Method of sensing sliding by hall sensor and sensing system using the same

• US 10,175,063 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2017
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magnachip Semiconductor Limited (Magnachip Semiconductor)
• Original Assignee: Magnachip Semiconductor Limited (Magnachip Semiconductor)
• Inventors: Park, Seung-hwan, Jin, Hyung-nam
• Primary Examiner(s): Hollington, Jermele M
• Application Number:
  US15/432,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20170167892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/003 for measuring position, not involving coordinate determination coordinate measuring G01B7/004
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/14 for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures G01B7/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/145 influenced by the relative movement between the Hall device and magnetic fields see G01R33/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/07 Hall effect devices

Abstract

A method of sensing a sliding by a sensor including grouping one or more Hall elements into one or more groups, measuring magnetic field strength generated by a magnetic field source, and comparing the magnetic field strength at the one or more Hall elements to determine whether a horizontal sliding occurs.

Claims

1. A sensing device for sensing a horizontal sliding of a cover on a body, comprising:

a magnetic field source on the cover; and

a Hall sensor in the body comprising a first Hall element and a second Hall element, wherein the first Hall element and the second Hall element are configured to detect a magnetic field strength generated by the magnetic field source on the cover and produce a first magnetic field strength and a second magnetic field strength, respectively, and

wherein the Hall sensor further comprises;

a similarity measurement unit configured to measure a ratio of the first magnetic field strength and the second magnetic field strength to produce a similarity value; and

a standard deviation measurement unit configured to measure a standard deviation of the first magnetic field strength and the second magnetic field strength to produce a standard deviation value,

a checking unit configured to check whether a threshold of one of the similarity value and the standard deviation value is satisfied, and

a determination unit configured to determine an occurrence of a horizontal sliding of the cover on a surface of the body comprising the Hall elements based on a result of the check.

2. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein, for the determining of the occurrence of the horizontal sliding, the determination unit is further configured to determine that the horizontal sliding of the cover does not occur in response to the similarity value and the standard deviation value satisfying the threshold.

3. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein, for the determining of the occurrence of the horizontal sliding, the determination unit is further configured to determine that the horizontal sliding of the cover occurs in response to one of the similarity value and the standard deviation value not satisfying the threshold.

4. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the threshold of the similarity value ranges from about 0.5 to about 1.5.

5. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the threshold of the standard deviation value ranges from about 0 to about 0.5.

6. A device for sensing a horizontal sliding of a cover on a body, comprising:

a magnetic field source on the cover; and

a Hall sensor comprising Hall elements arranged on the body, wherein each of the Hall elements is configured to detect a magnetic field strength generated by the magnetic field source on the cover and produce Hall voltages data-based on the magnetic field strength, and

wherein the Hall sensor is configured to;

group the Hall elements into groups; and

determine whether a horizontal sliding of the cover occurs by calculating a ratio of first and second Hall voltages of respective detected magnetic field strengths of Hall elements in one of the groups and comparing the ratio with a threshold.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein, for the determining of whether the horizontal sliding of the cover occurs, the Hall sensor is configured to determine whether a horizontal sliding of the cover occurs by comparing a standard deviation of the Hall voltages based on the magnetic field strengths of Hall elements in the one group with a standard deviation threshold.

8. A sensing device comprising:

a first body;

first and second Hall elements disposed on the first body wherein the first Hall element is displaced in the first direction from the second Hall element; and

a magnetic field source disposed on a second body wherein the magnetic field source is configured to generate a magnetic field;

wherein the sensing device is configured to measure the magnetic field at each of the first and second Hall elements, and compare a strength of the magnetic field measured at the first Hall element to a strength of the magnetic field measured at the second Hall element, and determine whether the second body moves in the first direction relative to the first body.

9. The sensing device of claim 8, further comprising:

a third Hall element and a fourth Hall element disposed on the first body, wherein the third Hall element is displaced from the fourth Hall element in the first direction.

10. The sensing device of claim 8, wherein the first body comprises a terminal comprising a sensor chip.