Magnetic sensing apparatus and magnetic sensing method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016169983-A1
Application number	US-201514591932-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 8, 2015
Priority date	Dec 11, 2014
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A magnetic sensing apparatus and a magnetic sensing method thereof are provided. The magnetic sensing apparatus includes a reference magnetic field (MF) generating unit, a MF sensing unit, a signal processing unit, a calibration unit and a frequency generating unit. The MF sensing unit senses an external MF and a reference MF to provide a MF sensing signal. The signal processing unit receives and transfers the MF sensing signal into an output signal. The calibration unit calibrates the output signal according to the MF sensing signal. The frequency generating unit provides an operating frequency. The reference MF generating unit provides the reference MF according to the operating frequency, and the MF sensing unit senses the external MF and the reference MF according to the operating frequency.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A magnetic sensing apparatus, comprising:
a reference magnetic field (MF) generating unit, configured to provide a reference MF; an MF sensing unit, configured to sense an external MF and the reference MF to provide an MF sensing signal; a signal processing unit, coupled to the MF sensing unit and configured to receive and transfer the MF sensing signal into an output signal; a calibration unit, configured to calibrate the output signal according to the MF sensing signal; and a frequency generating unit, coupled to the reference MF generating unit and the MF sensing unit and configured to provide an operating frequency, wherein the reference MF generating unit provides the reference MF according to the operating frequency, and the MF sensing unit senses the external MF and the reference MF according to the operating frequency.

2 . The magnetic sensing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the MF sensing signal comprises a first MF sensing signal having a first frequency and a second MF sensing signal having a second frequency, wherein the first frequency is greater than the second frequency, and the MF sensing unit comprises: a frequency modulation circuit, receiving the operating frequency to modulate sensitivity of the MF sensing unit and processing the first MF sensing signal having the first frequency as a DC reference signal of the MF sensing signal according to the operating frequency and by means of a signal synchronized excitation effect, wherein the DC reference signal corresponds to the reference MF, and the second MF sensing signal corresponds to the external MF, and the calibration unit provides calibration signal according to the DC reference signal to calibrate the output signal.

3 . The magnetic sensing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the frequency generating unit dynamically adjusts the operating frequency and the reference MF using dynamic excitation frequency adjustment (DEFA) by means of the signal synchronized excitation effect.

4 . The magnetic sensing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the MF sensing unit comprises:
a bias circuit, configured to provide a driving current, and an MF probe, coupled to the bias circuit, wherein the MF probe receives the driving current to sense the external MF and the reference MF, and a value of the driving current corresponds to sensitivity of the MF sensing unit.

5 . The magnetic sensing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the signal processing unit comprises:
a first amplifier, having an input terminal configured to receive the MF sensing signal and an output terminal configured to transfer the MF sensing signal into the output signal.

6 . The magnetic sensing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the calibration unit receives a reference sensing signal with respect to the MF sensing signal from the first amplifier, generates a calibration signal according to the reference sensing signal and transmits the calibration signal to the bias circuit to adjust the driving current of the bias circuit, so as to adjust the sensitivity of the MF probe.

7 . The magnetic sensing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the signal processing unit further comprises:
a second amplifier, having an input terminal configured to receive the output signal and an output terminal configured to transfer the output signal into a second-level output signal.

8 . The magnetic sensing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the calibration unit receives a reference sensing signal with respect to the MF sensing signal from the second amplifier, generates a calibration signal according to the reference sensing signal and transmits the calibration signal to the first amplifier to adjust a gain of the first amplifier, so as to calibrate the output signal.

9 . The magnetic sensing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the calibration unit receives a reference sensing signal with respect to the MF sensing signal from the first amplifier, generates a calibration signal according to the reference sensing signal and transmits the calibration signal to the second amplifier to adjust a gain of the second amplifier, so as to calibrate the second-level output signal.

10 . The magnetic sensing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the calibration unit receives a reference sensing signal with respect to the MF sensing signal from the second amplifier, generates a calibration signal according to the reference sensing signal and transmits the calibration signal to the bias circuit to adjust the driving current of the bias circuit, so as to adjust the sensitivity of the MF probe.

11 . The magnetic sensing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the signal processing unit comprises:
a plurality of first amplifiers, each of the first amplifiers having an input terminal configured to receive the MF sensing signal and an output terminal configured to transfer the MF sensing signal into the output signal, wherein the calibration unit receives the corresponding output signal from one of the first amplifiers, generates a calibration signal according to the output signal and transmits the calibration signal to the bias circuit to adjust the driving current of the bias circuit, so as to adjust the sensitivity of the MF probe.

12 . A magnetic sensing method of a magnetic sensing apparatus, comprising:
generating a reference MF according to an operating frequency; sensing an external MF and the reference MF according to the operating frequency to generate an MF sensing signal; and transferring the MF sensing signal into an output signal and calibrating the output signal according to the MF sensing signal.

13 . The magnetic sensing method according to claim 12 , wherein the step of transferring the MF sensing signal into the output signal and calibrating the output signal according to the MF sensing signal further comprises:
processing a first MF sensing signal having a first frequency as a DC reference signal of the MF sensing signal according to the operating frequency and by a signal synchronized excitation effect; generating a calibration signal according to the reference signal and calibrating the output signal according to the calibration signal.

14 . The magnetic sensing method according to claim 13 , wherein the step of processing the first MF sensing signal having the first frequency as the DC reference signal of the MF sensing signal according to the operating frequency and by the signal synchronized excitation effect further comprises:
dynamically adjusting the operating frequency and the reference MF using DEFA) by means of the signal synchronized excitation effect.

15 . The magnetic sensing method according to claim 12 , wherein the step of transferring the MF sensing signal into the output signal and calibrating the output signal according to the MF sensing signal further comprises:
generating a calibration signal according to a reference sensing signal and adjusting a driving current according to the calibration signal, so as to adjust sensitivity of the magnetic sensing apparatus.

16 . The magnetic sensing method according to claim 12 , wherein the step of transferring the MF sensing signal into the output signal and calibrating the output signal according to the MF sensing signal further comprises:
generating a calibration signal according to a reference sensing signal and adjusting a signal gain according to the calibration signal, so as to calibrate the output signal.

Assignees

• Ind Tech Res Inst

Inventors

• Chang Yuan-Tai
• Juang Kai-Cheung

Classifications

• G01R33/0035

  Calibration of single magnetic sensors, e.g. integrated calibration · CPC title

• G01R33/0017 Primary

  Means for compensating offset magnetic fields or the magnetic flux to be measured; Means for generating calibration magnetic fields · CPC title