June 5, 2026, Tessendloë-Ham, Belgium – Melexis, a global microelectronics engineering company, today announced the MLX92344, a highly flexible PCB-free solution enabling contactless sensing at up to four positions without the need for bulky microswitches. The device introduces fully programmable current output and magnetic thresholds while ensuring backward compatibility via two wires. This innovation will drive the development of next-generation automotive body electronics, with applications ranging from seat rail positioning and smooth door closing to miniaturization of multi-position front trunk locks.
Automotive body electronics are increasingly demanding reliable position sensing, especially in safety-critical functions such as seat rail position monitoring, electronic front trunk locks, human-machine interface (HMI) control buttons, and charging ports. Traditional mechanical microswitch solutions typically require multiple switches to detect intermediate positions, increasing system complexity, wiring requirements, and potential reliability issues. Meanwhile, evolving safety standards and increasing vehicle automation are driving designers towards more integrated and robust sensing solutions while maintaining compatibility with existing ECUs.
The MLX92344 addresses this challenge with its industry-first dual programmable architecture. Engineers can directly assign the output current to the device's magnetic operating point (BOP1, BOP2) and release point (BRP1, BRP2) thresholds as needed, with temperature compensation for neodymium or ferrite magnets. Designers can configure up to four different currents (typically 5mA, 10mA, 15mA, and 20mA) within a range of 3mA to 28mA, enabling the device to emulate a standard microswitch interface while maintaining compatibility with existing hardware and ECUs. The device can be read via standard I/O triggers or an ADC, and designers only need to adjust the software readings to achieve compatibility.
The MLX92344 operates from 2.7V to 28V (maximum rating for 32V truck applications) and from -40°C to +150°C, meeting automotive-grade temperature requirements. It conforms to ASIL B SEooC standards and is AEC-Q100 certified, available in TSOT23-3L surface mount and TO92-3L (UA) packages. It also exhibits excellent electrostatic discharge (ESD) robustness, supporting 8kV human body model (HBM) and 15kV system-level ESD, ensuring reliable operation in harsh automotive environments.
Device parameters (including switching threshold, current output, diagnostic behavior, and number of output states) are configurable via on-chip non-volatile memory, allowing the MLX92344 to be optimized for different magnet geometries, mechanical tolerances, and system architectures. End-of-line programming (EoL) allows engineers to eliminate mechanical tolerances during assembly, resulting in extremely high inspection accuracy. Some part numbers of the MLX92344 also offer IMC technology, enabling the detection of lateral magnetic field components and providing greater flexibility in magnet placement and mechanical design.
Addressing New Safety Requirements
Seat rail position sensing is a critical application, and accurate seat position detection is essential for occupant safety systems. Newer safety standards require vehicles to detect three seat positions instead of two to ensure airbags are deployed appropriately based on the driver's distance from the steering wheel. The MLX92344 detects three positions with a single device and a two-wire interface without the need for additional mechanical microswitches, reducing the wiring complexity of seat systems—where wiring harnesses are often quite long and large.
As the automotive industry moves towards higher levels of autonomous driving (where occupants may use different seat configurations), seat position monitoring will become even more critical. The same need exists for detecting the extension and retraction of the steering column relative to the driver and seat.
In addition to seat systems, the MLX92344 simplifies the design of electronic lock (e-latch) mechanisms for doors, hoods, and trunks by replacing multiple mechanical microswitches with a single contactless device. In soft-closing mechanisms, detecting four mechanical states is particularly important—the door or trunk will automatically close after reaching the intermediate half-lock position. Furthermore, the device can detect fully open, half-lock, fully locked, and over-push states, comprehensively mapping the entire movement process.
The device also supports electric vehicle charging port monitoring, detecting the position of the charging port cover or connector mechanism, not only providing safety assurance for high-voltage charging but also adding comfort features such as push-to-open. Other applications include automatic transmission levers, parking locks, disconnect devices, and seatbelt buckles.
Minko Daskalov, Product Line Director at Melexico, stated, “With this programmable architecture, we provide automotive engineers with a smarter solution to replace multiple mechanical microswitches while meeting increasingly stringent safety requirements. By combining configurable current output with magnetic switch thresholds, the MLX92344 enables engineers to design smaller, safer, and more flexible vehicle electronics systems.”