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US 10,216,559 B2Granted
Diagnostic fault communication
AssigneeAllegro MicroSystems, LLC
InventorDevon Fernandez
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Described embodiments provide circuits, systems and methods for detecting and communicating fault conditions. In an embodiment, an integrated circuit includes a fault detector to detect a fault condition of the integrated circuit and a controller to generate output data of the integrated circuit. An output generator generates an output signal of the integrated circuit. The output signal is generated at a first set of output levels based upon the output data when the fault detector does not detect the fault condition, and the output signal is generated at a second set of output levels based upon the output data when the fault detector detects the fault condition.
Claims41
An integrated circuit comprising:
- a fault detector configured to detect a fault condition of the integrated circuit;
- a controller configured to generate a controller output data signal;
- and
- an output generator configured to generate an output signal of the integrated circuit and to:
- generate the output signal at a first set of output levels based upon the controller output data signal when the fault detector does not detect the fault condition;
- and
- generate the output signal at a second set of output levels based upon the controller output data signal when the fault detector detects the fault condition, wherein the second set of output levels is different than the first set of output levels and comprises a level of the output signal caused by an open circuit or a short circuit of the output signal.
4 more elements
A sensor comprising:
- at least one magnetic field sensing element configured to generate a magnetic field signal indicative of a magnetic field sensed by the at least one magnetic field sensing element;
- an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to generate a digital magnetic field value associated with the magnetic field signal;
- a controller configured to:
- receive the digital magnetic field value and generate a sensed speed signal;
- detect diagnostic faults of the sensor and generate a fault output signal based upon the detected diagnostic faults;
- and
- an output generator configured to generate a sensor output signal and to:
- receive the sensed speed signal and the fault output signal;
- generate the sensor output signal at a first set of output levels based upon the sensed speed signal and a first value of the fault output signal;
- and
- generate the sensor output signal at a second set of output levels based upon the sensed speed signal and a second value of the fault output signal, wherein the first set of output levels comprises an output low level and an output high level, and wherein the second set of output levels comprises a fault low output level and a fault high output level and wherein the fault low output level is lower than the output low level and wherein the fault high output level is higher than the output high level.
8 more elements
A method for communicating fault conditions of an integrated circuit, the method comprising:
- detecting, by a fault detector, a fault condition of the integrated circuit;
- generating, by a controller, a controller output data signal;
- and
- generating, by an output generator, an output signal of the integrated circuit at a first set of output levels based upon the controller output data signal when the fault detector does not detect the fault condition;
- and
- generating, by the output generator, the output signal at a second set of output levels based upon the controller output data signal when the fault detector detects the fault condition, wherein the second set of output levels is different than the first set of output levels and comprises a level of the output signal caused by an open circuit or a short circuit of the output signal.
3 more elements
A method for operating a vehicular sensor, the method comprising:
- generating, by at least one magnetic field sensing element of the vehicular sensor, a magnetic field signal indicative of a sensed magnetic field;
- generating, by an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) of the vehicular sensor, a digital magnetic field value associated with the magnetic field signal;
- by a controller of the vehicular sensor:
- receiving the digital magnetic field value and generating a sensed speed signal;
- detecting diagnostic faults of the vehicular sensor and generating a fault output signal based upon the detected diagnostic faults;
- and
- by an output generator of the vehicular sensor:
- receiving the sensed speed signal and the fault output signal;
- generating a sensor output signal at a first set of output levels based upon the sensed speed signal and a first value of the fault output signal;
- and
- generating the sensor output signal at a second set of output levels based upon the sensed speed signal and a second value of the fault output signal, wherein the first set of output levels comprises an output low level and an output high level, and wherein the second set of output levels comprises a fault low output level and a fault high output level, wherein the fault low output level is lower than the output low level and wherein the fault high output level is higher than the output high level.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.