Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) recently announced that it has developed compact metal corrosion sensor scaled to be mounted on printed circuit boards. This marks the first time that such a corrosion sensor has been produced for the automotive market, according to Mitsubishi research.
The automaker’s proprietary metal corrosion monitoring technology deploys multiple sensors with varying levels of corrosion resistance. By stages, these sensors detect the degree of corrosion caused by corrosive gases such as sulfur compounds.
Measuring at 0.062 in (1.6 mm) by 0.031 (0.8 mm), the sensor has a simple structure that incorporates a thin metal film and resistors, thereby eliminating the need for additional measuring instruments. The sensor works by measuring the increase in electrical resistance within the corrosion sensors, which can be adjusted by the changing the composition and thickness of their metal content.
Because sensors are deployed in stages as dictated by the degree of corrosion within the vehicle, equipment failure is prevented. For instance, the sensor gauges the corrosion progress of rust by measuring its electrical resistance, which is tens of thousands of times higher than that of metal.
Mitsubishi plans on deploying its metal corrosion sensor technology across its industrial equipment platform, although the company has not, as of this writing, announced a deployment date.
Source: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, www.mitsubishielectric.com