Alps Electric Co Ltd announced a new magnetometric sensor whose detection range is about 1.6 times longer than that of the company's existing product.
Alps Electric expects the sensor,"HGDFPA006A," to be used for detecting whether the doors of white goods including washers and refrigerators are open or closed.
The distance over which the sensor detects a magnetic force (Hon) is 0.6mT. When a ferrite magnet measuring 20 x 10 x 6mm is used, the distance between the surface of the magnet and the substrate on which the sensor is attached can be up to 35mm. With the HGDFPT031A, the previous product released at the beginning of 2009, the distance can be up to 22mm under the same conditions.
"Our users (consumer-electronics makers) strongly demanded a magnetometric sensor whose size is equivalent to that of our previous product and detection range is 30 to 40mm," Alps Electric said.
Alps Electric employed a magnetoresistive (MR) device, whose electric resistance changes in accordance with the strength of a magnetic field. Though the company has been mass-producing magnetometric sensors using MR devices for some time, it developed a new structure of the device to enhance the sensitivity.
Mechanical switches such as reed switches are the switches that are most commonly used for magnetometric sensors for white goods. Those sensors are made by inserting two wires tipped with north and south pole magnets into a thin glass tube. They detect whether a door is open or closed because an external magnetic field makes the two wires contact with each other, connecting electric circuits.
However, such sensors have a fragile structure and are vulnerable to impacts, requiring sensitive handling. On the other hand, sensors using MR devices can be even dropped to the ground, Alps Electric said.
The new magnetometric sensor is attached by inserting a lead terminal into a substrate (snap-in fitting). It measures 14.15 x 5.00 x 13.00mm. Alps Electric will start sample shipment in April 2010 at a price of ¥500 (approx US$5.65), planning to produce one million units per month in April 2011.
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