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Article Excerpt
Through its global network of companies, TT Electronics plc (Weybridge, Surrey, England, ++44-1932-841310(www.ttelectronics.com) stands as a major supplier of a wide range of sensors, systems, and electronic components for a broad scope of applications, including automotive, telecommunications, computing/data transmission, avionics, and industrial (including power generation and power transmission) applications. TT Electronics' products are reportedly fitted to over 50% of vehicles manufactured in Europe, and an increasing percentage of those manufactured in North America.
TT Electronics' stable of companies supply a broad range of automotive sensors for measuring such parameters as position or angle (via contact or non-contact sensing technology), temperature, or rotational speed. Dean Fisher, automotive business development director, sensors & systems, explained that key automotive sensor applications for TT Electronics' North American-based businesses include steering angle sensors, chassis height position sensors, and camshaft and crankshaft sensors. Moreover, he noted that, in Europe, TT Electronics is finding opportunities in providing value-added sensing modules and assemblies for such applications as pedal position sensing (where a Hall effect sensor is used in the module/assembly). They are, moreover, finding growth opportunities in Europe for fiber-optic devices for communications within the vehicle.
In addition to providing sensors based on well-established sensing technologies for well-established automotive sensor applications (such as, for example, throttle position sensing, camshaft/crankshaft sensing, mass air flow sensing, EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) valve position sensing), TT Electronics companies strive to be proactive and to offer sensors that incorporate innovative technology which could benefit established or emerging applications, such as low-cost inductive non-contact position sensors for a variety of position sensing applications.
Last March, TT Electronics reported they had acquired Sensopad Technologies Ltd. (Cambridge, England) from The Generics Group AG, thereby purchasing the rights to exploit Sensopad's patented, innovative, non-contact inductive position sensing and identification technology within the automotive market. Sensors using Sensopad technology can be produced at low cost; and Sensopad technology is suitable for diverse automotive applications, including position sensors for braking, suspension, steering, transmission, or exhaust gas recirculation.
Among the inductive sensing technologies developed by Sensopad, its "passive position" sensing technology has the greatest commercial potential, TT Electronics has noted. Such technology uses a small, low-cost target (or "puck") is embedded in an object so that its position and identity can be measured by a nearby PC board. The technology can purportedly allow product engineers to bypass traditional electrical and mechanical engineering design constraints, such as environmental seals or tight manufacturing tolerances, to fulfill product requirements.
Key European-based companies within the TT Electronics group that provide automotive sensors include AB Elektronik GmbH (Werne, Germany)(provides customer-specific products, including dimmer and headlight leveling control, rotational speed sensors, accelerator pedal, temperature (e.g. water temperature, indoor temperature), angle sensors, seat position sensors, throttle position sensors, camshaft/crankshaft sensors, gearshift position sensors, multi-function control systems, etc.); and AB Electronic Ltd. (Romford, England)(position sensors for throttle valve control, transmission, pedal, chassis, electronic throttle control, steering, based on thick-film potentiometric sensing technology, Hall effect, or capacitive sensing technology).
Moreover, AB Automotive, Inc. (Smithfield, NC), which makes sensor products for the North American automotive market that use technology from affiliated European companies, is a significant member of the TT Electronics group. AB Automotive, Inc. manufacturers chassis height position sensors for suspension and headlight leveling applications. Other targeted sensor applications include throttle valve position, pedal position, EGR valve position, and similar linear or rotary position sensing applications.
Key North-American based companies within the TT Electronics rubric that make sensors for use in automotive applications include Optek Technology (Carrollton, TX, 972-323-2200)(www.optekinc.com), BI Technologies (Fullerton, CA, 714-447-2345)(www.bitechnologies.com), and International Resistive Company, Inc. /Advanced Film Division (IRC/AFD, Corpus Christi, TX, 361-992-7900)(www.irctt.com).
Optek Technology, acquired by TT Electronics from the Dyson-Kissner-Moran Corporation...
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