Molex, a global electronics leader and connectivity innovator, has announced Percept Current Sensors to address the growing demand for highly accurate busbar current sensing solutions in industrial and automotive applications.

The company says the  Percept Current Sensors leverage Infineon’s high-precision coreless current sensors and Molex’s unique proprietary electronics packaging technology to further reduce sensor size and weight while simplifying installation and system integration significantly.

“The new Percept Current Sensors benefit from Infineon’s coreless sensor and our proprietary electronics packaging technology to set new standards for current-sensing accuracy, reliability and integration simplicity,” said Lily Yeung, Director, Sensors, Transportation Innovative Solutions, Molex.

“Together we can save customers valuable space and optimise product performance, while reducing major design and manufacturing complexities and costs.”

The company says the compact, coreless design and unique electronics packaging of the Percept Current Sensors results in a solution that is 86% lighter and up to half the size of competing current sensors. This enables higher-density packaging within devices, which contributes to reductions in overall system weight while facilitating greater design flexibility.

Molex’s Percept Current Sensors offer increased sensing opportunities in space-constrained applications as well as those sensitive to electromagnetic interference (EMI). They also provide accuracy within 2% across a wide temperature range and entire product lifespan, along with low sensitivity and offset errors. Additionally, Infineon’s differential Hall-effect sensor design suppresses noise from stray magnetic fields, which are commonly found in demanding industrial motor-drive and automotive applications.

“Infineon’s XENSIV TLE4973 and TLE4972 are part of our family of high precision coreless magnetic current sensors with a measurement range of 0A to 2000A, offering tremendous flexibility for different power ranges. When combined with Infineon’s sensor, Molex’s innovative package creates a small, efficient and robust solution for the automotive and industrial markets,” said Matthias Grewe, Vice President and Head of Product Line Magnetic Sensing, Infineon Technologies.

Molex says its proprietary electronics packaging technology enables seamless integration of high-current conductors, connectors, Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), busbars, and heat sinks, among other mechanical components, into a single device. This capability is highly suited for assemblies that must withstand high temperatures, high currents and harsh environments. Percept Current Sensors take advantage of this proprietary packaging method to ensure flexible system integration and boost accuracy from precise chip placement and factory calibration. Pre-calibrated systems not only lead to simpler, streamlined installation, but also can dramatically speed assembly time.

The company says this novel packaging technology uses 99% less water than typical PCB manufacturing and does not require any chemicals or generate copper sludge, enabling a more environmentally friendly manufacturing method. Versatile and configurable design options, including the sensor-in-busbar design, provide customers with a complete package for plug-and-play deployments that do not require excessive development time, resources or cost.

Percept Current Sensors are available in industrial- and automotive-grade options, encompassing full-differential and single-ended output modes and bi-directional sensing. Available current ranges include /-450.0 to /-1,600.0A; operating temperatures extend from -40 to 125°C in accordance with AEC-Q100 Grade 1 standards. Sensors for industrial applications are slated for October 2024 availability, followed by automotive application product approval process planned for the first half of 2025. Limited engineering samples for industrial applications are available today.

The Percept Current Sensors join Molex’s Percept family of sensors, which also includes the widely acclaimed Percept Road Noise Cancelling (RNC) Sensor Assembly.

 

 

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