Switch controlled current sensing using a hall effect sensor

A method comprising:

• in an integrated circuit:
• sensing a magnetic field of a controlled current using a Hall sensor in the integrated circuit;
• receiving information from the Hall sensor;
• sampling the information received from the Hall sensor at a frequency sufficiently greater than a frequency of Hall sensor noise voltage to effectively cancel out the Hall sensor noise voltage from the information received from the Hall sensor;
• and
• utilizing the information to determine a time to cause a switch, which controls the controlled current, to conduct.

An apparatus comprising:

• an integrated circuit that includes:
• means for sensing a magnetic field of a controlled current using a Hall sensor in the integrated circuit;
• means for receiving information from the Hall sensor;
• means for sampling the information received from the Hall sensor at a frequency sufficiently greater than a frequency of Hall sensor noise voltage to effectively cancel out the Hall sensor noise voltage from the information received from the Hall sensor;
• and
• means for utilizing the information to determine a time to cause a switch, which controls the controlled current, to conduct.

An apparatus comprising:

• an integrated circuit comprising:
• a Hall sensor configured to sense a magnetic field of a controlled current;
• and
• a controller coupled to the Hall sensor, wherein the controller is configured to:
• sense a voltage V0 from the Hall sensor while the switch is nonconductive (“off”);
• generate a switch control signal at time t1 to cause the switch to conduct (“on”) and the controlled current to flow;
• sense a voltage V1 from the Hall sensor while the switch is conductive;
• and
• determine a time t3 to turn the switch “off” based on a time t2, wherein time t2 is when the sensed voltage V1 plus the sensed voltage V0 equals a target voltage;
• and
• generate the switch control signal at time t3 to turn the switch “off”.

A method comprising:

• in an integrated circuit:
• sensing a magnetic field of a controlled current using a Hall sensor in the integrated circuit;
• sensing a voltage V0 from the Hall sensor while the switch is nonconductive (“off”);
• generating a switch control signal at time t1 to cause the switch to conduct (“on”) and the controlled current to flow;
• sensing a voltage V1 from the Hall sensor while the switch is conductive;
• and
• determining a time t3 to turn the switch “off” based on a time t2, wherein time t2 is when the sensed voltage V1 plus the sensed voltage V0 equals a target voltage;
• and
• generating the switch control signal at time t3 to turn the switch “off”.