F1 Suspension Rocker Position Sensor

F1 Suspension Rocker Position Sensor

Custom rotary position sensor designed to monitor the rotary movement of the rear suspension rocker on a Formula 1 car.

The sensor monitors up to 45 degrees of rotary movement, with no contact between the sensor and the moving magnet integrated into the rocker.

The product was designed for installation using the existing rocker features to ensure no modification of the rocker itself was necessary. The rockers are in close proximity to the engine and exhausts, so the sensor was designed to withstand up to 125°C temperatures.

  • 0-45° rotary movement
  • Designed for integration without modification to the suspension rocker
  • Timescale to delivery: just 3 weeks

Description

The brief

A Formula 1™ race team approached us to design a rotary rocker position sensor because they needed to monitor the rotary movement of a rear suspension rocker. The sensor had to monitors up to 45 degrees of rotary movement and there could be no contact between the sensor and the target.

The sensor needed to withstand up to 125°C temperatures because the rockers are in close proximity to the engine and exhausts. Reventec has an enviable reputation for developing sensors for top-flight motorsports and we understand the challenges. As a result, we were briefed to design and produce a reliable sensor without modifying the rocker assembly. We had three weeks to design and produce a fully-functional solution.

The project

The suspension rocker position sensor had to operate reliably in the high temperature, high-vibration environment found in F1.

Reventec position sensors use the latest TMR non-contact sensing technology, so they don’t suffer from the same physical wear characteristics of potentiometers or other legacy technologies.

About Reventec

We measure linear, angular and rotary component movement using the latest TMR technology. Our sensors can measure through 40mm of non-ferrous material. This delivers a high level of accuracy and reliability, unmatched by potentiometers or other legacy technologies. Our position sensors are ideal for use in harsh environments because they are solid-state and robust.

Our products provide highly-accurate data and are factory calibrated to a user’s specifications. They are also user-programmable via a simple GUI, supplied free of charge.

Reventec also designs and builds capacitive liquid level sensors and programmable temperature sensing solutions.

We produce a range of standard and customisable sensor configurations and offer a full custom design service.

Reventec customers value our technical expertise and also our fast response times. They typically operate at the cutting edge of:

  • Motorsports
  • Defence manufacturing
  • Industrial automation
  • Automotive industry

Reventec provides design consultancy and one-off / small-batch production runs and we can scale up production to 5000+ pieces, as required.

Additional information

Measurement Type

Sensing Range

0-45°

Temperature Range

-40°C to +125°C

Resolution

12 bit