Nxp B.v.

Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Michael Hinz

Stefan Butzmann

Thomas Stork

Stefan Pusch

Marcus Weser

Jacobus Adrianus Van Oevelen

Winand Van Sloten

Gunnar Schulz

In order to reduce the dimensions of the mechanical components and the number and size of the sensory and electronic components in an arrangement comprising a magnetic-field-dependent angle sensor which is effectively connected to a magnetic transmitter which is arranged such that it can rotate with respect to the angle sensor, while maintaining or improving the resolution of the output signal, the angle sensor is formed by at least one magnetoelectric converter, the electrical properties of which are dependent on the magnetic field strength but independent of the polarity of the magnetic field acting on the at least one converter. The magnetic field strength is selected such that the at least one converter is controlled in saturation.

Arrangement comprising a magnetic-field-dependent angle sensor

A phase detection system () comprises an input terminal (), first and second peak detectors (), an averaging unit (), an offset unit (), and a comparator (). Input terminal () is coupled to the first and to the second peak detectors () and provides an input signal to phase detection system (). Averaging unit () is coupled between offset unit () and both the first peak detector and the second peak detector (), and generates an intermediate signal. Offset unit () is coupled to input terminal () and generates two comparable signals by applying a predetermined offset in signal strength to the input signal or the intermediate signal. The comparator () is coupled to the offset unit () and generates an output signal by comparing the two comparable signals which is indicative of the phase of the input signal.

Phase detector system

According to an example embodiment, there is a magneto-resistive (MR) sensor having an operation mode and a test mode. The MR sensors comprise a first plurality of first MR elements and a second plurality of second MR elements. A first signal processing unit is connected to the first plurality of first MR elements for generating a first output signal; the first output signal has a first phase. As second signal processing unit is connected to the second plurality of second MR elements for generating a second output signal; the second output signal has a second phase. There is a third signal processing unit or processing the first and second output signals; the third signal processing unit is adapted to activate one of the operation mode and the test mode on the basis of the first and second output signals. When the first and second plurality of first and second MR elements are exposed to a homogeneous magnetic field, the third signal processing unit is adapted to activate the test mode.

Magneto-resistive sensor with test mode activation

What is described is a magnetoresistive sensor for operation with a magnetized encoder, which is equipped with a zone with magnetic north and south poles arranged alternately along a direction of motion, comprising a Wheatstone bridge configuration with a first bridge arm between a first supply terminal and a first signal output terminal of the Wheatstone bridge configuration, a second bridge arm between the first supply terminal and a second signal output terminal of the Wheatstone bridge configuration, a third bridge arm between a second supply terminal and the first signal output terminal of the Wheatstone bridge configuration, and a fourth bridge arm between the second supply terminal and the second signal output terminal of the Wheatstone bridge configuration, wherein each of the bridge arms comprises an ohmic resistance element with a resistance-value dependence on the magnetic field strength of a magnetic field influencing the ohmic resistance element in accordance with a defined characteristic. For a further reduction in the spatial dimensions, the characteristics of the ohmic resistance elements in the first and fourth bridge arms are selected to be at least essentially matching with each other and significantly different from the characteristics, selected to be at least essentially matching with each other, of the ohmic resistance elements in the second and third bridge arms.

Magnetoresistive sensor

What is described is a configuration for determining the position of a body along a movement direction, wherein the body is in the form of a magnetized encoder with two magnetic tracks extending, on one surface of the body, along the movement direction, at least essentially in parallel with one another, wherein, at specified intervals along the movement direction, a first of the magnetic tracks exhibits magnetized sections in which the magnetic north poles are aligned so as to be at least largely coincident in a magnetization direction that is essentially at right-angles to the surface of the body, and wherein, at intervals specified to coincide with the above-mentioned intervals along the movement coordinate, the second of the magnetic tracks exhibits magnetized sections in which the magnetic south poles are aligned so as to be at least largely coincident in the said magnetization direction, and wherein, in each case, a magnetized section of one of the magnetic tracks is located at least largely centrally in relation to a gap between two magnetized sections of the other magnetic track, with a magnetoresistive sensor, in the form of an angle sensor, which is arranged above the magnetic tracks, for determining the directions of magnetic fields brought about by the magnetized sections of the magnetic tracks in an area extending along the movement coordinate, essentially in parallel with the surface of the body. By virtue of the invention, a simple configuration for the precise determination of the position of a body along a movement direction is created, wherein this configuration does not necessarily have to be affixed centrally upstream of the head of the body.

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Hamburg, Germany

Michael Hinz