In the fields of robot joint control, industrial motor commutation, and electric travel drive systems, there is an increasing demand for sensors that can provide high-precision position feedback in the market. At the same time, these applications also need to overcome the limitations and challenges of optical encoders and magnetic solutions. This type of application requires sensors to have a compact appearance, easy integration, low response delay, and high resilience to environmental pressure sources. This poses significant challenges to existing optical or magnetic solutions in terms of performance and scalability.
The MLX90514 effectively addresses the above challenges through non-contact eddy current principles, maintaining stable and repeatable performance even in harsh operating environments. Its dual input architecture can simultaneously process signals from two coil groups, thereby calculating the cursor angle on the chip. In practical applications, such as measuring the input and output positions of motors in electric bicycles, motorcycles, or robot joints, this architecture integrates position sensing functionality into a single chip, reducing the use of external circuits, ensuring measurement synchronization, and supporting enhanced functional safety.
The MLX90514 adopts a 5V power supply voltage, which can be widely used in various designs and can measure rotation and linear applications. The supported coil diameter range is from 20mm to 300mm, and the linear displacement measurement range can reach 400mm. The device provides up to 16 bit position resolution and can achieve zero delay measurement with accuracy better than 0.1 °, ensuring precise control even in harsh environments. Through the convenient plug and play configuration method, engineers only need to program limited parameters (especially offset compensation and linearization), which can achieve fast and reliable deployment with minimal system integration workload.
For engineers, the MLX90514 provides a compact and fully integrated position sensing solution. Its inductance measurement principle can operate without the need for permanent magnets, reducing the design workload and supply chain considerations related to magnet procurement and integration. Meanwhile, its PCB based coil design also simplifies the assembly process and reduces costs. Compared with optical solutions, this sensor has extremely high robustness to dust, mechanical wear, and pollution. In addition, all signal processing of MLX90514 is completed on-chip, and its design minimizes circuit board space occupation and Bill of Materials (BoM) costs, enabling more reliable and scalable deployment in robotics, industrial, and mobile applications.
Lorenzo Lugani, Product Line Director at Melexis, stated that the MLX90514 has taken the simplicity and accuracy of position sensing to a new level. The dual input IC we have developed addresses the challenges faced by robotics, industrial automation, and mobile applications. This sensor simplifies the integration process, reduces system complexity, and provides reliable high-precision position data, helping engineers design compact, scalable, and robust systems with minimal investment. ”
To further support the work of engineers, Melexis provides a free online tool called Inductive Simulator, which allows users to design and optimize the coil layout of MLX90514. You can directly apply to the local Melexis sales representative to use this tool.
The inductive sensor interface MLX90514 has now been officially launched. For more details, please visit www.delexis.com/MLX90514 or contact us through www.delexis.com/contact.
