Melexis released its Induxis switch

     Melexis has released its Induxis switch MLX92442. Contactless, magnetically free, and anti-stray, this monolithic solution directly detects conductive targets. It allows for small modular designs that reduce the number of components to improve safety and electrification: high voltage interlocking, charging flaps, seat belts, hood/trunk, gear tooth sensing or line control motion applications.

     Minko Daskalov, Melexis Product Manager, said: "With this new technology, our engineering team has redefined terminal position sensing with a wide range of benefits. "By providing batteries and hydrogen technology for the grid or electric vehicles, Induxis will take the next step in electrification and safety." The MLX92442 ticks all the boxes."

     For traditional safety car latches and switches, from door and trunk handles to seat belts and brake light switches, standard designs feature mechanical contacts or magnetic switches such as buttons, reed switches or Hall effect sensors. But for this solution to work, the design of the safety target must be modified, including a magnet and bracket or a physical pop up drive button. With the company's revolutionary sensing solutions, that's no longer the case. Its technology is actively sensing actual safety targets, such as seat belt buckles or latches, directly without magnets or button actuators, as long as it is conductive.

     This shift in position sensing technology brings many benefits. Since there are no moving mechanisms or additional parts, the reliability and safety of direct sensing operations are improved without the need for parts attached to safety elements that can be damaged or displaced. In addition, the solution helps reduce BOM, inductive contactless operation is inherently more reliable than mechanical solutions, which wear out over time and are not affected by magnetic interference.

     At the heart of the switch is its highly integrated and miniaturized standard package. Compared to other inductive solutions, the company's design innovation lies in the complete integration of coils and interfaces within the chip, eliminating the need for engineers to develop bulky PCB and coil solutions for their applications.

     The solution is available in a through-hole VK package or surface-mount SOIC package. In either case, the reduction of the support BOM from three elements to two elements (target + IC/ coil) compared to existing solutions, which, combined with the magnets mentioned above, helps to produce designs that are more sustainable and safer than existing sensors on the market.

     To ensure continuous and reliable operation, the switch also includes reverse supply voltage, undervoltage and thermal protection, as well as advanced integrated self-diagnostics with a dedicated safety mode.

     In addition to reducing the number of BOM components, this inductive solution helps simplify development time. Supporting factory and terminal programming, intelligent switch/latch operation is established by simply defining the shape and motion of the application. Compared to Hall effect solutions, magnetic simulation is unnecessary, which saves development time (second only to saving BOM).

     In terms of assembly design, standard packaging and the lack of magnets plus brackets provide easier system integration. It simplifies the supply chain, with fewer elements helping to reduce prototyping and production assembly time. This factor also helps to maintain the mechanical tolerance of the component, as only the induction sensor and the conductive safety element need to be considered within the 1.5mm air gap.

     With industry-standard two-wire or three-wire interfaces, wide operating voltages from 3.5V to 18V, operating temperature Windows from -40 ° C to 150 ° C, and compliance with ISO26262 ASIL a standard, the equipment is designed with minimal consideration. In addition, for safety-critical applications that require heterogeneous redundancy, induction technology offers a highly reliable option with minimal design requirements that can operate alongside Hall effects and mechanical solutions.