Hall sensors and sensing methods
First Claim
1. A sensor device comprising:
- at least one sensor element configured to sense a physical characteristic and comprising three contacts; and
sensor circuitry coupled to the at least one sensor element and configured to operate the at least one sensor element in a plurality of operating phases such that in each operating phase a supply current is injected into one of the three contacts as a supply contact and a potential is measured at a second of the three contacts as a signal contact, each operating phase having a first arrangement of the three contacts as supply contact and signal contact and having a corresponding operating phase in which a second arrangement of the three contacts is reversed ones of the three contacts as the supply contact and the signal contact as compared with the first arrangement, and an output of the sensor device is a combination of the potentials measured at the signal contacts in the plurality of operating phases, wherein the plurality comprises each operating phase and the corresponding operating phase.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Embodiments relate to multi-contact sensor devices and operating methods thereof that can reduce or eliminate offset error. In embodiments, sensor devices can comprise three or more contacts, and multiple sensor devices can be combined. The sensor devices can comprise Hall sensor devices, such as vertical Hall devices, or other sensor types. Operating modes can be implemented for the multi-contact sensor devices which offer significant modifications of and improvements over conventional spinning current principles. In a first operating mode, the sensor is supplied with the same input current in all operating phases, with the output voltages of all operating cycles sensed and processed. In another operating mode, the sensor device is supplied with the same input voltage in all operating phases, the sense terminals are forced to constant potentials, and the currents flowing into or out of the sense terminals are sensed and processed.
39 Citations
34 Claims
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1. A sensor device comprising:
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at least one sensor element configured to sense a physical characteristic and comprising three contacts; and sensor circuitry coupled to the at least one sensor element and configured to operate the at least one sensor element in a plurality of operating phases such that in each operating phase a supply current is injected into one of the three contacts as a supply contact and a potential is measured at a second of the three contacts as a signal contact, each operating phase having a first arrangement of the three contacts as supply contact and signal contact and having a corresponding operating phase in which a second arrangement of the three contacts is reversed ones of the three contacts as the supply contact and the signal contact as compared with the first arrangement, and an output of the sensor device is a combination of the potentials measured at the signal contacts in the plurality of operating phases, wherein the plurality comprises each operating phase and the corresponding operating phase. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A sensor device comprising:
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at least one sensor element configured to sense a physical characteristic and comprising three contacts; and sensor circuitry coupled to the at least one sensor element and configured to operate the at least one sensor element in a plurality of operating phases such that in each operating phase first and second supply potentials are applied respectively to two of the three contacts as supply contacts and one of the supply potentials is applied to a third of the three contacts as a signal contact, a current at the third of the three contacts is measured, and an output of the sensor device is a combination of the current measured at the signal contact in each of the plurality of operating phases. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A sensor device comprising:
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at least one sensor element configured to sense a physical characteristic and comprising three contacts; and sensor circuitry coupled to the at least one sensor element and configured to operate the at least one sensor element in a plurality of operating phases such that in each operating phase first and second supply potentials are applied respectively to two of the three contacts as supply contacts and a forced potential that is the same in each of the plurality of operating phases is applied to a third of the three contacts as a signal contact, a current at the third of the three contacts is measured, and an output of the sensor device is a combination of the currents measured at the signal contacts in each of the plurality of operating phases. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification