integrations

• Prepares reports through export to Excel, ASCII, or Access formats.

The sensor system will endure hundreds of diagnostic uses on different heat sinks with consistent repeatability. It is resistant to electromagnetic noise, temperature, and humidity fluctuations. Accuracy is ± 10%; repeatability is ± 2%; hysteresis is ± 5%; and non-linearity is ± 1.5%.

Color Sensors Use Alternative Approach

Instead of using colorimetric level to identify colors, MAZeT’s JENCOLOR color sensors use the radiometric level. The MMCS6 sensor family makes a color measurement with seven spectral characteristics in the range of 380 to 780 nm based on spectral estimation. This data is used to calculate the chromaticity coordinate. This provides a much higher information density in terms of color measurement. The multiple color sensor technology bridges the gap between the three-range sensors with their inherent limitations and spectral measurement devices for sensor applications.

For more information about MAZeT’s JENCOLOR color sensors, click here.

Monitoring the Quality and Blending Accuracy of Fuels

If you can measure fuel density what else can you do? One thing is make a fuel density meter. That’s exactly what Integrated Sensing Systems, Inc. (ISSYS) has done. Using its microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology, ISSYS FuelSense meter can measure the different densities of ethanol, biodiesel and gasoline and monitor their purity and mixing ratio. 

With UL, cUL and ATEX certification for flammable liquid and gas applications, airports will be among the first places to start using these meters to monitor jet fuel. The technology can also be used for hydrogen and methane applications for density and concentration of binary gas mixtures.  

For more information on ISSYS FuelSense Density Meter, click here.

Pricing Concerns for Proximity Sensors? Check This Out.

Should sensor manufacturers proactively develop more cost-effective sensors? Balluff thinks so. Its announcement of a line of economical proximity sensors probably won’t start a price war but it should be good news to users for a variety of applications. The company’s Global.CProx line of capacitive sensors offers many of the same features of it existing sensors including reverse polarity and short circuit protection with enhanced EMC protection. The broad range of tubular M12, M18 and M30 sensors with either M12 connectors or pre-wired cables are available in flush-mount and non-flush mount packages.

For more information about Balluff’s Global.CProx sensors, click here.

Using Integrated Giant Magnetoresistance Sensors for EVs and HEVs

At the SAE Hybrid Vehicle Technologies Symposium in Anaheim, CA, Dusan Gravoc, senior manager and Head of Product Marketing for Infineon Technologies AG shows how an iGMR sensing IC can replace incremental encoders and resolvers in electric and hybrid vehicles. Infineon’s TLE5012 is housed in a small SO-8 package that targets integration in electrically commutated motors.

To see the video, click here.

For more information on Infineon’s TLE5012 iGMR sensor, click here.

How Sensor Fusion Impacts Systems

Measuring Hydraulic Cylinder/ Actuator Travel and Tank Level

While many sensors, especially those based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, get increasingly smaller, some measurements dictate the need for a large or sufficiently long sensor. This is the case when measuring the position of moving machine parts in applications such as paper and pulp mills, injection molding machinery, turbine blades and process level management. These are the types of applications addressed by a new series of sensors from Macro Sensors. The MLW Series of Long Stroke Linear Position Sensors are designed for highly accurately absolute position measurement of displacements up to 1.2 meters.  

The sensors use magnetostrictive technology and operate by transmitting a current pulse through a tube that is reflected by a moveable permanent magnet.  The output signal is based on a time of flight measurement by the sensor that determines the position of the magnet on the tube. 

For more information about Macro Sensors MLW Series of Long Stroke Linear Position Sensors, click here.

Track Calories Burned and More with Body Monitoring System

BodyMedia FIT Armband BW, a wearable body monitoring system, uses four sensors to track thousands of data readings and display them to show users their calories burned, steps taken, physical activity and sleep duration and efficiency. Using Bluetooth wireless technology, the results can be sent to an app on the user’s smartphone (iPhone or Android) for real-time updates.  A dashboard shows the user’s results for the day and allows tracking of food intake through a database of over 30,000 items.

For more information on the BodyMedia FIT Armband BW click here.

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