TI debuts new approach to current sensing for unprecedented accuracy in HEV and EV traction inverter designs
Innovative multiaxial sensing architecture achieves 20 times greater accuracy than single-axis, coreless alternatives, driving more compact and efficient traction inverter systems
When mounted inside the traction inverter, TI’s TMCS2100-Q1 multiaxial coreless Hall-effect current sensor enables more efficient, longer-range and more enjoyable driving experiences for HEVs and EVs.
What’s new?
Texas Instruments (TI) today introduced the industry’s first multiaxial coreless Hall-effect current sensor designed for all hybrid electric vehicle and electric vehicle (HEV/EV) traction inverter applications. The TMCS2100-Q1 sensor offers a first-of-its-kind approach to current sensing through the combination of multiaxial measurement and a proprietary algorithm, eliminating the trade-off between precision and system size in traction inverter designs.
While existing coreless solutions are limited to single-axis measurements, the TMCS2100-Q1 sensor is the first to measure magnetic fields in both horizontal and vertical directions. This multiaxial measurement is 20 times more accurate than single-axis alternatives, achieving displacement error of less than 1% at 0.4mm movement and as low as 0.25% at 0.1mm. This level of precision improves the EV powertrain torque control loop, maximizing efficiency and power delivery across varying load and thermal conditions.
“For the first time, engineers have a Hall-effect current sensor that breaks through the limitations of existing solutions, which is especially critical as 800V architectures raise the bar for traction inverter accuracy," said Jason Cole, vice president and general manager, Sensing Products at TI. "Leveraging advanced research from TI’s Kilby Labs – our advanced R&D engine – the TMCS2100-Q1 was developed to give automakers a tool to build HEVs and EVs where tighter current measurement translates directly into longer range, smoother ride quality and more efficient motor control.”
Why does it matter?
Automakers are continuously looking to make traction inverters lighter and more efficient to extend driving range and enhance vehicle performance. Traditional measurement approaches present designers with a fundamental trade-off:
- Solutions with a magnetic core – or C-core implementations – deliver accuracy but add size and weight.
- Coreless alternatives are smaller but compromise precision due to displacement error and magnetic crosstalk.
TI’s current sensing technology addresses this trade-off by:
- Measuring both axes simultaneously: vibration during vehicle operation creates movement between the sensor and conductor, causing single-axis, differential coreless sensors to lose accuracy. The TMCS2100-Q1 sensor significantly reduces vibration-induced error by measuring magnetic fields in both horizontal and vertical axes at once.
- Maintaining accuracy: reducing error and maintaining accurate current measurement minimizes magnetic crosstalk influence and torque ripple, a cause of jerky acceleration, motor noise and inefficient operation that reduces range.
By eliminating the magnetic core without sacrificing precision, the TMCS2100-Q1 sensor enables smaller, more power-dense traction inverter designs, helping automakers build EVs that are more efficient, longer-range and more enjoyable to drive. This device is the latest innovation in TI’s automotive portfolio, demonstrating our continued investment in addressing customer challenges throughout the entire vehicle.
For more information, read the technical article, “Smooth operators: How multiaxial Hall-effect current sensors deliver precise torque control.”
More details
- Hall-effect current sensors detect the magnetic field emitted from electrical current through a busbar, which typically connects the traction inverter to the motor.
- Existing differential coreless sensors require busbar modifications such as notches, slices or holes that can complicate thermal management.
- With multiaxial sensors positioned relative to the busbar, TI’s TMCS2100-Q1 sensor offers an innovative approach requiring no busbar modifications. This multisensor architecture allows designers to more easily adapt to mechanical configurations and optimize board space, reducing overall traction inverter size.
Availability
Production quantities of the TMCS2100-Q1 Hall-effect current sensor are now available upon request at TI.com. The following resources are also available:
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Accuracy vs. single-axis alternatives | 20× greater |
| Displacement error at 0.4mm movement | |
| Displacement error at 0.1mm movement | 0.25% |
FAQs
What is multiaxial coreless Hall-effect sensing?
TI’s TMCS2100-Q1 is the industry's first multiaxial coreless Hall-effect current sensor for EV and hybrid traction inverter applications. By measuring magnetic fields in both horizontal and vertical directions simultaneously, it achieves less than 1% displacement error at 0.4mm movement. This level of precision, along with its coreless architecture, improves torque control, maximizes efficiency and extends driving range. It's especially significant as 800V architectures raise accuracy demands for next-generation traction inverters.
What does TI's multiaxial coreless Hall-effect sensor solve?
How is multiaxial coreless Hall-effect sensing different from existing coreless current-sensing solutions?
Existing single-axis coreless alternatives measure magnetic fields along only a single axis and require bus-bar modifications such as notches, slices or holes. The TMCS2100-Q1 measures both the horizontal and vertical magnetic field components simultaneously without any bus-bar modifications, making it 20 times more accurate than existing coreless solutions while enabling increased design flexibility.
This approach:
- Achieves less than 1% displacement error at 0.4mm movement and as low as 0.25% displacement error at 0.1mm movement.
- Minimizes magnetic crosstalk between motor phases for cleaner, more accurate current measurements.
What are the benefits of using multiaxial coreless Hall-effect sensing?
- Automakers can build lighter, more compact traction inverter systems without sacrificing accuracy, leading to longer EV range and improved efficiency.
- Engineers can optimize board space because the sensor eliminates the need for bus-bar modifications, simplifying thermal design.
- Drivers experience smoother acceleration, reduced motor noise and extended driving range through more precise motor torque control.
About Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated (Nasdaq: TXN) is a global semiconductor company that designs, manufactures and sells analog and embedded processing chips for markets such as industrial, automotive, data center, personal electronics and communications equipment. At our core, we have a passion to create a better world by making electronics more affordable through semiconductors. This passion is alive today as each generation of innovation builds upon the last to make our technology more reliable, more affordable and lower power, making it possible for semiconductors to go into electronics everywhere. Learn more at TI.com.