HALL-EFFECT SENSORS

TOMONGHA (1) reported RABILAS (2) reported REYES (3) LIBRADILLA (4) FERRER (5) reported GIER (6) SO (7) reported ABELLA (8) DANDAN (9)

ECE 42E
Industrial Electronics Lecture MWF 11:00 12:00pm

Engr. Romar Batulan Instructor

THEORY BEHIND THE HALL-EFFECT

Hall-effect takes place or comes about the nature of current in a conductor. (from our knowledge on current, it is the movement of electricity, thus it contains charges such as electrons, holes and ions or a combination of the three) When a magnetic field is present which is not in the direction of the current, the charges undergo or experience a force called Lorentz force which causes the movement of the current to change thus a potential difference is generated. But when the magnetic field is absent, the charges follow a straight (line-of-sight) path. Thus, no potential difference is generated. To make it simple, when a current-carrying conductor is placed near a magnetic field, a potential difference or a voltage (Hall voltage) is generated which is perpendicular to the directions of the magnetic field and the current. This principle is what we call Hall-Effect.

ILLUSTRATION ON HOW HALL-EFFECT WORKS

Hall-Effect Principle (No magnetic field) Figure 1 illustrates the principle of Hall-effect when there is absence of magnetic field. Shown in figure 1 is a conductor carrying current, which we call a Hall element. When no magnetic force is present current flow is uniform, thus there is no potential difference across its output.

Figure 1

FIGURE 2 Hall-effect Principle (Magnetic Field is Present)

Figure 2 illustrates the principle of Hall-effect when magnetic field is present. When the conductor carrying current is placed near a magnetic field, Lorentz force takes place. This force disturbs the flow of current resulting to a potential difference across the output. This voltage is known as Hall voltage.

APPLICATION (Specific location in an application where Halleffect sensors are applied)

Hall effect sensors can be applied in many types of sensing devices. If the quantity (parameter) to be sensed incorporates or can incorporate a magnetic field, a Hall sensor will perform the task. These applications includes: Current sensing By sensing the current provided to a load and using the device's applied voltage as a sensor voltage it is possible to determine the power dissipated by a device.

Position and motion sensing Hall effect devices used in motion sensing and motion limit switches can offer enhanced reliability in extreme environments. As there are no moving parts involved within the sensor or magnet, typical life expectancy is improved compared to traditional electromechanical switches. Additionally, the sensor and magnet may be encapsulated in an appropriate protective material. This application is used in brushless DC motors. Automotive ignition and fuel injection Commonly used in distributors for ignition timing (and in some types of crank and camshaft position sensors for injection pulse timing, speed sensing, etc.) the Hall effect sensor is used as a direct replacement for the mechanical breaker points used in earlier automotive applications. Its use as an ignition timing device in various distributor types is as follows. A stationary permanent magnet and semiconductor Hall effect chip are mounted next to each other separated by an air gap, forming the Hall effect sensor. A metal rotor consisting of windows and tabs is mounted to a shaft and arranged so that during shaft rotation, the windows and tabs pass through the air gap between the permanent magnet and semiconductor Hall chip. This effectively shields and exposes the Hall chip to the permanent magnet's field respective to whether a tab or window is passing though the Hall sensor. For ignition timing purposes, the metal rotor will have a number of equal-sized tabs and windows matching the number of engine cylinders. This produces a uniform square wave output since the on/off (shielding and exposure) time is equal. This signal is used by the engine computer or ECU to control ignition timing. Many automotive Hall effect sensors have a built-in internal NPN transistor with an open collector and grounded emitter, meaning that rather than a voltage being produced at the Hall sensor signal output wire, the transistor is turned on providing a circuit to ground through the signal output wire. Wheel rotation sensing The sensing of wheel rotation is especially useful in anti-lock brake systems. The principles of such systems have been extended and refined to offer more than anti-skid functions, now providing extended vehicle handling enhancements. Electric motor control Some types of brushless DC electric motors use Hall effect sensors to detect the position of the rotor and feed that information to the motor controller. This allows for more precise motor control

Industrial applications Applications for Hall Effect sensing have also expanded to industrial applications, which now use Hall Effect joysticks to control hydraulic valves, replacing the traditional mechanical levers with contactless sensing. Such applications include; Mining Trucks, Backhoe Loaders, Cranes, Diggers, Scissor Lifts, etc. Spacecraft propulsion A Hall effect thruster (HET) is a relatively low power device that is used to propel some spacecraft, once they get into orbit or farther out into space. In the HET, atoms are ionized and accelerated by anelectric field. A radial magnetic field established by magnets on the thruster is used to trap electrons which then orbit and create an electric field due to the Hall effect. A large potential is established between the end of the thruster where neutral propellant is fed and the part where electrons are produced, so electrons trapped in the magnetic field cannot fall down the potential, and thus are extremely energetic allowing them to ionize neutral atoms. Neutral propellant is pumped into the chamber and is ionized by the trapped electrons. Then positive ions and electrons are ejected from the thruster as a quasineutral plasma, creating thrust.

Open/Close Detection Portable computers and flip or jack-knife style phones and other portable devices with a rotating hinge and clam shell design have historically used mechanical switches to indicate an open or closed position. Knowing whether the device is open or closed is essential for applying power to sleeping circuitry and returning to the sleep mode to conserve power.

Few examples on Hall-effect application:

Automotive Ignition System In an automotive ignition system, shutter blades are mounted on the distributor shaft, rotor, crankshaft pulley, or cam gear so that the sensor can generate a trigger pulse as the crankshaft rotates. This signal is then used for ignition timing.

The purpose of the shutter blade is to disrupt the flux lines (from the magnet) that will be pass to the Hall-effect sensor. The Magnetic Piston To indicate that a pneumatic piston has fully extended or retracted, two Halleffect sensors are mounted on the outer wall of the cylinder.

Note: The Magnetic Piston is a prime mover and an electrical generator in a single device that uniquely may be powered by any pressure source or any heat source. Printed Cover Some computer use Hall-effect device to detect if the cover is open or close.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF HALL-EFFECT SENSORS

Analog output sensors Analog sensors provide an output voltage that is proportional to the magnetic field to which it is exposed. Although this is a complete device, additional circuit functions were added to simplify the application. Digital output sensors The Digital output sensor has an output that is just one of two states: ON or OFF. The basic analog output device can be converted into a digital output sensor with the addition of a Schmitt trigger circuit.

The Schmitt trigger compares the output of the differential amplifier with a preset reference. When the amplifier output exceeds the reference, the Schmitt trigger turns on. Conversely, when the output of the amplifier falls below the reference point, the output of the Schmitt trigger turns off.
Reference: http://content.honeywell.com/sensing/prodinfo/solidstate/technical/chapter2.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_effect#Applications http://www.wisc-online.com/objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=IAU7607 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_effect