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MTS SENSORS ENHANCES THEIR COMMERCIAL LEVEL SENSING AND POSITION SENSING PRODUCT PORTFOLIO.

Article Excerpt
Exploiting opportunities for leveraging its infrastructure to cost-effectively manufacture sensors for commercial applications, MTS Sensors Division (Cary, NC, 919-677-0100)(www.mts.com) has introduced two new sensor offerings for automotive and additional (including consumer and professional) applications: SEF (shaped electromagnetic field) continuous fluid level sensing technology; and the CSPR magnetostrictive position sensors, with a small footprint and remote electronics.

MTS' patented SEF technology extends the company's sensing technology portfolio beyond their well-established Temposonics non-contact linear magnetostrictive displacement technology used in MTS' position sensors and level transmitters and gauges. Jesse Russell, commercial products manager at MTS Sensors, noted that SEF-based fluid level sensors provide key benefits over resistive float and arm devices, which typically use a resistive ceramic fuel card, float and arm, and pivot contacts. The float and pivot arm devices are subject to mechanical wear and are more cumbersome and are difficult to implement in space-confined areas than SEF-based sensors.

MTS notes that SEF technology provides improved linearity, enhanced accuracy, and is considerably less intrusive than conventional resistive float and arm fluid level sensors. SEF-based sensors also are not sensitive to the resistivity of the measured fluid; and are not prone to malfunction due to EMI (electromagnetic interference), the presence of objects outside the measured fluid, or temperature variation. SEF-based sensors--which can provide an absolute measurement, a resolution of one tenth millimeter or better, and a non-linearity of 1% or better--are designed to be cost-competitive in volume quantities with resistive float and pivot arm devices.

The SEF liquid level sensor measures that the effects of measured fluids (usually electrical insulators) on a surface electromagnetic wave. The sensor responds to the dielectric constant (or permittivity) of the measured liquid. The higher the dielectric constant, the slower the signal (electromagnetic field) will travel.

The SEF sensing element is a metal pattern mounted on a substrate (comprised of a dielectric material). The metal pattern controls the shape of the surface electromagnetic wave. The velocity of the surface electromagnetic wave will vary, due to changes in the field distribution that occur when a dielectric liquid is present within the sensing element's electric field. The variation in the surface electromagnetic wave's velocity is measured to indicate the level of...

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