Offset-reduced hall sensor
AssigneeMicronas GmbH
InventorLothar Blossfeld
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A technique for determining an offset-reduced Hall voltage (Uh), and/or an offset voltage (UH, offset) of a Hall sensor (1) includes applying a Hall sensor current (I) at first and second taps (a1, a2, a3) of the Hall sensor (1), and determining a first Hall voltage (Uh1) at third and fourth taps (a3, a4) displaced from the first and second taps (a1, a2, a5). A second Hall sensor current is applied modified relative to the first, and a second Hall voltage (Uh2) is determined. The Hall voltage (Uh) and/or Hall voltage offset (Uh,offset) are determined from the first and second Hall voltages. To compensate any offset present, a second measurement applies the second Hall sensor current I at taps (a3, a4) that are spatially displaced relative to the first and/or second taps.
Claims8
A method for determining an offset-reduced Hall voltage of a Hall sensor, comprising:
- applying a first Hall sensor current (I) at first and second taps of the Hall sensor, and determining a first Hall voltage at third and fourth taps of the Hall sensor spatially displaced from the first and second taps,
- applying a second Hall sensor current modified relative to the first Hall sensor current, and determining a second Hall voltage, and
- determining the offset-reduced Hall voltage from the first and second Hall voltages, where
- the application of the second Hall current is effected at the third and fourth taps,
- and the offset-reduced Hall voltage is determined with a first linear arrangement of the first, second, third and fourth taps to determine an angular component of a magnetic field, and an additional Hall voltage is determined with a second linear arrangement of taps in an arrangement which is oriented at an angle relative to the first arrangement.
An offset-reduced Hall sensor, comprising:
- a first tap, a second tap, a third tap, a fourth tap and a fifth tap each configured and arranged to tap or apply voltages and/or currents, where the second and fifth taps are shunted together, and
- a control device to apply a first Hall sensor current through the first tap and the second taps that is spatially displaced relative to the first tap, and sense a first Hall voltage between the third and fourth taps, where the first tap is central with respect to the remaining taps and the third tap is located between the first and second taps, and the fourth tap is located between the first and fifth taps, where
- the control device has a switching device to apply a second Hall sensor current through the third and fourth taps and sense a second Hall voltage between the first and second taps.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.