Sensors

Atmel Corporation today announced that it is sampling to select customers XSense, its revolutionary, highly flexible film-based touch sensor. XSense touch sensors will not only enable a new generation of smartphones and tablets, but also extend touch capabilities into a wider array of new consumer and industrial products.

Accidents when moving into or out of parking spaces drive up insurance companies’ costs; reversing out of a parking space often leads to serious accidents involving personal injuries. When reversing out, the usual reason for these accidents is because drivers either fail to see a vehicle or cyclist approaching from the side or they see them too late. In order to avoid such accidents, Continental, the international automotive supplier, has devel...

Human error is still the greatest risk factor on the roads: Driver mistakes were found to be the cause of over 80 percent of all accidents involving personal injuries in Germany in 2010 according to the German Federal Statistical Office. Advanced driver assistance systems can offer remedies. On the one hand they can support the driver in demanding and difficult situations and on the other hand develop room for freedom during monotonous driving si...

TRW Automotive Holdings Corp has developed a range of driver airbag modules made of regenerative plastic material, which offers a number of environmental benefits. The Company is the first to develop the new, greener module where components, including the airbag cover and retainer plate, are now made from a new, bio-based material.

TRW Automotive Holdings Corp today announced the first production contract for its Active Buckle Lifter (ABL) seat belt technology. The contract is with a major European vehicle manufacturer and will start production in 2013. The system will be launched on the rear seats, but is also available for front seat applications.

The new ACS716 from Allegro MicroSystems Europe is an open-loop Hall-effect current-sensor IC that provides an accuracy and bandwidth performance that is near to that of closed-loop devices. The new device, which features a bandwidth of 120 kHz and is optimised for 3.3 V supply operation, is designed to provide an economical and precise solution to current-sensing applications in industrial, commercial and communications systems.

Autoliv Inc has developed a completely new concept for inflating airbags that is more environmentally friendly and more cost efficient than traditional inflator technologies. In addition, it reduces the inflator's weight by 20% compared to most inflators for the intended application.

Acuity Brands, Inc., is pleased to introduce the new patent-pending WSD NGX (Neutral/Ground Exchangeable) wall switch sensor as an addition to its Sensor Switch line of occupancy sensors. This new sensor provides an innovative and contractor-friendly solution to meet the neutral/ground wiring requirementsunder the 2011 National Electric Code (“NEC 2011”) without having to purchase a dedicated unit.

Texas Instruments Incorporated today introduced two configurable analog front ends (AFE) that provide an easy-to-use, modular solution for bridging the gap between the microprocessor and sensor. Design engineers can dramatically reduce their development time by using a single AFE across multiple nondispersive infrared (NDIR) gas sensor and pH sensor platforms instead of designing several complex discrete solutions.

Honeywell is extending its Linear Hall-effect Sensor Integrated Circuits (IC) product line with the addition of the new SS39ET Series to its SS49E and SS59ET portfolio of low-cost Linear Hall-effect devices. The SS39ET Series are designed to monitor magnetic fields from a permanent magnet or an electromagnet.