Features of Alps Alpine Resistive Position Sensors

The previous installment explained the importance of linearity characteristics of resistive position sensors.
Here we introduce Alps Alpine's efforts to improve linearity characteristics of its resistive position sensors and some products in our lineup with particular features, such as long operating life.

Improving Resistive Position Sensor Linearity

Resistive position sensor linearity characteristics are made up of large output undulations and very small output changes (microgradient).
Addressing the contributing factors to these helps improve linearity characteristics.

Output Undulations

Large output undulations occur due to variance in resistor pattern thickness and positional deviation. In the case of rotary sensors, they also occur due to positional deviation of the resistor pattern and the brush's center axis.
Alps Alpine has managed to minimize variance of resistor pattern thickness through improvements to resistor printing and processing technologies over many years.
That variance, if we think of the resistor of the RDC50 Series as a 400-meter running track, would be roughly equivalent to the height of a ping-pong ball.

Features of Alps Alpine Resistive Position Sensors

Very Small Changes in Output (Microgradient)

Microgradient is linearity specified over a very small section. Very small changes in output result from resistor surface roughness and material composition characteristics.
To achieve highly accurate microgradient, improvements need to be made to resistor surface roughness and the material composition of printing ink.
At Alps Alpine, we have improved resistor surface smoothness by optimizing conditions in the resistor printing process, and we have aligned the particle size of conductive material appearing on the resistor surface.
This has realized microgradient of one third of what it was before.

Features of Alps Alpine Resistive Position Sensors

Resistive Position Sensor Lineup

Alps Alpine supplies not only standard linear and rotary types of resistive position sensor, but also products with particular features, such as long-life type.

Long-Life Type (RDC90 Series)

Alps Alpine has developed a resistor with an even smoother, specular surface.
By incorporating this resistor in the RDC90 Series, friction between resistor and brush is reduced further, achieving an operating life of 10 million cycles.

Features of Alps Alpine Resistive Position Sensors

Other products include the RD6R1A Series, with an integrated connector terminal.

Alps Alpine supplies a variety of other sensors, too, besides resistive position sensors.

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