Method for operating a hall sensor arrangement and hall sensor arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9551765-B2
Application number	US-201214119183-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2012
Priority date	May 24, 2011
Publication date	Jan 24, 2017
Grant date	Jan 24, 2017

Abstract

According to a method for operating a Hall sensor assembly, at least two values (I 1 , I 2 ) of an input signal (I) of a Hall sensor ( 11 ) of the Hall sensor assembly ( 10 ) having different magnitudes are set and the associated values (V 1 , V 2 ) of an output signal (V) of the Hall sensor ( 11 ) are determined. Furthermore, a residual offset value (k, VOFF) of the output signal (V) is determined according to the values (V 1 , V 2 ) of the output signal (V) that were determined at the at least two values (I 1 , I 2 ) of the input signal (I).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating a Hall sensor arrangement, comprising:
setting at least two different values of an input signal of a Hall sensor of the Hall sensor arrangement that differ with respect to their amount and determining the associated values of an output signal of the Hall sensor, wherein the output signal is only provided after the complete execution of the phases of a cycle of the current spinning technique and the value of the input signal is constant during the phases of the cycle of the current spinning technique such that a first value of the output signal is measured at a first value of the input signal and a second value of the output signal is measured at a second value of the input signal; and
determining a residual offset value of the output signal in dependence on the values of the output signal that were determined at the at least two values of the input signal.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the input signal is realized in the form of a current or voltage.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the at least two values of the input signal or a scaling factor between two values of the set of the at least two values of the input signal are taken into consideration in the determination of the residual offset value.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the Hall sensor arrangement is calibrated during its operation, and
wherein a calibration phase, in which the residual offset value is determined, is carried out between two operating phases, in which the value of a magnetic field is determined in dependence on the residual offset value.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the Hall sensor arrangement is calibrated while an external magnetic field with unknown intensity is applied.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the residual offset value is an offset factor or a residual offset voltage and the offset factor and the residual offset voltage are calculated in accordance with the following equation:
V OFF= k·I n ;
wherein VOFF is the value of the residual offset voltage, k is the value of the offset factor, I is the value of the input signal and n is the value of an exponent.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the value of the exponent is predefined.

8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the value of the exponent is determined by setting at least three values of the input signal that differ with respect to their amount and determining the associated values of the output signal of the Hall sensor.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the value of a magnetic field is determined in accordance with the following equation:
V=B·S·I+V OFF,
wherein V is the value of the output signal, B is the value of the magnetic field, S is the value of a sensitivity, I is the value of the input signal and VOFF is the value of a residual offset voltage.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the value of the sensitivity is predefined.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein a coil is arranged relative to the Hall sensor in such a way that the magnetic field of the coil influences the magnetic field detected by the Hall sensor, and
wherein the value of the sensitivity is determined by means of the coil at the at least two values of the input signal.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a coil is arranged relative to the Hall sensor in such a way that the magnetic field of the coil influences the magnetic field detected by the Hall sensor, and
wherein the value of a coil current is adjusted in an operating phase in dependence on the residual offset value.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a coil is arranged relative to the Hall sensor in such a way that the magnetic field of the coil influences the magnetic field detected by the Hall sensor, and
wherein the value of a coil current is adjusted in an operating phase in such a way that the output signal approximately assumes the value 0.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the coil is coupled to the Hall sensor in such a way that the coil current flows through the Hall sensor in the form of the input signal.

15. A Hall sensor arrangement for carrying out the method according to claim 1 .

16. A Hall sensor arrangement, comprising:
a Hall sensor that comprises
a Hall element,
an input circuit that connects an input of the Hall sensor to the Hall element, and
an output circuit and an evaluation circuit that connect the Hall element to an output of the Hall sensor, wherein an output signal is only provided by the evaluation circuit after completely executing the phases of a cycle of the current spinning technique;

a signal source that is coupled to the input of the Hall sensor and designed for providing at least two values of an input signal of the Hall sensor that differ with respect to their amount, wherein the value of the input signal is constant during the phases of the cycle of the current spinning technique such that a first value of the output signal is measured at a first value of the input signal and a second value of the output signal is measured at a second value of the input signal; and
a determination unit that is coupled to the output of the Hall sensor and designed for determining a residual offset value of an output signal of the Hall sensor in dependence on the values of the output signal that are determined at the at least two values of the input signal.

17. The Hall sensor arrangement according to claim 16 , comprising a coil that is permanently connected to the Hall sensor and arranged relative to the Hall sensor in such a way that the magnetic field detected by the Hall sensor can be influenced by the magnetic field of the coil.

Assignees

• Röhrer Georg
• Oberhoffner Gerhard
• Ams Ag

Inventors

• Röhrer Georg
• Oberhoffner Gerhard

Classifications

• G01R33/0029 Primary

  Treating the measured signals, e.g. removing offset or noise · CPC title

• G01R33/07

  Hall effect devices · CPC title

• G01R33/075

  Hall devices configured for spinning current measurements · CPC title

• G01R33/072 Primary

  Constructional adaptation of the sensor to specific applications · CPC title

• G01R33/0035

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