Circuits and methods for modulating current in circuits comprising sensing elements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9523742-B2
Application number	US-201514696674-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2015
Priority date	Apr 27, 2015
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

A circuit includes a current source having at least first terminal and a second, control terminal. The current source is configured to receive a current control signal at the control terminal and in response thereto generates a first current signal at the first terminal. The current control signal controls a current level of the first current signal. The circuit also includes at least one sensing element responsive to one or more sense parameters and having an input adapted to couple to the first terminal of said current source. The sensing element is configured to receive one or more current signals comprising at least the first current signal and in response thereto generates a sensed output signal at an output thereof. A corresponding method for operating the circuit is also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A circuit, comprising:
a current source having at least a first terminal and a second, control terminal, said current source configured to receive a current control signal at the control terminal and in response thereto generate a first current signal at the first terminal, wherein the current control signal controls a current level of the first current signal;
at least one sensing element responsive to one or more sense parameters and having an input adapted to couple to the first terminal of said current source, said sensing element configured to receive one or more current signals comprising at least the first current signal at the input thereof and in response thereto generate a sensed output signal at an output thereof;
a gain adjustable circuit having at least a first, input terminal, a second, control terminal, and a third, output terminal, said gain adjustable circuit configured to receive a signal representative of the sensed output signal at the input terminal, a gain control signal at the control terminal, and in response thereto provide a gain adjusted signal having an associated gain level at the output terminal, wherein the gain control signal controls gain of said gain adjustable circuit; and
a controller configured to provide at least the current control signal to the control terminal of said current source and the gain control signal to the control terminal of said gain adjustable circuit,
wherein in response to an output of said circuit being at or near a first switchpoint corresponding to one or more of the sense parameters being greater than a threshold value, a current level of the current signals received by said sensing element is configured to be increased from a first current level to a second, higher current level of a plurality of current levels and the gain of said gain adjustable circuit is configured to be decreased from a second gain level to a first, lower gain level of a plurality of gain levels, wherein the gain level of the gain adjusted signal remains substantially constant.

2. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the current level of the current signals received by said sensing element is configured to be decreased from the second, higher current level to the first current level of the plurality of current levels and the gain of said gain adjustable circuit is configured to be increased from the first, lower gain level to the second gain level of the plurality of gain levels when the output of said circuit is not at or near the first switchpoint.

3. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the current level of the current signals received by said sensing element is configured to be increased from the first current level to the second, higher current level of the plurality of current levels and the gain of said gain adjustable circuit is configured to be decreased from the second gain level to the first, lower gain level of the plurality of gain levels when the output of said circuit is at or near a second switchpoint that is substantially the same as the first switchpoint but of a substantially opposite polarity.

4. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the sense parameters comprise a measured magnetic field.

5. The circuit of claim 1 further comprising:
a current modulation circuit having a first terminal adapted to couple to the sensing element input and a second, control terminal, said current modulation circuit configured to receive a current modulation control signal at the control terminal and in response thereto generate a second current signal at the first terminal, wherein the current modulation control signal controls a current level of the second current signal and the second current signal is capable of increasing the current level of the current signals received by said sensing element from the first current level to the second, higher current level of the plurality of current levels.

6. The circuit of claim 5 wherein said controller provides the current modulation control signal to the control terminal of said current modulation circuit.

7. The circuit of claim 1 further comprising an amplifier having an input adapted to couple to the sensing element output and an output adapted to couple to the input terminal of said gain adjustable circuit, said amplifier configured to receive the sensed output signal at the input thereof and in response thereto generate an amplified signal at the output thereof.

8. The circuit of claim 7 wherein said amplifier is provided having a lower noise characteristic than said gain adjustable circuit.

9. The circuit of claim 7 wherein said amplifier has a current control terminal and said current source provides an amplifier current control signal to the current control terminal of said amplifier, wherein the amplifier current control signal controls a current level of current signals received by said amplifier.

10. The circuit of claim 7 wherein said amplifier has a gain control terminal and said controller provides a gain control signal to the gain control terminal of said amplifier, wherein the gain control signal controls a gain level of the amplified signal.

11. The circuit of claim 1 further comprising:
a voltage source adapted to couple to the sensing element input, wherein the current level of the current signals received by said sensing element is further configured to decrease from the first current level to the second, lower current level of the plurality of current levels in response to a decrease in a voltage level of said voltage source or a reduction in the available headroom of said voltage source from a first voltage level to a second, lower voltage level of a plurality of voltage levels.

12. The circuit of claim 1 wherein a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the output of said circuit is increased from a first value to a second, higher value when the output of said circuit is at or near the first switchpoint.

13. The circuit of claim 1 wherein said gain adjustable circuit is provided as a variable resistor divider.

14. The circuit of claim 1 wherein said circuit is a magnetic field sensor.

15. The circuit of claim 1 wherein said sensing element comprises a Hall effect element.

16. The circuit of claim 1 wherein said sensing element comprises a magnetoresistance element, wherein said magnetoresistance element is one of: an anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) element, a giant magnetoresistance (GMR) element, a tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) element, a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element, or a spin valve element.

17. A method for modulating current in a circuit comprising at least one sensing element responsive to one or more sense parameters, the method comprising:
receiving one or more current signals comprising at least a first current signal at an input of the sensing element;
generating a sensed output signal at an output of said sensing element in response to the current signals;
receiving a signal representative of the sensed output signal at a first, input terminal of a gain adjustable circuit and a gain control signal at a second, control terminal of the gain adjustable circuit, wherein the gain control signal controls gain of the gain adjustable circuit;
providing a gain adjusted signal having an associated gain level at a third, output terminal of the gain adjustable circuit in response to the signal representative of the sensed output signal and the gain control signal;
adjusting a current level of the current signals according to an output of the circuit, wherein in response to the output of the circuit being at or near a first switchpoint corresponding to one

Assignees

• Allegro Microsystems Llc

Inventors

• Towne Jay M
• Scheller P Karl
• Shoemaker Eric G

Classifications

• G01R33/0041 Primary

  using feed-back or modulation techniques · CPC title

• H03F1/0216

  Continuous control · CPC title

• G01R33/09

  Magnetoresistive devices · CPC title

• G01R33/07

  Hall effect devices · CPC title

• H03G1/0035

  using continuously variable impedance elements · CPC title