Using Solenoids to Make Vehicles Safer
Customer Problem
An automotive OEM wanted to add an infrared camera to a forward collision warning (FCW) system. The camera would detect the heat signatures from pedestrians or other obstacles in front of the vehicle. To ensure accuracy, the camera would need periodic calibration. The OEM needed a small, circuit-board-mountable actuator that could block the lens with a small flag so that the camera could be calibrated against a known color and texture.
The TLX Solution
TLX designed a miniature circuit-board-mountable latching solenoid for the OEM. Latching technology was chosen because a continuous duty design could cause the coil to overheat while holding the flag over the lens during calibration. The latching design used only a short pulse of current to actuate and drew no current to maintain state. This kept the coil cool. The solenoid included a rotating actuator for the flag with an angular range of 40 degrees.
Miniature Latching Solenoid
- Angular range
- 40°
- Latching force
- 0.834 N
- Response time
- < 30 ms
- Supply voltage
- 12 Vdc
- Operating temperature range
- -40°C to 60°C (-40°F to 140°F)
- Coil resistance at 20°C
- 8 Ω ± 0.04 Ω
- Durability
- > 10M cycles
- Duty rating (%ED)
- 10%
Every TLX solution is custom engineered to meet the requirements of its application. Technical specifications shown on this website are intended to illustrate typical performance and design characteristics.
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