Low-power activation circuit with magnetic motion sensor

• US 9,094,015 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2011
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Motz, Mario
• Primary Examiner(s): PATIDAR, JAY M
• Application Number:
  US13/006,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20120182658A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,656 Days
• Field of Search: 32420711-20726, 324173-174
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/489 Digital circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 17/02 Arrangements in which the value to be measured is automatically compared with a reference value
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/0092 measuring current only all subgroups of G01R19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/0029 Treating the measured signals, e.g. removing offset or noise
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/94 characterised by the way in which the control signals are generated
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9517 using galvanomagnetic devices
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 5/2472 using field effect transistors H03K5/2436 takes precedence

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a method and apparatus to perform a low power activation of a system by measuring the slope of a digital signal corresponding to a motion sensor measurement value. In one embodiment, a low power activation circuit is coupled to magnetic motion sensor configured to output a magnetic signal proportional to a measured magnetic field. The low power activation circuit may comprise a digital tracking circuit configured to provide a digital signal that tracks the magnetic field and a difference detector configured to detect a difference between a current digital signal and a prior digital signal stored in a digital storage means. If the detected difference is larger than a digital reference level, an activation signal is output to awaken a system from a sleep mode.

Claims

1. A circuit, comprising:

a motion sensor element configured to output a motion sensor output signal corresponding to a detected motion to a digital difference detection circuit;

wherein the digital difference detection circuit comprises;

a digital measurement element configured to track the motion sensor output signal and generate a digital signal;

a digital storage element configured to store one or more previous digital signals corresponding to the motion sensor output signal generated over time; and

a difference detector configured to detect a difference between a current digital signal and the previous digital signals, wherein if the difference is larger than a digital reference level the difference detector causes an activation signal generator to generate an activation signal that awakens a system from a sleep mode; and

a bi-phase operating element configured to enable the difference detector to operate according to an operating phase during which the difference detector measures the difference, and a low power standby phase during which the difference detector is unpowered.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the digital measurement element comprises an analog-to-digital converter configured to track the motion sensor output signal by converting the motion sensor output signal to a digital signal which corresponds to the sensed motion.

3. The circuit of claim 2,

wherein the operating phase has a first current consumption, during which the analog-to-digital converter tracks the motion sensor output signal and the difference detector measures the change in the motion sensor output signal;

and

wherein during the low power standby phase the analog-to-digital converter and the difference detector are unpowered.

4. The circuit of claim 2, further comprising:

one or more switches disposed between the motion sensor element and the digital difference detection circuit, the one or more switches configured to operate at a frequency that provides a first chopping signal comprising an offset and a second chopping signal comprising the offset,

wherein the digital difference detection circuit is configured to cancel the offset by building a modulated digital signal from the first and second chopping signals.

5. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the difference detector is configured to detect the difference in the digital signal by comparing digital signal values at different times to measure a change in digital signal magnitude, wherein if the change in digital signal magnitude is greater than the digital reference level then the activation signal generator generates the activation signal.

6. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the difference detector is configured to detect the difference in the digital signal by detecting a continual upward change for a time or a continual downward change for a time, wherein if the time of the continual change is greater than the digital reference level then the activation signal generator generates the activation signal.

7. An activation circuit, comprising:

a magnetic motion sensor configured to output a magnetic signal proportional to a measured magnetic field;

a digital difference detection circuit, comprising;

an analog-to-digital converter configured to receive the magnetic signal and to track the measured magnetic field by converting the magnetic signal to a digital signal which corresponds to the measured magnetic field;

a difference detector configured to measure a difference by detecting a continual upward or downward change for a time, wherein if the time of the continual upward or downward change is larger than a digital reference level the difference detection circuit causes an activation signal generator to generate an activation signal that awakens a system from a sleep.

8. The activation circuit of claim 7, wherein after a system is activated, the digital signal that is output from the analog-to-digital converter or the difference that is output of the difference detector is output to the system.

9. The activation circuit of claim 7, further comprising an offset compensation circuit located between the analog-to-digital converter and the difference detector, and configured to remove the offset of the magnetic signal such that the difference detector compares a first offset compensated signal with second offset compensated signal.

10. The activation circuit of claim 9, further comprising one or more switches disposed between the magnetic motion sensor and the analog-to-digital converter, the one or more switches configured to be selectively operated at a chopping frequency that enables a current spinning method to provide a first chopping signal comprising an offset and a second chopping signal comprising the offset,

wherein the digital difference detection circuit is configured to cancel the offset by building a modulated digital signal from the first and second chopping signals.

11. The activation circuit of claim 9, further comprising:

an ultra low power oscillator configured to operate as a clock for the activation circuit in a standby phase; and

a fast oscillator configured to drive the analog-to-digital converter, the offset compensation circuit, and the difference detector, in an operating phase.

12. The activation circuit of claim 7, wherein operation of the difference detector is initialized from a system external to the activation circuit or by achieving a stable digital signal.

13. The activation circuit of claim 7, further comprising one or more high voltage protection circuits configured to reject high voltages or reverse battery voltages.

14. The activation circuit of claim 13, wherein the one or more high voltage protection circuits respectively comprise a depletion-MOS transistor or a JFET transistor that provides a low-voltage supply voltage at minimum supply current for an ultra low-power oscillator and a latch and a digital storage element.

15. The activation circuit of claim 7, wherein the digital reference level is provided to the activation circuit from an apparatus external to the activation circuit.

16. The activation circuit of claim 7, further comprising:

an offset compensation circuit configured to remove the offset of the magnetic signal such that the difference detector compares a first offset compensated signal with second offset compensated signal.

17. A method for activating a system from a sleep mode, comprising:

generating a current digital signal proportional to a current magnetic field measured by a magnetic motion sensor;

performing offset compensation to remove a non-zero offset present in the current digital signal in an absence of a magnetic field, by calculating a difference between offset values of the magnetic motion sensor, and generating a chopping signal having a modulated amplitude which is based upon the difference between offset values;

detecting a difference between a current offset compensated digital signal and a previous offset compensated digital signal proportional to a previous magnetic field previously measured by the magnetic motion sensor and stored in a digital storage element; and

comparing the detected difference to a digital reference level, wherein if the difference is larger than the digital reference level an activation signal awakens a system from a sleep mode.