# US 10,481,218 B2 · Providing information about a target object in a formatted output signal > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,481,218 B2 - Document ID: US10481218B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/695,109 - Filed: 2017-09-05 - Published: 2018-03-08 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2016-09-08 - Assignees: Allegro MicroSystems, LLC - Applicants: Allegro MicroSystems, LLC - Inventors: Seth Prentice; Michael Finneman - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10481218B2 ## CPC - G01R 33/07: Hall effect devices - G01P 21/02: of speedometers - H03K 5/08: by limiting; by thresholding; by slicing, i.e. combined limiting and thresholding (H03K5/07 takes precedence; comparing one pulse with another H03K5/22; providing a determined threshold for switching H03K17/30) - H03K 7/08: Duration or width modulation {; Duty cycle modulation} - G08B 25/045: {with sensing devices and central station in a closed loop, e.g. McCullough loop} - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - G01P: MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION, OR SHOCK; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT (measuring or recording blood flow A61B5/02, A61B8/06; monitoring speed or deceleration of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L3/00; vehicle lighting systems adapted to indicate speed B60Q1/54; determining position or course in navigation, measuring ground distance in geodesy or surveying G01C; combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement G01C23/00; measuring velocity of sound G01H; measuring velocity of light G01J7/00; measuring direction or velocity of solid objects by reception or emission of radiowaves or other waves and based on propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effect, propagation time, direction of propagation, G01S; measuring speed of nuclear radiation G01T; measuring acceleration of gravity G01V; {measuring or recording the speed of trains B61L23/00; speed indicators incorporated in motor vehicles B60K35/00; measuring frequency or phase G01R; traffic control G08G}) - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS ## Abstract In one aspect, an integrated circuit (IC) includes a sensor. The sensor includes a processor configured to provide speed and/or direction of a target object based on the speed of the target object; monitor for a diagnostic fault; provide information if the diagnostic fault is detected; monitor for critical faults; and provide information if a critical fault is detected and the sensor recovers from the critical fault. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An integrated circuit (IC) comprising: a sensor comprising a processor configured to: provide speed information of a target object in response to a speed of the target object being greater than a first predetermined value; provide the speed information and direction information of the target object in response to the speed being below the first predetermined value; monitor for a diagnostic fault; provide a diagnostic flag and information bits in response to the diagnostic fault being detected; monitor for a critical fault; and provide the information bits in response to the critical fault being detected and in response to the sensor recovering from the critical fault, wherein the processor configured to provide the diagnostic flag and the information bits in response to the diagnostic fault being detected comprises the processor configured to finish providing the speed information before providing the diagnostic flag and the information bits in response to the diagnostic fault occurring during transmission of the speed information. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The IC of claim 1, wherein the processor configured to provide the speed information of the target object in response to the speed of the target object being greater than the first predetermined speed comprises the processor configured to provide the speed information of the target object in response to the speed of the target object being greater than the first predetermined speed and less than a second predetermined speed. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The IC of claim 2, wherein the first predetermined speed is 1 kHz and the second predetermined speed is 10 kHz. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The IC of claim 1, wherein the information bits comprise diagnostic bits, system integrity bits and a parity bit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The IC of claim 1, wherein the information bits comprise at least one of a diagnostic bit, a system integrity bit or a parity bit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The IC of claim 1, wherein the processor configured to provide the speed information of the target object in response to the speed of the target object being greater than the first predetermined value comprises providing the speed information without providing the direction information. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The IC of claim 1, wherein the processor comprises a magnetic field sensing element. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The IC of claim 7, wherein the magnetic field sensing element comprises a Hall effect element, a magnetoresistance element or a magnetotransistor. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The IC of claim 8, wherein the magnetoresistance element comprises a giant magnetoresistance (GMR) element, an anisotropic magnetoresistance element (AMR), a tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) element or a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). ### Claim 10 An integrated circuit (IC) comprising: a sensor comprising a processor configured to: provide speed information of a target object in response to a speed of the target object being greater than a first predetermined value; provide the speed information and direction information of the target object in response to the speed being below the first predetermined value; monitor for a diagnostic fault; provide a diagnostic flag and information bits in response to the diagnostic fault being detected; monitor for a critical fault; and provide the information bits in response to the critical fault being detected and in response to the sensor recovering from the critical fault, wherein the processor configured to provide the diagnostic flag and the information bits in response to the diagnostic fault being detected comprises the processor configured to finish providing the speed information and the direction information before providing the diagnostic flag and the information bits in response to the diagnostic fault occurring during transmission of speed information and the direction information. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The IC of claim 10, wherein the processor configured to provide the speed information of the target object in response to the speed of the target object being greater than the first predetermined value comprises providing the speed information without providing the direction information. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The IC of claim 10, wherein the processor configured to provide the speed information of the target object in response to the speed of the target being greater than the first predetermined speed comprises the processor configured to provide the speed information of the target in response to the speed of the target object being greater than the first predetermined speed and less than a second predetermined speed. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The IC of claim 12, wherein the first predetermined speed is 1 kHz and the second predetermined speed is 10 kHz. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The IC of claim 10, wherein the information bits comprise diagnostic bits, system integrity bits and a parity bit. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The IC of claim 10, wherein the information bits comprise at least one of a diagnostic bit, a system integrity bit or a parity bit. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The IC of claim 10, wherein the processor comprises a magnetic field sensing element. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The IC of claim 16, wherein the magnetic field sensing element comprises a Hall effect element, a magnetoresistance element or a magnetotransistor. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The IC of claim 17, wherein the magnetoresistance element comprises a giant magnetoresistance (GMR) element, an anisotropic magnetoresistance element (AMR), a tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) element or a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). ### Claim 19 A method comprising: providing speed information of a target object in response to a speed of the target object being greater than a first predetermined value; providing the speed information and direction information of the target object in response to the speed being below the first predetermined value; monitoring for a diagnostic fault; providing a diagnostic flag and information bits in response to the diagnostic fault being detected; monitoring for a critical fault; and providing a critical flag and the information bits in response to the critical fault being detected and in response to a sensor recovering from the critical fault, wherein providing the diagnostic flag and the information bits in response to the diagnostic fault being detected comprises finishing providing the speed information before providing the diagnostic flag and the information bits in response to the diagnostic occurring during transmission of speed information. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein providing the speed information of the target object in response to the speed of the target object being greater than the first predetermined speed comprises providing the speed information of the target object in response to the speed of the target object being greater than the first predetermined speed and less than a second predetermined speed. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the first predetermined speed is 1 kHz and the second predetermined speed is 10 kHz. ### Claim 22 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the information bits comprise diagnostic bits, system integrity bits and a parity bit. ### Claim 23 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the information bits comprise at least one of a diagnostic bit, a system integrity bit or a parity bit. ### Claim 24 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, providing the speed information of the target object in response to the speed of the target object being greater than the first predetermined value comprises providing the speed information without providing the direction information. ### Claim 25 A method comprising: providing speed information of a target object in response to a speed of the target object being greater than a first predetermined value; providing the speed information and direction information of the target object in response to the speed being below the first predetermined value; monitoring for a diagnostic fault; providing a diagnostic flag and information bits in response to the diagnostic fault being detected; monitoring for a critical fault; and providing a critical flag and the information bits in response to the critical fault being detected and in response to a sensor recovering from the critical fault, wherein providing the diagnostic flag and the information bits in response to the diagnostic fault being detected comprises finishing providing the speed information and the direction information before providing the diagnostic flag and the information bits in response to if the diagnostic fault occurring during transmission of speed information and the direction information. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The method of claim 25, providing the speed information of the target object in response to the speed of the target object being greater than the first predetermined value comprises providing the speed information without providing the direction information. ### Claim 27 (depends on 25) The method of claim 25, wherein providing the speed information of the target object in response to the speed of the target object being greater than the first predetermined speed comprises providing the speed information of the target object in response to the speed of the target object being greater than the first predetermined speed and less than a second predetermined speed. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The method of claim 27, wherein the first predetermined speed is 1 kHz and the second predetermined speed is 10 kHz. ### Claim 29 (depends on 25) The method of claim 25, wherein the information bits comprise diagnostic bits, system integrity bits and a parity bit. ### Claim 30 An integrated circuit (IC) comprising: a sensor comprising a means to: provide speed information of a target object in response to a speed of the target object being greater than a first predetermined value; provide the speed information and direction information of the target object in response to the speed being below the first predetermined value; monitor for a diagnostic fault; provide a diagnostic flag and information bits in response to the diagnostic fault being detected; monitor for a critical fault; and provide the information bits in response to the critical fault being detected and in response to the sensor recovering from the critical fault, wherein the means to provide the diagnostic flag and the information bits in response to the diagnostic fault being detected comprises the means to finish providing the speed information before providing the diagnostic flag and the information bits in response to the diagnostic fault occurring during transmission of the speed information. ### Claim 31 (depends on 30) The IC of claim 30, wherein the sensor comprises a giant magnetoresistance (GMR) element, an anisotropic magnetoresistance element (AMR), a tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) element, a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) or a Hall effect element. ### Claim 32 An integrated circuit (IC) comprising: a sensor comprising a means to: provide speed information of a target object in response to a speed of the target object being greater than a first predetermined value; provide the speed information and direction information of the target object in response to the speed being below the first predetermined value; monitor for a diagnostic fault; provide a diagnostic flag and information bits in response to the diagnostic fault being detected; monitor for a critical fault; and provide the information bits in response to the critical fault being detected and in response to the sensor recovering from the critical fault, wherein providing the diagnostic flag and the information bits in response to the diagnostic fault being detected comprises finishing providing the speed information and the direction information before providing the diagnostic flag and the information bits in response to the diagnostic fault occurring during transmission of speed information and the direction information. ### Claim 33 (depends on 32) The IC of claim 32, wherein the sensor comprises a giant magnetoresistance (GMR) element, an anisotropic magnetoresistance element (AMR), a tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) element, a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) or a Hall effect element.