Design flexibility and simplified system integration with new current sensors

Molex has announced that Percept Current Sensors will meet the growing demand for highly accurate busbar current sensing solutions in industrial and automotive applications. The Current Sensors use Infineon's high-precision coreless current sensors and Molex's unique proprietary electronics packaging technology to further reduce sensor size and weight while significantly simplifying installation and system integration.

"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 optimize product performance while reducing major design and manufacturing complexities and costs."

The compact, coreless design and unique electronics packaging of the sensors result in a solution that is 86% lighter and up to half the size of competing current sensors. This allows higher-density packaging within devices, contributing to overall system weight reductions while enabling greater design flexibility.

The company's current sensors offer increased sensing opportunities in space-constrained applications and those sensitive to EMI. They also provide accuracy within 2% across a wide temperature range and the entire product lifespan, along with low sensitivity and offset errors. Also, Infineon's differential Hall-effect sensor design suppresses noise from stray magnetic fields, which are typically 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.

The company's proprietary electronics packaging technology seamlessly integrates high-current conductors, connectors, PCBs, busbars, heat sinks, and 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 use this proprietary packaging method to ensure flexible system integration and boost accuracy from precise chip placement and factory calibration. Pre-calibrated systems lead to a simpler, streamlined installation and can dramatically speed up assembly time.

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

These 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 +/-450A to +/-1,600A; operating temperatures extend from -40C to 125C 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.