what is a rotary position sensor?
A rotary sensor, also referred to as an angular position sensor, measure the relation that any position in respect to any other position, has been established. It helps calculate an object’s orientation with respect to a specific reference position that is expressed through the amount of rotation needed to change from one orientation to another about a specific axis.
Types of Rotary Sensors
There are a variety of rotary sensors and most providers stock the main types. These are generally categorized by output type, supply voltage, operating temperature range, sensing range, supply current and packaging type. For further details on what is offered, it is suggested to view their parametric filters online, this can help you narrow down your search results depending on the specifications required.
When it comes to supply voltage, the most common values are 4.5 to 5.5 C. There are however rotary sensors with supply voltage reading 36 V. The range of supply current can be between µA and 13.5 A, the most common chips contain a supply current 13.5 mA.
Most Common Rotary Sensor Selections
Most companies count with full selections of rotary sensor chips from more than one manufacturer; these are able to be used for a rotary position sensor, a digital angle sensor or any circuits which may require a rotary sensor. All that you need to do is choose from the rotary sensor technical attributes offered and you can quickly find your search results narrowed down in order to match the rotary sensor application which you specifically require.
If you have a brand you prefer, most companies deal with various semiconductor manufactures that are well known, for example STMicroelectronics, Melexis, Measurement Specialties, or AMS.
Applications for Rotary Sensors:
Rotary sensors are actually able to be found in a wide array of industrial as well as automotive applications, for example:
Robotics
Contactless rotary position sensing
Non-Contacting Potentiometer
Flow meters
Power mirror position sensing
Power seat position sensing
Valve position sensing
Headlight position control
Transmission gearbox encoder
Ride Right position sensing
Float level sensing
Throttle position sensing
Motor shaft position sensing
Pedal Position sensing
Steering wheel position sensing
How to Choose the Right Rotary Sensor for Your Requirements
When looking for the perfect rotary sensor for your requirements, make sure that when searching you filter the results by a variety of attributes, for example: Sensing range; ±60 °/s, ±100 °/s, 360 °/s, ±500 °/s, etc., Output Type such as Analogue Output, Analogue/Digital, Ratio metric, Digital Output, etc., and Supply Current from 100 µA up to 13.5 A, just to name a few. If you take the time to search properly, you will easily be find the correct semiconductor chips for your digital angle sensor, rotary position sensor, or any and all circuits which may require a rotary sensor.
High quality rotary sensors offer reliability which is unrivalled; they provide angle measurements that are exceptionally accurate even in the harshest of environments. Just make sure that you opt for a company offering quality brands and you will not go wrong.
