New generation of hall sensors

Magnetic field sensors are a contact- and wear-free means of measuring the position of machine parts and products. A new generation of Hall sensors is now making the process even more precise and free of interference.

“First we connected up several sensors on a chip in order to improve the measuring accuracy of the individual sensors,” says Markus Stahl-Offergeld from the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS. “Next we arranged several of these sensors to measure the three-dimensional magnetic field at one point. The result was our pixel cells.” And so a new generation of 3D Hall sensors was born, capable of measuring all three spatial axes of a magnetic field and calculating the exact position of an object. The sensor chip contains a designated sensor for each of the three magnetic axes. These sensors are placed together in the pixel cell and attain a resolution of just a few microteslas depending on the measurement speed. Tesla is the unit for magnetic flux density. Also integrated directly on the chip are the evaluation circuit and a coil, which enable self-testing and calibration. “In spite of its complexity, the HallinOne® magnetic sensor can be manufactured using standard processes of semiconductor technology – and that makes it cost-effective,” explains Dr.-Ing. Hans-Peter Hohe. For this global technological breakthrough, the three Fraunhofer IIS developers have been awarded a Joseph von Fraunhofer prize this year.

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For licensing reasons, publishing or distributing the video material provided here – whether on TV, on video platforms or through reproduction on Blu-ray/DVD – is not permitted without Fraunhofer’s prior agreement.