Accurate and Cost Efficient Linear Hall Sensor with Digital Output

A method for digitally tracking an analog signal output from a magnetic field sensor device, comprising:

• generating an analog signal proportional to an applied magnetic field that is detected by the magnetic field sensor device;
• generating a tracked digital signal that tracks the analog signal;
• generating a plurality of digital signal components based upon the tracked digital signal, wherein two or more of the plurality of digital signal components correspond to a chopping phase;
• and
• mathematically operating upon the two or more of the plurality of digital signal components corresponding to a chopping phase to generate a non-delayed, offset compensated digital output signal within the chopping phase.

A magnetic sensor circuit, comprising:

• a magnetic field sensor device configured to generate an analog output signal proportional to an applied magnetic field;
• a chopping generation circuit coupled to an output of the magnetic field sensor and configured to generate a chopped signal by periodically vary the polarity of components of the analog signal;
• a digital tracking unit coupled to an output of the chopping generation circuit, the digital tracking unit comprising:
• a plurality of registers, respective registers configured to store a digital signal component corresponding to a chopping phase;
• and
• a logic element configured to add or subtract first and second digital signal components corresponding to a specific chopping phase to generate a non-delayed, offset compensated digital output signal, wherein the first digital signal component is provided by one of the plurality of registers acting as a master register that stores an undelayed digital signal component and the second digital signal component is provided by one of the plurality of registers acting as a slave register that stores a delayed digital signal component.