TDK announces new anti-clutter 3D HAL position sensor for SPC interface

     TDK Corporation announced the expansion of the Micronas masterHAL sensor portfolio with the release of the new anti-clutter 3D HAL position sensor, HAL 3970. Suitable for automotive and industrial applications, the sensor features high-precision Angle detection from 0° to 360°, linear position detection, and uses SPC outputs to transmit calculated position information. The SPC interface is an enhancement of the SENT protocol according to the SAE J2716 standard.

     It is capable of transmitting data based on trigger pulses sent by the external ECU, and supports point-to-point connections and single-wire bus modes of up to four sensors. Parameters such as cell time, frame format, trigger mode, slow channel format, roll counter, etc. are easy to configure. For example, HAL 3970 can be used for anti-stray field Angle detection in steering wheel position applications.

     Each sensor in the HAL 39xy sensor family is based on patented 3D HAL sensing unit technology **. HAL3970 uses a special Hall plate array to measure vertical and horizontal magnetic field components with high precision. Thanks to the precise arrangement of these Hall plates, the sensor can detect a 360 degree Angle and counter external stray magnetic fields. All it takes to determine the rotation Angle is a simple bipolar magnet. Ideally, the magnet should be placed above the sensitive area of the shaft end configuration. The sensor also supports robust off-axis measurement of stray fields.

     The on-chip signal processing of the HAL3970 calculates the Angle of the magnetic field component and converts this value to a digital output value. The sensor has a powerful DSP and embedded microcontroller. The DSP is responsible for fast signal processing, while the microcontroller is responsible for monitoring interface configuration and functional safety-related tasks.

     By programming non-volatile memory, key characteristics such as gain and offset, reference position can be adjusted according to the magnetic circuit. HAL 3970 is SEooC (Independent Safety Unit) ASIL Class B according to ISO 26262. The HAL3970 comes in an 8-pin SOIC8 SMD package.