As is known, sensors are used to perform various functions in a variety of applications. Some sensors include one or more magnetic field sensing elements, such as a Hall effect element or a magnetoresistive element, to sense a magnetic field associated with proximity or motion of a target object, such as a ferromagnetic object in the form of a gear or ring magnet, or to sense a current, as examples. Sensor integrated circuits are widely used in automobile control systems and other safety critical applications. There are a variety of specifications that set forth requirements related to permissible sensor quality levels, failure rates, and overall functional safety.
According to aspects of the disclosure, a sensor is provided comprising: a reference magnetic field generator configured to generate a reference magnetic field that is modulated at a first frequency; a first magnetic field sensing element that is configured to generate a first internal signal that is modulated at a second frequency; a second magnetic field sensing element that is configured to generate a second internal signal that is modulated at the second frequency; a first amplifier configured to receive the first internal signal and output a first amplified signal; a second amplifier configured to receive the second internal signal and output a second amplified signal; a gain adjustment circuit configured to: generate a difference signal by subtracting the first amplified signal from the second amplified signal, demodulate the difference signal at the first frequency and the second frequency to produce a gain adjustment signal, and adjust a gain of at least one of the first amplifier and the second amplifier based on the gain adjustment signal.
According to aspects of the disclosure, a sensor is provided comprising: a first amplifier configured to receive a first internal signal and output a first amplified signal, the first internal signal being generated by a first magnetic field sensing element, the first internal signal being generated, at least in part, in response to a reference magnetic field that is modulated at a first frequency, the first internal signal being modulated at a second frequency; a second amplifier configured to receive a second internal signal and output a second amplified signal, the second internal signal being generated by a second magnetic field sensing element, the second internal signal being generated, at least in part, in response to the reference magnetic field that is modulated at the first frequency, the second internal signal being modulated at the second frequency; a gain adjustment circuit configured to: generate a difference signal by subtracting the first amplified signal from the second amplified signal, demodulate the difference signal at the first frequency and the second frequency to produce a gain adjustment signa, and adjust a gain of at least one of the first amplifier and the second amplifier based on the gain adjustment signal.
According to aspects of the disclosure, a sensor is provided comprising: a first amplifier configured to receive a first internal signal and output a first amplified signal, the first internal signal being generated by a first magnetic field sensing element, the first internal signal being generated, at least in part, in response to a reference magnetic field that is modulated at a first frequency, the first internal signal being modulated at a second frequency; a second amplifier configured to receive a second internal signal and output a second amplified signal, the second internal signal being generated by a second magnetic field sensing element, the second internal signal being generated, at least in part, in response to the reference magnetic field, the second internal signal being modulated at the second frequency; a gain adjustment circuit configured to: generate a difference signal by subtracting the first amplified signal from the second amplified signal, demodulate the difference signal at the first frequency and the second frequency to produce a gain adjustment signal; and a gain code generator that is configured to receive the gain adjustment signal, generate a gain code based on the gain adjustment signal, and adjust a gain of at least one of the first amplifier and the second amplifier.
The foregoing features may be more fully understood from the following description of the drawings in which:
The magnetic field generator 110 may include a first coil 112 and a second coil 114. The first coil 112 may be disposed adjacent to a sensing unit 122A of the first channel 120A. The second coil 114 may be disposed adjacent to a sensing unit 122B of the second channel 120B.
The first channel 120A may include the sensing unit 122A, an amplifier 124A, and a signal processing circuit 126A. The sensing unit 122A may include one or more Hall elements. For example, the sensing unit 122A may include a chopper-stabilized bridge circuit (e.g., a Wheatstone bridge) that is formed of Hall elements. The sensing unit 122A may be configured to generate a signal 123A. The amplifier 124A may be configured to amplify the signal 123A to produce a signal 125A. The signal processing circuit 126A may be configured to process the signal 125A to produce an output signal OUT_1.
The second channel 120B may include a sensing unit 122B, an amplifier 124B, and a signal processing circuit 126B. The sensing unit 122B may include one or more Hall elements. For example, the sensing unit 122B may include a chopper-stabilized bridge circuit (e.g., a Wheatstone bridge) that is formed of Hall elements. The sensing unit 122B may be configured to generate a signal 123B. The amplifier 124B may be configured to amplify the signal 123B to produce a signal 125B. The signal processing circuit 126B may be configured to process the signal 125B to produce an output signal OUT_2.
The gain adjustment circuit 130 may be configured to correct for sensitivity mismatch between the sensing units 122A and 122B by adjusting the gain of at least one of the amplifiers 124A and 124B. More particularly, the gain adjustment circuit 130 may be configured generate a gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ based on a difference of the signals 125A and 125B. The gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be a differential signal having a first component and a second component. The first component of the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be used to adjust the gain of the amplifier 124A and the second component of the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be used to adjust the gain of the amplifier 124B. Although in the present example the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ is a differential signal that is used to adjust the gain of both of amplifiers 124A and 124B, alternative implementations are possible in which the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ is a single-ended signal and/or in which the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ is used to adjust the gain of only one of amplifiers 124A and 124B. In some implementations, the operation of the signal processing circuits 126A and 126B may be staggered with the operation of the magnetic field generator 110 and the gain adjustment circuit 130, such that: (i) the signal processing circuits 126A and 126B are inactive when the magnetic field generator 110 and the gain adjustment circuit 130 are active, and (ii) the signal processing circuits 126A and 126B are active when the magnetic field generator 110 and the gain adjustment circuit 130 are inactive.
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Additional examples of the concept illustrated by
The magnetic field generator 210 may include a switch 212, a modulator 214, a first coil 216A, and a second coil 216B. The magnetic field generator 210 may be coupled to a voltage source 211 and it may be configured to generate a reference magnetic field. The modulator 214 may modulate the reference magnetic field based on a signal MOD_1 by varying the polarity of the voltage source 211. The modulator 214 may invert the coil sign every chopping period of the Hall-effect sensing units 218A-B in order to have the reference magnetic field modulated at half the chopping frequency of the Hall-effect sensing units 218A-B.
The first Hall-effect sensing unit 218A may include one or more Hall elements. According to one example, the first Hall-effect sensing unit 218A may include a chopper-stabilized bridge circuit (e.g., a Wheatstone bridge) that is formed of Hall elements. The first Hall-effect sensing unit 218A may be configured to generate a first internal signal INT_1, which is modulated based on a signal MOD_2. Chopper stabilization is a well-known technique that cancels the mismatching of the bridge circuit by changing the direction of the current that is flowing across the bridge circuit. For instance, when the signal MOD_2 is high, the current may flow in one direction. On the other hand, when the signal MOD_2 is low, the current may flow in the opposite direction. It will be understood that the present disclosure is not limited any specific technique for chopper stabilization. The term chopping frequency, as used in any of the examples of
The first amplifier 220A may include a transconductance amplifier. However, alternative implementations are possible in which the first amplifier 220A includes another type of amplifier. In operation, the first amplifier 220A may be configured to amplify the first internal signal INT_1 to produce a first amplified signal AS_1.
The signal processing circuit 230A may include a modulator 232A, a low-pass filter 223A, and a sinc filter 238A. The modulator 232A may be configured to demodulate the first amplified signal AS_1 at the chopping frequency MOD_2 to produce a demodulated signal AS_1′. The low-pass filter 223A may include a capacitor having a capacitance C and an amplifier having internal transconductance 1/R, as shown. The low-pass filter may filter the demodulated signal AS_1′ to produce a filtered signal AS_1″. The sine filter 238A may be configured to filter the signal AS_1″ to produce an output signal OUT_X.
The second Hall-effect sensing unit 218B may include one or more Hall elements. According to one example, the second Hall-effect sensing unit may include a chopper-stabilized bridge circuit (e.g., a Wheatstone bridge) that is formed of Hall elements. The second Hall-effect sensing unit 218B may be configured to generate a second internal signal INT_2, which is modulated based on a signal MOD_2.
The second amplifier 220B may include a transconductance amplifier. However, alternative implementations are possible in which the second amplifier 220B includes another type of amplifier. In operation, the second amplifier 220B may be configured to amplify the second internal signal INT_2 to produce a second amplified signal AS_2.
The signal processing circuit 230B may include a modulator 232B, a low-pass filter 223B, and a sine filter 238B. The modulator 232B may be configured to demodulate the second amplified signal AS_2 at the chopping frequency MOD_2 to produce a demodulated signal AS_2′. The low-pass filter 223B may include a capacitor having a capacitance C, and an amplifier having internal transconductance 1/R, as shown. The low-pass filter may filter the demodulated signal AS_2′ to produce a filtered signal AS_2″. The sine filter 238B may be configured to filter the signal AS_2″ to produce an output signal OUT_Y.
The gain adjustment circuit 240 may include a subtraction element 245, a modulator 242, a modulator 244, a low-pass filter 241, and a sine filter 249. The subtraction element 245 may be configured to produce a difference signal DS by subtracting the second amplified signal AS_2 from the first amplified signal AS_1. The modulator 242 may demodulate a signal MOD_1 based on the signal MOD_2 to produce a demodulated signal DMS. The modulator 244 may demodulate the difference signal DS based on the demodulated signal DMS to produce a signal GA. The low-pass filter 241 may filter the signal GA to produce a signal GA′. The signal GA′ may be subsequently filtered by the sine filter 249 to produce the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ.
The gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be a differential signal having a first component GAIN_ADJ+ and a second component GAIN_ADJ−. The first component GAIN_ADJ+ may be applied at a gain control terminal of the first amplifier 220A, and it may effectively set (or control) the gain of the first amplifier 220A. The second component GAIN_ADJ− may be applied at a gain control terminal of the second amplifier 220B, and it may effectively set (or control) the gain of the second amplifier 220B. Although in the example of
The gain adjustment circuit 240 may be provided with switches 246 and 248. Switch 246 may be interposed between the modulator 244 and the low-pass filter 241. Switch 248 may be interposed between the low-pass filter 241 and the sinc filter 249. Each of switches 246 and 248 may be driven by a clock signal CLK_1. By way of example, when the clock signal CLK_1 is high, each of the switches 246 and 248 may be turned on. When the clock signal CLK_1 is low, each of the switches 246 and 248 may be turned off.
The signal processing circuit 230A may be provided with switches 233A and 237A. Switch 233A may be interposed between the modulator 232A and the low-pass filter 223A. Switch 237A may be interposed between the low-pass filter 223A and the sinc filter 238A. Each of switches 233A and 237A may be driven by a clock signal CLK_2. By way of example, when the clock signal CLK_2 is high, each of the switches 233A and 237A may be turned on. When the clock signal CLK_2 is low, each of the switches 233A and 237A may be turned off.
The signal processing circuit 230B may be provided with switches 233B and 237B. Switch 233B may be interposed between the modulator 232B and the low-pass filter 223B. Switch 237B may be interposed between the low-pass filter 223B and the sinc filter 238B. Each of switches 233B and 237B may be driven by a clock signal CLK_2. By way of example, when the clock signal CLK_2 is high, each of the switches 233B and 237B may be turned on. When the clock signal CLK_2 is low, each of the switches 233B and 237B may be turned off.
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When the sensor 200 is in the calibration state 250A, switch 233A may be turned off, switch 237A may be turned off, switch 233B may be turned off, switch 237B may be turned off, switch 246 may be turned on, and switch 248 may be turned on. When the sensor 200 is in the operating state 250B, switch 233A may be turned on, switch 237A may be turned on, switch 233B may be turned on, switch 237B may be turned on, switch 246 may be turned off and switch 248 may be turned off.
The transitions between the states 250A and 250B may be driven by the signals CLK_1 and CLK_2. Specifically, the sensor 200 may transition from the calibration state 250A to the operating state 250B when the signal CLK_1 changes from high to low, and the signal CLK_2 changes from low to high. Similarly, the sensor 200 may transition from the operating state 250B to the calibration state 250A when the signal CLK_1 changes from low to high, and the signal CLK_2 changes from high to low.
In some implementations, the sensor 200 may spend one half of each phase of the Hall-effect sensing units 218A and 218B in the calibration state 250A and the other half in the operating state 250B. As noted above, the signals output by the Hall-effect sensing units 218A and 218B are modulated by the signal MOD_2, whose waveform is shown in
In some implementations, each of the Hall-effect sensing units 218A and 218B may be disposed adjacent to a different coil of the magnetic field generator 210. More particularly, the Hall-effect sensing unit 218A may be disposed adjacent to the first coil 216A and the Hall-effect sensing unit 218B may be disposed adjacent to the second coil 216B.
In an alternative implementation, each of switches 237A, 237B, and 248 may be omitted, and/or replaced with a short. In such implementations, the amplifier (e.g., a transconductance amplifier) that is part of the signal processing circuit 230A may be coupled directly to the sinc filter 238A, the amplifier (e.g., a transconductance amplifier) that is part of the signal processing circuit 230B may be coupled directly to the sinc filter 238B, and the amplifier (e.g., a transconductance amplifier) that is part of the low-pass filter 241 may be coupled directly to the sinc filter 249. Under this arrangement, the amplifiers would be muted (set to 0) instead of being held. Muting the amplifiers may result in the bandwidth of the system being increased two times, and it may come at the cost of the gain of the system being reduced by the same factor.
In some implementations, the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be used to detect failures of the signal processing circuit 230A and 230B. In this regard, it will be understood that the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be used to achieve compliance with one or more Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) standards. For instance, in some implementations, a processing circuit (not shown) may monitor the value of the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ and output an indication of an error when the signal GAIN_ADJ exceeds a predetermined threshold or falls outside of a predetermined range.
The magnetic field generator 310 may include a switch 312, a modulator 314, a first coil 316A, a second coil 316B, and a third coil 316C. The magnetic field generator 310 may be coupled to a voltage source 311 and it may be configured to generate a reference magnetic field. The modulator 314 may modulate the reference magnetic field based on a signal MOD_1 by varying the polarity of the voltage source 311. The modulator 314 may invert the coil sign every chopping period of the Hall-effect sensing units 318A-C in order to have the reference magnetic field modulated at half the chopping frequency of the Hall-effect sensing units 318A-C.
The first Hall-effect sensing unit 318A may include one or more Hall elements. According to one example, the first Hall-effect sensing unit may include a chopper-stabilized bridge circuit (e.g., a Wheatstone bridge) that is formed of Hall elements. The first Hall-effect sensing unit 318A may be configured to generate a first internal signal INT_1, which is modulated based on a signal MOD_2.
The amplifier 320A may include a transconductance amplifier. However, alternative implementations are possible in which the amplifier 320A includes another type of amplifier. In operation, the amplifier 320A may be configured to amplify the first internal signal INT_1 to produce a first amplified signal AS_1.
The signal processing circuit 330A may include a modulator 332A, a low-pass filter 323A, and a sinc filter 338A. The modulator 332A may be configured to demodulate the first amplified signal AS_1 at the chopping frequency MOD_2 to produce a demodulated signal AS_1′. The low-pass filter 323A may include a capacitor having a capacitance C, and an amplifier having internal transconductance 1/R, as shown. The low-pass filter may filter the demodulated signal AS_1′ to produce a filtered signal AS_1″. The sinc filter 338A may be configured to filter the signal AS_1″ to produce an output signal OUT_X.
The second Hall-effect sensing unit 318B may include one or more Hall elements. According to one example, the second Hall-effect sensing unit may include a chopper-stabilized bridge circuit (e.g., a Wheatstone bridge) that is formed of Hall elements. The second Hall-effect sensing unit 318B may be configured to generate a second internal signal INT_2, which is modulated based on a signal MOD_2.
The amplifier 320B may include a transconductance amplifier. However, alternative implementations are possible in which the amplifier 320B includes another type of amplifier. In operation, the amplifier 320B may be configured to amplify the second internal signal INT_2 to produce a second amplified signal AS_2.
The signal processing circuit 330B may include a modulator 332B, a low-pass filter 323B, and a sinc filter 338B. The modulator 332B may be configured to demodulate the second amplified signal AS_2 at the chopping frequency MOD_2 to produce a demodulated signal AS_2′. The low-pass filter 323B may include a capacitor having a capacitance C, and an amplifier having internal transconductance 1/R, as shown. The low-pass filter may filter the demodulated signal AS_2′ to produce as filtered signal AS_2″. The sinc filter 338B may be configured to filter the signal AS_2″ to produce an output signal OUT_Y.
The third Hall-effect sensing unit 318C may include one or more Hall elements. According to one example, the third Hall-effect sensing unit may include a chopper-stabilized bridge circuit (e.g., a Wheatstone bridge) that is formed of Hall elements. The third Hall-effect sensing unit 318C may be configured to generate a third internal signal INT_3, which is modulated based on a signal MOD_2.
The amplifier 320C may include a transconductance amplifier. However, alternative implementations are possible in which the amplifier 320C includes another type of amplifier. In operation, the amplifier 320B may be configured to amplify the third internal signal INT_3 to produce a third amplified signal AS_3.
The signal processing circuit 330C may include a modulator 332C, a low-pass filter 323C, and a sinc filter 338C. The modulator 332C may be configured to demodulate the third amplified signal AS_3 at the chopping frequency MOD_2 to produce a demodulated signal AS_3′. The low-pass filter 323C may include a capacitor having a capacitance C, and an amplifier having internal transconductance 1/R, as shown. The low-pass filter may filter the demodulated signal AS_3′ to produce as filtered signal AS_3″. The sinc filter 338C may be configured to filter the signal AS_3″ to produce an output signal OUT_Z.
The gain adjustment circuit 340A may include a subtraction element 345A, a modulator 342A, a modulator 344A, a low-pass filter 341A, and a sinc filter 349A. The subtraction element 345A may be configured to produce a difference signal DS_1 by subtracting the second amplified signal AS_2 from the first amplified signal AS_1. The modulator 342A may demodulate the signal MOD_1 based on the signal MOD_2 to produce a demodulated signal DMS_1. The modulator 344A may demodulate the difference signal DS_1 based on the demodulated signal DMS_1 to produce a signal GA_1. The low-pass filter 341A may filter the signal GA_1 to produce a signal GA_1′. The signal GA_1′ may be filtered by the sinc filter 349A to produce the gain adjustment signal GA_Y. The gain adjustment signal GA_Y may be applied at a gain control terminal of the amplifier 320B. The gain adjustment signal GA_Y may effectively set (or control) the gain of the amplifier 320B.
The gain adjustment circuit 340B may include a subtraction element 345B, a modulator 342B, a modulator 344B, a low-pass filter 341B, and a sinc filter 349B. The subtraction element 345B may be configured to produce a difference signal DS_2 by subtracting the third amplified signal AS_3 from the first amplified signal AS_1. The modulator 342B may demodulate the signal MOD_1 based on the signal MOD_2 to produce a demodulated signal DMS_2. The modulator 344B may demodulate the difference signal DS_2 based on the demodulated signal DMS_2 to produce a signal GA_2. The low-pass filter 341B may filter the signal GA_2 to produce a signal GA_2′. The signal GA_2′ may be subsequently filtered by the sinc filter 349B to produce the gain adjustment signal GA_Z. The gain adjustment signal GA_Z may be applied at a gain control terminal of the amplifier 320C. The gain adjustment signal GA_Z may effectively set (or control) the gain of the amplifier 320C.
The gain adjustment circuit 340A may be provided with switches 346A and 348A. Switch 346A may be interposed between the modulator 344A and the low-pass filter 341A. Switch 348A may be interposed between the low-pass filter 341A and the sinc filter 349A. Each of switches 346A and 348A may be driven by a clock signal CLK_1. By way of example, when the clock signal CLK_1 is high, each of the switches 346A and 348A may be turned on. When the clock signal CLK_1 is low, each of the switches 346A and 348A may be turned off.
The gain adjustment circuit 340B may be provided with switches 346B and 348B. Switch 346B may be interposed between the modulator 344B and the low-pass filter 341B. Switch 348B may be interposed between the low-pass filter 341B and the sinc filter 349B. Each of switches 346B and 348B may be driven by a clock signal CLK_1. By way of example, when the clock signal CLK_1 is high, each of the switches 346B and 348B may be turned on. When the clock signal CLK_1 is low, each of the switches 346B and 348B may be turned off.
The signal processing circuit 330A may be provided with switches 333A and 337B. Switch 333A may be interposed between the modulator 332A and the low-pass filter 323A. Switch 337A may be interposed between the low-pass filter 323A and the sinc filter 338A. Each of switches 333A and 337A may be driven by a clock signal CLK_2. By way of example, when the clock signal CLK_2 is high, each of the switches 333A and 337A may be turned on. When the clock signal CLK_2 is low, each of the switches 333A and 337A may be turned off.
The signal processing circuit 330B may be provided with switches 333B and 337B. Switch 333B may be interposed between the modulator 332B and the low-pass filter 323B. Switch 337B may be interposed between the low-pass filter 323B and the sinc filter 338B. Each of switches 333B and 337B may be driven by a clock signal CLK_2. By way of example, when the clock signal CLK_2 is high, each of the switches 333B and 337B may be turned on. When the clock signal CLK_2 is low, each of the switches 333B and 337B may be turned off.
The signal processing circuit 330C is provided with switches 333C and 337C. Switch 333C may be interposed between the modulator 332C and the low-pass filter 323C. Switch 337C may be interposed between the low-pass filter 323C and the sine filter 338C. Each of switches 333C and 337C may be driven by a clock signal CLK_2 as shown. By way of example, when the clock signal CLK_2 is set at a logic-high, each of the switches 333C and 337C may be turned on. When the clock signal CLK_2 is set at a logic-low, each of the switches 333C and 337C may be turned off.
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When the sensor 300 is in the calibration state 350A, switch 333A may be turned off, switch 337A may be turned off, switch 333B may be turned off, switch 337B may be turned off, switch 333C may be turned off, switch 337C may be turned off, switch 346A may be turned on switch 348A may be turned on, and switch 346B may be turned on, and switch 348B may be turned on. When the sensor 300 is in the operating state 350A, switch 333A may be turned on, switch 337A may be turned on, switch 333B may be turned on, switch 337B may be turned on, switch 333C may be turned on, switch 337C may be turned on, switch 346A may be turned off, switch 348A may be turned off, and switch 346B may be turned off, and switch 348B may be turned off.
The transitions between the states 350A and 350B may be driven by the signals CLK_1 and CLK_2. Specifically, the sensor 300 may transition from the calibration state 350A to the operating state 350B when the signal CLK_1 changes from high to low, and the signal CLK_2 changes from low to high. Similarly, the sensor 200 may transition from the operating state 350B to the calibration state 350A when the signal CLK_1 changes from low to high, and the signal CLK_2 changes from high to low.
In some implementations, the sensor 300 may spend one half of each phase of the Hall-effect sensing units 318A and 318B in the calibration state 350A and the other half in the operating state 350B. As noted above, the signals output by the Hall-effect sensing units 318A and 318B are modulated by the signal MOD_2, whose waveform is shown in
In some implementations, each of the Hall-effect sensing units 318A, 318B, 318C may be disposed adjacent to a different coil of the magnetic field generator 310. More particularly, the first Hall-effect sensing unit 318A may be disposed adjacent to the first coil 316A, the second Hall-effect sensing unit 318B may be disposed adjacent to the second coil 316B, and the third Hall-effect sensing unit 318C may be disposed adjacent to the third coil 316C.
In some implementations, the gain adjustment signal GA_Y and/or the gain adjustment signal GA_Z may be used to detect a failure in any of the signal processing circuits 330A-C. In this regard, it will be understood that the gain adjustment signals GA_Y and/or GA_Z may be used to achieve compliance with one or more Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) standards. For instance, in some implementations, a processing circuit (not shown) may monitor the value of the gain adjustment signals GA_Y or GA_Z and output an indication of an error when any of the signals GA_Y and GA_Z exceeds a predetermined threshold or falls outside of a predetermined range.
The magnetic field generator 410 may include a switch 412, a modulator 414, a first coil 416A, and a second coil 416B. The magnetic field generator 410 may be coupled to a voltage source 411 and it may be configured to generate a reference magnetic field. The modulator 414 may modulate the reference magnetic field based on a signal MOD_1 by varying the polarity of the voltage source 411. The modulator 414 may invert the coil sign every chopping period of the Hall-effect sensing units 418A-B in order to have the reference magnetic field modulated at half the chopping frequency of the Hall-effect sensing units 418A-B.
The first Hall-effect sensing unit 418A may include one or more Hall elements. According to one example, the first Hall-effect sensing unit may include a chopper-stabilized bridge circuit (e.g., a Wheatstone bridge) that is formed of Hall elements. The first Hall-effect sensing unit 418A may be configured to generate a first internal signal INT_1, which is modulated based on a signal MOD_2.
The first amplifier 420A may include a transconductance amplifier. However, alternative implementations are possible in which the first amplifier 420A includes another type of amplifier. In operation, the first amplifier 420A may be configured to amplify the first internal signal INT_1 to produce a first amplified signal AS_1.
The signal processing circuit 430A may include a modulator 432A, a low-pass filter 423A, and a sinc filter 438A. The modulator 432A may be configured to demodulate the first amplified signal AS_1 at the chopping frequency MOD_2 to produce a demodulated signal AS_1′. The low-pass filter 423A may include a capacitor having a capacitance C, and an amplifier having internal transconductance 1/R, as shown. The low-pass filter may filter the demodulated signal AS_1′ to produce a filtered signal AS_1″. The sinc filter 438A may be configured to filter the signal AS_1″ to produce an output signal OUT_X.
The second Hall-effect sensing unit 418B may include one or more Hall elements. According to one example, the second Hall-effect sensing unit may include a chopper-stabilized bridge circuit (e.g., a Wheatstone bridge) that is formed of Hall elements. The second Hall-effect sensing unit 418B may be configured to generate a second internal signal INT_2, which is modulated based on a signal MOD_2.
The second amplifier 420B may include a transconductance amplifier. However, alternative implementations are possible in which the second amplifier 420B includes another type of amplifier. In operation, the second amplifier 420B may be configured to amplify the first internal signal INT_2 to produce a first amplified signal AS_2.
The signal processing circuit 430B may include a modulator 432B, a low-pass filter 423B, and a sinc filter 438B. The modulator 432B may be configured to demodulate the second amplified signal AS_2 at the chopping frequency MOD_2 to produce a demodulated signal AS_2′. The low-pass filter 423B may include a capacitor having a capacitance C, and an amplifier having internal transconductance 1/R, as shown. The low-pass filter 423B may filter the demodulated signal AS_2′ to produce as filtered signal AS_2″. The sinc filter 438B may be configured to filter the signal AS_2″ to produce an output signal OUT_Y.
The gain adjustment circuit 440 may include a subtraction element 445, a modulator 442, a modulator 444, a low-pass filter 441, and a sinc filter 449. The subtraction element 445 may be configured to produce a difference signal DS by subtracting the second amplified signal AS_2 from the first amplified signal AS_1. The modulator 442 may demodulate the signal MOD_1 based on the signal MOD_2 to produce a demodulated signal DMS. The modulator 444 may demodulate the difference signal DS based on the demodulated signal DMS to produce a signal GA. The low-pass filter 441 may filter the signal GA to produce a signal GA′. The signal GA′ may be subsequently filtered by the sinc filter 449 to produce the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ. The gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be provided to the gain code generator 450.
The gain adjustment circuit 440 may be provided with switches 446 and 448. Switch 446 may be interposed between the modulator 444 and the low-pass filter 441. Switch 448 may be interposed between the low-pass filter 441 and the sinc filter 449. Each of switches 446 and 448 may be driven by a clock signal CLK_1. By way of example, when the clock signal CLK_1 is high, each of the switches 446 and 448 may be turned on. When the clock signal CLK_1 is low, each of the switches 446 and 448 may be turned off.
The signal processing circuit 430A may be provided with switches 433A and 437A. Switch 433A may be interposed between the modulator 432A and the low-pass filter 423A. Switch 437A may be interposed between the low-pass filter 423A and the sinc filter 438A. Each of switches 433A and 437A may be driven by a clock signal CLK_2. By way of example, when the clock signal CLK_2 is high, each of the switches 433A and 437A may be turned on. When the clock signal CLK_2 is low, each of the switches 433A and 437A may be turned off.
The signal processing circuit 430B may be provided with switches 433B and 437B. Switch 433B may be interposed between the modulator 432B and the low-pass filter 423B. Switch 437B may be interposed between the low-pass filter 423B and the sinc filter 438B. Each of switches 433B and 437B may be driven by a clock signal CLK_2. By way of example, when the clock signal CLK_2 is high, each of the switches 433B and 437B may be turned on. When the clock signal CLK_2 is low, each of the switches 433B and 437B may be turned off. According to the example of
According to the example of
According to the example of
The gain code generator 450 may include a window comparator 452, an accumulator register 454, and a gain code processor 456. The window comparator 452 may digitize the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ to produce a digital sample of the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ. The window comparator 452 may then compare the digital sample to each of three windows. If the digital sample falls within a first window, the digital sample may decrement the value that is stored in the accumulator register 454 by a first value (e.g., ‘1’). If the digital sample falls within a second window, the window comparator 452 may leave unchanged the value that is stored in the accumulator register 454. If the digital sample falls within a third window, the window comparator may increment the value that is stored in the accumulator register 454 by a second value (e.g., ‘1’). In some implementations, each of the first, second, and third windows may include a numerical range. A digital sample may fall within a particular range if the digital sample is greater than or equal to the lower bound of the range and less than or equal to the upper bound of the range. The gain code processor 456 may retrieve the contents of the accumulator register 454 and generate a first gain control code and a second gain control code. The first gain control code may be digitized to produce a gain control signal GC_1 and the second gain control code may be converted to analog form to produce a second gain control signal GC_2. The first gain control signal GC_1 may be applied at a gain control terminal of the first amplifier 420A and used to set the gain of the first amplifier 420A. The second gain control signal GC_2 may be applied at a gain control terminal of the second amplifier 420B and used to set the gain of the second amplifier 420B. Although in the example of
In some implementations, the first gain control code and the second gain control code may be complementary, meaning that when one increases, the other one may decrease. Additionally or alternatively, in some implementations, the first gain control code may be based on the value that is stored in the accumulator register 454 and the second gain control code may be based on the difference between the value that is stored in the accumulator register 454 and the maximum value that can be stored in the accumulator register 454. Consider an example in which the accumulator register 454 is 4 bits wide and the value currently stored in the accumulator register is VAL. Because the accumulator register 454 is 4 bits wide, the maximum value that can be stored in the accumulator register is 15. Accordingly, in this example, the gain code processor 456 may set the first gain control code to equal VAL and the second gain control to equal 15-VAL.
According to the example of
When the sensor 400 is in the calibration state 450A, switch 433A may be turned off, switch 437A may be turned off, switch 433B may be turned off, switch 437B may be turned off, switch 446 may be turned on and switch 448 may be turned on. When the sensor 400 is in the operating state 450B, switch 433A may be turned on, switch 437A may be turned on, switch 433B may be turned on, switch 437B may be turned on, switch 446 may be turned off, and switch 448 may be turned off.
The transitions between the states 450A and 450B may be driven by the signals CLK_1 and CLK_2. Specifically, the sensor 400 may transition from the calibration state 450A to the operating state 450B when the signal CLK_1 changes from high to low, and the signal CLK_2 changes from low to high. Similarly, the sensor 400 may transition from the operating state 450B to the calibration state 450A when the signal CLK_1 changes from low to high, and the signal CLK_2 changes from high to low.
In some implementations, the sensor 400 may spend one half of each phase of the Hall-effect sensing units 418A and 418B in the calibration state 450A and the other half in the operating state 450B. As noted above, the signals output by the Hall-effect sensing units 418A and 418B are modulated by the signal MOD_2, whose waveform is shown in
In some implementations, each of the Hall-effect sensing units 418A and 418B may be disposed adjacent to a different coil of the magnetic field generator 410. More particularly, the Hall-effect sensing unit 418A may be disposed adjacent to the first coil 416A and the Hall-effect sensing unit 418B may be disposed adjacent to the second coil 416B.
In some implementations, the gain control code(s) that are generated by the gain code generator 450 may be used to detect a failure in any of the signal processing circuits 430A-B. In this regard, it will be understood that the gain code(s) may be used to achieve compliance with one or more Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) standards. For instance, in some implementations, a processing circuit (not shown) may monitor the value of the gain codes GC_1 and/or GC_2 and output an indication of an error when any of the gain codes GC_1 and GC_2 exceeds a predetermined threshold or falls outside of a predetermined range.
In some implementations, any of the sensors 200, 300, and 400 may be an angle sensor. In such implementations, the Hall-effect sensing units in the sensor may be orthogonal to each other, and output signals output from each signal processing circuits (e.g., OUT_X, OUT_Y, and/or OUT_Z) may be processed by using a CORDIC processor.
Having described preferred embodiments, which serve to illustrate various concepts, structures and techniques, which are the subject of this patent, it will now become apparent that other embodiments incorporating these concepts, structures and techniques may be used. Accordingly, it is submitted that the scope of the patent should not be limited to the described embodiments but rather should be limited only by the spirit and scope of the following claims.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20220317161 A1 | Oct 2022 | US |