Melexis Introduces New High-Speed Inductive Motor Position Decoders to Help Simplify Vehicle Electrification Systems

     Melexis, a global microelectronics engineering company, announces the MLX90510, a new stray field-resistant inductive chip. This high-speed position decoder minimizes the work required by the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) and achieves optimum accuracy under extreme mechanical and electrical conditions. The MLX90510 has excellent electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), making it ideal for motor control, electronic brake booster and electronic power steering applications.
     The MLX90510 is Melexis' first open market inductive sensor chip. This chip provides excellent accuracy of less than +/-0.36° at speeds up to 240,000 e-rpm. The MLX90510 is designed for high-speed sensing applications with high accuracy, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and safety requirements, mainly for electric motors (e-axle), electronic brake booster and electronic power steering applications.

     “Efficient electric powertrains typically require that the stator supply current be synchronized with the rotor position for optimal efficiency and torque characteristic control,” said Lorenzo Lugani, product manager for inductive sensors at Melexis. "Thanks to the MLX90510's digital architecture and rugged design, automotive engineers can take advantage of the chip's robust electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) performance to minimize electronic control unit (ECU) workload, thereby reducing module cost. "

     The MLX90510 is used in conjunction with a set of PCB-based coils with a scalable design that can easily accommodate different numbers of pole pairs in the motor. This chip supports multiple sensing modes for on-axis (shaft-end) and off-axis (shaft-side or through-shaft) applications, maximizing the flexibility of inductive coil designs to easily handle the most demanding mechanical constraints. The MLX90510 features overvoltage and reverse polarity protection (+/-24V for supply, +/-18V for output) and is extremely robust against electrical challenges. Additionally, this sensor is AEC-Q100 qualified and operates over an extended temperature range of -40°C to +160°C. The MLX90510 is fully compliant with the ISO 26262 ASIL-C functional safety guideline and supports system level integration up to ASIL-D.