System and method for vibration detection with no loss of position information using a magnetic field sensor
AssigneeAllegro MicroSystems, LLC
InventorsBenjamin Geiger, Cédric Gillet
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Abstract
A method of detecting a vibration comprises determining a vibration flag has been set during a running mode, entering a vibration mode, providing direction information for a target object during the vibration mode of the magnetic field sensor, holding onto positive peak values and negative peak values of the magnetic field signal during the vibration mode of the magnetic field sensor, and returning to the running mode after receiving at least two clock cycles of the magnetic field signal with no further vibration flags set.
Claims18
A method of detecting a vibration of a target object with a magnetic field sensor, the method comprising:
- generating one or more detector output signals having state transitions at times determined by applying a threshold to a magnetic field signal generated by one or more magnetic field sensing elements of the magnetic field sensor in response to a magnetic field affected by the target object;
- determining a vibration flag indicative of a vibration of the target object has been set during a running mode of the magnetic field sensor;
- entering a vibration mode of the magnetic field sensor when the vibration flag has been set;
- holding positive peak values and negative peak values of the magnetic field signal during the vibration mode of the magnetic field sensor;
- providing direction information for the target object during the vibration mode of the magnetic field sensor based on the one or more detector output signals;
- and
- returning to a running mode of the magnetic field sensor after a predetermined number of state transitions of the one or more detector output signals with no further vibration flags set.
A method of detecting a vibration of a target object with a magnetic field sensor, the method comprising:
- generating one or more detector output signals having state transitions at times determined by applying a threshold to a magnetic field signal generated by one or more magnetic field sensing elements of the magnetic field sensor in response to a magnetic field affected by the target object;
- determining a vibration flag indicative of a vibration of the target object has been set during a running mode of a magnetic field sensor;
- entering a vibration mode in response to the vibration flag determination, wherein the vibration mode comprises providing direction information for the target object;
- and
- returning to the running mode of the magnetic field sensor after a predetermined number of state transitions of the one or more detector output signals with no vibration flags set.
A method of detecting vibration of a target object with a magnetic field sensor, the method comprising:
- generating one or more detector output signals having state transitions at times determined by applying a threshold to a magnetic field signal generated by one or more magnetic field sensing elements of the magnetic field sensor in response to a magnetic field affected by the target object;
- providing direction information for the target object during a vibration mode of a magnetic field sensor based on the one or more detector output signals;
- allowing outward updating of positive peak values and negative peak values of the magnetic field signal during the vibration mode while restricting inward updating of the positive peak values and the negative peak values;
- and
- generating the threshold based on the positive peak values and the negative peak values of the magnetic field signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.