A magnetic position sensor for active chassis control system

A reliable contactless magnetic position sensing technology from ams AG, a provider of high performance analog Integrated Circuits and sensors, has gained valuable endorsement from the demanding automotive industry.

International automotive supplier Continental is basing its new CPS series chassis height sensor on the AS5162, a magnetic position sensor from ams.

The AS5162, paired with a simple two-pole magnet, accurately detects angular displacements as fine as 0.09° over a full revolution. Its non-contacting semiconductor technology is immune to stray magnetic fields and, unlike optical or contacting position sensors, it is unaffected by contaminants such as oil, grease or dirt.

The CPS series is used in the latest active chassis control systems to measure the height of a vehicle’s chassis relative to its wheels. Permitting a flexible range of configurations, the AS5162 can also be used in additional position sensing applications such as headlight range and level controls, and for other angle measurements, for example in commercial vehicles such as dump trucks.

In a safety-critical system such as active chassis control, the CPS series is required to comply with the ISO26262 functional safety standard. This standard requires vehicle manufacturers to achieve high levels of reliability, to analyze the effects of the failure modes of components and systems, and to take measures to guarantee functional safety in the event of a predictable failure.

An AEC-Q100 qualified device, the AS5162 underpins Continental’s achievement of ISO26262 compliance for its CPS series product because of its low FIT (Failure In Time) rate – a key measure of reliability defined by the standard. The wafer fabrication processes of ams also provide for precise analysis of the device’s failure modes.

“Advanced active chassis control systems call for very precise, accurate and fast measurement of the movement of the chassis. This is a perfect application for the AS5162, a high-sensitivity, low-noise position sensor,” said Bernd Gessner, vice-president and general manager of the automotive business unit at ams. “And ams provides fully traceable data to support automotive manufacturers’ functional safety design practices, helping to minimize the effort required to comply with ISO26262.”