Mouser - White Papers

Mouser Electronics White Paper Real-World Applications Turn-counting angle-position sensors are used in a variety of applications, from industrial linear actuators to automotive systems. Their unique, true power-on, multiturn technology enables them to count turns without power or contact. These sensors reduce actuator size and weight and lower overall system costs. Industrial linear actuators—found in equipment such as general- purpose and gantry X-Y tables, CNC machines, and pick-and- place equipment—typically include a linear transducer to track the movement of a device fixed to the table or to measure the penetration depth of a cutting tool. The ADMT4000, however, can track rotary-to-linear motion and eliminate the need for a separate linear encoder and its associated costs (Figure 14). Figure 14: Rotary-to-linear actuator application eliminates the need for a linear transducer. (Source: Analog Devices) These position sensors are also used in conjunction with rotary actuators in robotics applications, such as joint-position tracking in robots, cobots, and humanoids (Figure 15). The sensors can be present at every joint. Compact dual-sensor designs can reduce the bill of materials (BOM) count and solution size. Because they can track and retain joint position across power cycles using nonvolatile magnetic states, they eliminate the need for battery backup and reduce factory downtime. Other industrial applications for these sensors include factory and warehouse hoists, lifts, cranes, wire-pulling and coil-winding equipment, and automated guided vehicles (AGVs). AGVs equipped with position-tracking sensors can restart quickly without recalibration after shutdown. Automotive applications for these sensors include electronic power steering and steer-by-wire systems. Steer-by-wire systems eliminate the mechanical linkage between the steering wheel and the wheel Figure 15: Robot with a turn-count sensor at each joint. (Source: Analog Devices) actuator. Existing steering-angle-sensing solutions employ rack linear position sensors, planetary gearing with 360° sensors, or continuously powered 360° sensors with battery-backed memory. In contrast, the ADMT4000 sensors in such a system (Figure 16) retain wheel angle information even after complete power-off. The ADMT4000 can eliminate all the mechanics involved with a linear position sensor while providing true power-on position information. Figure 16: The ADMT4000 in a steer-by-wire application. (Source: Analog Devices)

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