Sensor system and method for identifying faults related to a substrate

• US 10,289,508 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2016
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Hammerschmidt, Dirk, Rasbornig, Friedrich, Scheibenzuber, Wolfgang, Scherr, Wolfgang, Zettler, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tung X
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hawkins, Dominic
• Application Number:
  US15/002,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20160223610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/007 using microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2829 Testing of circuits in sensor or actuator systems testing of apparatus for measuring electric or magnetic variables G01R35/00; testing of indicating or recording apparatus G01D; in airbag systems B60R21/0173; checking gas analysers G01N33/007; monitoring or fail-safe circuits for electromagnets H01F7/1844
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/22 Detection or location of defective computer hardware by testing during standby operation or during idle time, e.g. start-up testing
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16245 the item being metallic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48247 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49109 outside the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00012 Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 Encapsulation

Abstract

The present disclosure teaches a sensor system comprising at least two sensor elements causing increased reliability of individual sensor signals due to increased diagnostic coverage using diverse signal paths, diverse signal representations of sensor signals, merging of individual sensor signals maintaining independence of individual sensor signals comprised in protocol representations thereof.

Claims

1. A sensor system comprising:

a first sensor element coupled to a first signal path forwarding a first sensor signal,

a second sensor element coupled to a second signal path forwarding a second sensor signal representing a same physical quantity as the first sensor signal;

a first signal processing element configured to provide a first protocol representation of the first sensor signal at a first point in time; and

a second signal processing element configured to provide a second protocol representation of the second sensor signal at a second point in time,

wherein the second point in time is different from the first point in time, and

wherein the first signal path comprises at least one signal path element providing diversity between the first signal path and the second signal path with regards to common cause errors induced by an external parameter to a substrate.

2. The sensor system according to claim 1, wherein a first analog to digital converter (ADC) within the first signal path is implemented diverse to a second ADC within the second signal path.

3. The sensor system according to claim 1,

wherein the first signal processing element is within the first signal path;

and

wherein the second signal processing element is within the second signal path,

the first protocol representation of the first sensor signal being independent from the second protocol representation of the second sensor signal.

4. The sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor system comprises:

a first temperature sensor, and

a second temperature sensor,

the second temperature sensor being diverse to the first temperature sensor in its response to temperature changes.

5. The sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor system comprises:

a first stress sensor, and

a second stress sensor,

the second stress sensor being diverse to the first stress sensor in its response to mechanical stress.

6. The sensor system according to claim 4, wherein the sensor system comprises:

a first stress sensor, and

a second stress sensor,

the second stress sensor being diverse to the first stress sensor in its response to mechanical stress.

7. The sensor system according to claim 6, wherein the first temperature sensor, the second temperature sensor, the first stress sensor, and the second stress sensor are coupled to the second signal path.

8. The sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the second signal processing element is further configured to provide a protocol representation of at least one of a first temperature signal, a second temperature signal, a first stress signal, or a second stress signal.

9. The sensor system according to claim 1,

wherein the first signal processing element is configured to provide a first error correction to the first protocol representation of the first sensor signal, and

wherein the second signal processing element is configured to provide a second error correction to the second protocol representation of the second sensor signal.

10. The sensor system according to claim 9, wherein the first error correction to the first protocol representation of the first sensor signal is independent from the second error correction to the second protocol representation of the second sensor signal.

11. The sensor system according to claim 1,

wherein a merging element is configured to merge the first protocol representation of the first sensor signal and the second protocol representation of the second sensor signal into a merged protocol representation, and

wherein independence of the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal is maintained within the merged protocol representation.

12. The sensor system according to claim 11, wherein the merging element is implemented as a time multiplexing of the first protocol representation of the first sensor signal and the second protocol representation of the second sensor signal.

13. The sensor system according to claim 4, wherein the first temperature sensor has a positive temperature dependence, while the second temperature sensor has a negative temperature dependence.

14. The sensor system according to claim 13, wherein a first temperature dependence for a given temperature range causes a protocol representation of a first temperature range to be distinct from a protocol representation of a second temperature dependence for the given temperature range.

15. The sensor system according to claim 5, wherein the first stress sensor has a first response characteristic, while the second stress sensor has a second response characteristic,

the second response characteristic crossing the first response characteristic over a given stress range at least once.

16. The sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the first sensor element and the second sensor element respond differently to the external parameter.

17. The sensor system according to claim 1,

wherein a first response associated with the first signal path is based on a positive coefficient for a particular type of measurement, and

wherein a second response associated with the second signal path is based on a negative coefficient for the particular type of measurement.

18. The sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the first sensor element is configured to measure an angle of an external rotating magnetic field.

19. The sensor system according to claim 1,

wherein the first sensor element comprises a first quantity of Hall plates,

wherein the second sensor element comprises a second quantity of Hall plates, and

wherein the second quantity of Hall plates is different from the first quantity of Hall plates.

20. The sensor system according to claim 1,

wherein a first digital representation, of a first signal associated with the first signal path, is within a first value range,

wherein a second digital representation, of a second signal associated with second first signal path, is within a second value range, and

wherein the second value range does not overlap with the first value range.