Hall effect measurement instrument with temperature compensation

• US 9,063,174 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2013
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Evident Scientific Incorporated (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Scientific Solutions Americas Incorporated (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Thomas, Andrew, Besser, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): LEDYNH, BOT L
• Application Number:
  US14/077,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20140132254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: 324/225
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/10 using magnetic means, e.g. by measuring change of reluctance
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 3/0365 the undesired influence being measured using a separate sensor, which produces an influence related signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/142 using Hall-effect devices measuring magnetic variables using Hall-effect or other galvanomagnetic devices G01R33/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/44 Modifications of instruments for temperature compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/0035 Calibration of single magnetic sensors, e.g. integrated calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/0082 Compensation, e.g. compensating for temperature changes
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/072 Constructional adaptation of the sensor to specific applications

Abstract

Disclosed is a Hall Effect instrument with the capability of compensating for temperature drift consistently, accurately and in real time of operation. The instrument embodies a four-point ohm meter circuit measuring Hall Effect sensor resistance and tracking the effect of temperature on the Hall Effect sensor. The instrument takes into account a relationship between the temperature and a temperature compensation index on a per probe basis, which has exhibited a deterministic difference observed by the present inventor.

Claims

1. An instrument measuring Hall Effect of at least one Hall sensor magnetically coupled with a target during a measurement session, comprising:

a probe including the Hall sensor, a magnetic field source and a temperature sensor configured to provide a probe temperature reading on or at a very close proximity of the magnetic field source;

a data processing and display console coupled with the probe at a predetermined distance with an electronic coupling means, the console further comprising,

a Hall Effect measurement circuit connected with the Hall sensor via the coupling means, the Hall Effect measurement circuitry further including at least partially a Four-Wire Ohm Meter circuit, which captures at least two pairs of differential signals from the Hall Effect sensor,

a data acquisition and processing module configured to receive signals from the Hall Effect measurement circuit and provide at least two pairs of uncompensated raw based on the differential signals;

a temperature compensation module configured to compute based on the at least two pairs of uncompensated raw data and the temperature reading and a probe slope associated with the probe to produce a temperature compensation index;

a measurement conversion module configured to provide a corrected Hall Effect measurement data by correcting the raw signal data using information corresponding to the temperature compensation index.

2. The instrument of claim 1 further comprises an electronic erasable memory for storing specific information in the probe.

3. The instrument of claim 1 is configured to measure thickness according to the strength of the Hall Effect measurement.

4. The instrument of claim 1, wherein the compensation index is a result of dynamically compensating the Hall Effect measurement of the probe with the temperature change in the Hall sensor and/or at the magnetic source.

5. The instrument of claim 1, wherein the two pairs of the uncompensated raw data, including raw Hall Effect Sense Voltage, V_SNS—

_R and raw Hall Effect Monitor Voltage, V<sub>MON—

R</sub>, respectively, wherein V<sub>SNS—

R</sub> and V<sub>MON—

R</sub> is each fed to the data acquisition and processing module.

6. The instrument of claim 5 wherein the data acquisition and processing module further comprises a data acquisition module and a signal processing module, wherein the signal processing module producing Hall Effect filtered digital sense voltage V_SNS—

_R from the V<sub>SNS—

R</sub> and filtered digital monitor voltage V<sub>MON—

F</sub> from the V<sub>MON—

R</sub>.

7. The instrument of claim 6 wherein the temperature compensation module further comprises a probe parameter temperature compensation module producing a first compensating factor V_COMP—

_P, a probe slope temperature compensation module producing a second compensation factor V<sub>COMP—

S</sub> and a probe temperature compensation index calculation module producing a temperature compensation index V_COMP.

8. The instrument of claim 7, wherein the Hall Effect measurement circuitry further comprises a voltage source providing substantially constant current source I_SRC to the Four-Wire Ohm Meter circuit.

9. The instrument of claim 8, wherein the probe parameter temperature compensation module further comprises probe parameter temperature compensation calculator producing the factor V_COMP—

_P substantially according to the following;

V<sub>COMP—

P</sub>=V<sub>SNS—

F</sub>+V<sub>MON—

F</sub>*(α

+V<sub>SNS—

F</sub>*β

)+Tmag(γ

+V<sub>SNS—

F</sub>*δ

) 

 

Eq. 1

wherein, Tmag is the temperature from the Temperature Sensor.

10. The instrument of claim 9, wherein α

, β

, γ and

δ

are obtained according to Eq. 1, and empirical data from conducting experiments on the probe of each probe type, yielding readings of the V<sub>SNS—

F</sub>, V<sub>MON—

F</sub>, I_SRC from the corresponding Four-Wire ohmmeter and the temperature reading, T_mag for the probe.

11. The instrument of claim 7, wherein the Hall Effect measurement circuitry further comprises a voltage source and a voltage source current stability monitoring circuit, providing a raw voltage differential data V_IMON—

_R factored by the current monitoring circuit, wherein V<sub>IMON—

R</sub> is further provided to the data acquisition and processing module.

12. The instrument of claim 11, wherein the signal processing module further provides a filtered differential voltage data V_IMON—

_P factored by the current monitoring circuit, based on the Hall Effect measurement value of raw voltage V<sub>IMON—

R</sub>.

13. The instrument of claim 12, wherein the probe parameter temperature compensation module further comprises an a probe parameter temperature compensation calculator producing the factor V_COMP—

_P substantially according to the following;

V<sub>COMP—

P</sub>=(((V<sub>SNS—

F</sub>)+((V<sub>MON—

F</sub>−

V<sub>IMON—

F</sub>)*A)+(((V<sub>MON—

F</sub>−

V<sub>IMON—

F</sub>)*(V<sub>SNS—

F</sub>)*B)/(V<sub>IMON—

F</sub>))+((Tmag−

22)*(V<sub>IMON—

F</sub>)*C)+((Tmag−

22)*(V<sub>SNS—

F</sub>)*D))/(V<sub>IMON—

F</sub>)), 

 

Eq. 2

wherein A, B, C and D are all coefficient accounting for manufacturing tolerances of the probe and the Hall Effect sensor.

14. The instrument of claim 13, wherein A, B, C and D are obtained according to Eq. 1, and empirical data from conducting experiments on the probe of each probe type, yielding readings of the V_SNS—

_F, V<sub>MON—

F</sub>, V<sub>IMON—

F</sub> from the corresponding Four-Wire ohmmeter and the temperature reading, T_mag for the probe.

15. The instrument of claim 7 wherein the probe parameter temperature compensation module further comprises a probe slope temperature compensation calculator producing the factor V_COMP—

_S according to a probe slope derived according to experimental data collected on the probe,

V<sub>COMP—

S</sub>=Probe Slope*(Tmag−

Reference Temperature) 

 

Eq. 3

wherein Tmag is the temperature reading.

16. The instrument of claim 15, wherein the probe slope is stored in the electronic erasable memory.

17. The instrument of claim 7, wherein the temperature compensation index calculation module calculates the temperature compensation index, deriving from the first compensation factor V_COMP—

_P and the second compensation factor V<sub>COMP—

S</sub> according to

Temperature Compensation Index V_COMP=V<sub>COMP—

P</sub>−

V<sub>COMP—

S</sub> 

 

Eq. 4.

18. The instrument of claim 17, wherein the measurement conversion module is configured to produce the corrected Hall Effect measurement data based on the temperature compensation index V_COMP for the probe and the target.