Inductive position sensors operate from -40 °C to 125 °C

Renesas Electronics Corporation introduced a new family of magnet-free inductive position sensor (IPS) ICs that can be fully customized for various coil designs compatible with a wide range of industrial applications, such as robotics, medical and healthcare, smart buildings, home appliances, and motor commutation. Built for high resolution, precision, and robust performance, the new RAA2P3226, RAA2P3200, and RAA2P4200 sensor ICs offer a cost-effective alternative to traditional magnetic and optical encoders, which can be bulky, expensive, and require frequent maintenance. Renesas also launched a web-based design tool that allows customers to easily create custom sensing elements to meet their specific system needs.

Operating on non-contact coil sensor technology, Renesas IPS products use a simple metallic target and dual-coil or single-coil configurations to detect absolute rotary, linear, or arc positions. These sensor ICs are designed to maintain stable operation even in environments with elevated temperatures (-40 to 125°C), particulate matter, moisture, mechanical vibration, and electromagnetic interference. Moreover, they are immune to stray magnetic fields and require no maintenance, unlike magnetic- or optical encoder-based sensors. Their durability and low upkeep make them a reliable and cost-effective sensing solution for motor drives, actuators, valves, service robots, and infrastructure applications, where reliability and long-term performance are critical.

All three products offer high precision in detecting target positions, with accuracy better than 0.1 percent of the full-scale electrical range. Two of the products, the RAA2P3226 and RAA2P3200, operate at 600K RPM (electrical) with propagation delays under 100ns, which is imperative in high-speed motor applications. The advanced RAA2P3226 supports dual-coil sensing with up to 19-bit resolution and 0.01° absolute accuracy, providing the high-precision performance required for robotic applications. The RAA2P4200 targets low-speed applications such as medical devices and power tools and the RAA2P3200 is optimized for high-speed motor commutation. All three products include automatic calibration and linearization to simplify integration and improve system-level performance.

In addition to these three products, Renesas will also introduce automotive-grade IPS, RAA2P452x, and RAA2P4500, which will be available later this year. The dual-channel RAA2P452x allows customers to achieve ASIL D safety compliance when paired with Renesas MCUs. This automotive-grade solution offers a cost-effective option for low-speed body control and chassis systems without compromising quality.

Designing with inductive position sensors typically involves integrating a PCB, an IC with passive components, and a metal target mounted to the moving part. The most complex part is the external sensing element, such as the transmitter and receiver coils, which must be precisely configured to realize accuracy and customized to the system’s mechanical and environmental requirements. Renesas’ web-based Inductive Position Sensor Coil Optimizer tool tackles this challenge by automating coil layout, simulation, and tuning, significantly reducing the learning curve for developers. With this tool, engineers can also obtain accurate performance estimates and overcome manufacturing constraints by optimizing the coil layout.

RAA2P3226 inludes: Dual-coil IPS for full inductive robotic joints, logistic and industrial robots/Cobots; Output interfaces: UART, ABI, Step-Dir, I²C; Up to 19-bit resolution and 0.01° absolute accuracy (integrated Vernier); Automatic Gain Control (AGC) to compensate for air-gap variations; 16-point linearization feature to improve the accuracy; True-power-on position information at the start-up; Rotary On-axis and off-axis, arc and linear implementations possible; Industrial-grade temperature range: -40°C to 125°C; Supply voltage: 3.0V to 5.5V.

RAA2P3200 includes: High-speed, low-latency IPS for motor commutation, E-bikes, and industrial robots/Cobots; Output interfaces: SPI, UART, ABI, UVW, or Step-Dir; Automatic Gain Control (AGC) to compensate for air-gap variations; 16-point linearization feature to improve the accuracy; Rotary On-axis and off-axis, arc and linear implementations possible; Industrial-grade temperature range: -40°C to 125°C; Supply voltage: 3.0V to 5.5V; Overvoltage, reverse polarity, and short-circuit protection.

RAA2P4200 includes: Single-coil design for low-speed service robots, power tools, and medical applications; Output interfaces: Analog, PWM, I²C; Automatic Gain Control (AGC) to compensate for air-gap variations; 16-point linearization feature to improve the accuracy; Rotary on-axis and off-axis, arc and linear implementations are possible; Industrial-grade temperature range: -40°C to 125°C; Supply voltage: 3.0V to 5.5V; Overvoltage, reverse polarity, and short-circuit protection; Replacing the ZMID4200 device.

Renesas combined the RAA2P3226 with other compatible devices to develop two winning combinations: Mini BLDC Servo and Turntable System. Winning Combinations are technically vetted system architectures from mutually compatible devices that work together seamlessly to bring an optimized, low-risk design for faster time to market. Renesas offers more than 400 Winning Combinations with a wide range of products from the Renesas portfolio to enable customers to speed up the design process and bring their products to market more quickly. They can be found at renesas.com/win.

The RAA2P3226, RAA2P3200, and RAA2P4200 are available in volume production, along with evaluation kits. The automotive-grade RAA2P452x and RAA2P4500 will be in production in Q4/2025. The Inductive Position Sensor Coil Optimizer is available now and supports all Renesas IPS products.