Abstract: A current sensor IC includes a lead frame having a die attach pad and elongated leads extending in a single direction with respect to the die attach pad, a semiconductor die having a first surface attached to the die attach pad and a second, opposing surface supporting magnetic field sensing elements, and a non-conductive mold material. A first portion of the mold material encloses the semiconductor die and the die attach pad, a second portion of the mold material encloses a portion of the elongated leads, and the mold material further includes a wing structure between the first portion and the second portion. In assembly, the first portion of the mold material extends into a cutout through a current conductor and the wing structure abuts a surface of the conductor. The current sensor can implement differential sensing based on signals from at least two magnetic field sensing elements.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for a photodetector system including a photodetector having first and second terminals, wherein the photodetector is configured to generate a current in response to light. A first amplifier has a first input coupled to the first terminal of the photodetector to generate a first output voltage signal corresponding to the current generated by the photodetector. A second amplifier has a first input coupled to the second terminal of the photodetector to generate a second output voltage signal corresponding to the current generated by the photodetector. The first and second amplifiers can have different linear ranges to improve the total linear range of the detector system.

Abstract: Auto-calibrating current sensor integrated circuits (ICs) are configured for mounting at a position relative to a conductor. The auto-calibrating current sensor ICs can include a plurality of magnetic field sensing elements disposed at different locations within the integrated circuit, respectively, and can be configured to measure a magnetic field produced by a current carried by the conductor. The auto-calibrating sensors can include an electromagnetic model of the IC and the conductor. The model can be operative to determine a magnetic field at points in space due to a given current in the conductor at a known location of the conductor from the IC, and also the inverse situation of determining an unknown current and/or location of the conductor based on measurements of a magnetic field at known locations in space due to an unknown current in the conductor. Related auto-calibration methods are also described.

Abstract: Magnetic field tampering detection and diagnostic systems are configured to detect a tampering event for an electronic security system or device. The magnetic field tampering detection system can include a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to receive a magnetic field measurement signal from one or more magnetic field sensors configured to detect a magnetic field incident on the security system or device, where the processor is configured to determine when the magnetic field measurement signal corresponds to a tampering event outside of a normal range of operation, and where the processor is configured to generate a response when a tampering event is determined to have occurred. The systems can perform remedial actions in response to detected tampering events.

Abstract: A system, comprising a target, a first receiving coil array, and a second receiving coil array. The target includes: (i) a first array of conductive features that are arranged in a line or arc and separated from one another by voids, and (ii) a second array of conductive features that are arranged in a line or arc and separated from one another by voids, the conductive features in the first array being staggered with respect to the conductive features in the second array.; The first receiving coil array is configured to sense a first magnetic field that is associated with the first array of conductive features. The second receiving coil array is configured to sense a second magnetic field that is associated with the second array of conductive features.

Abstract: A sensor system includes a signal sensing block including at least two sensing elements. Each of the at least two sensing elements is configured to generate an output that represents a first parameter associated with the sensor system. The sensor system also includes a data acquisition block configured to convert the outputs of the at least two sensing elements into digital data to be retrieved by a data retrieval block. The digital data is stored in one or more data registers of the data acquisition block. The sensor system also includes a data freeze block configured to cause the one or more data registers to refrain from updating with new data while the data retrieval block is retrieving the stored digital data.

Abstract: A current sensor system includes a current sensor integrated circuit (IC) and a printed circuit board (PCB) having a ground plane with a feature configured to reduce an eddy current. The current sensor IC includes a lead frame comprising a die attach pad and at least one lead, a semiconductor die having a first surface attached to the die attach pad and a second, opposing surface, at least one magnetic field sensing element supported by the semiconductor die and configured to sense a current in a proximate primary conductor, and a non-conductive mold material enclosing the semiconductor die and a portion of the at least one lead. The PCB ground plane feature can take various forms such as a hole of a dimension larger than the current sensor IC, elongated cuts, or x-shaped cuts.

Abstract: In one aspect, a linear sensor includes at least one magnetoresistance element that includes a first spin valve and a second spin valve positioned on the first spin valve. The first spin valve includes a first set of reference layers having a magnetization direction in a first direction and a first set of free layers having a magnetization direction in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The second spin valve includes a second set of reference layers having a magnetization direction in the first direction and a second set of free layers having a magnetization direction in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and antiparallel to the second direction. The first direction is neither parallel nor antiparallel to a direction of an expected magnetic field.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method includes depositing a capping layer on a semiconductor device structure. The semiconductor device includes a plurality of tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) elements, a corresponding one hard mask on each TMR element, a metal layer, and a plurality of electroconductive vias directing connecting the TMR elements to the metal layer. The method further includes depositing an insulator on the capping layer, depositing a first photoresist on the insulator, patterning the first photoresist using photolithography to expose portions of the insulator, etching the exposed portions of the insulator and the hard masks to expose top surfaces of the TMR elements, stripping the first photoresist, and depositing a conducting material on the top surfaces of the TMR elements to form an electroconductive contact.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for compensating for non-sinusoidal BEMF signals in an electrical motor using amplitudes, phases and orders of BEMF harmonic components and amplitude of 1st harmonic of BEMF of the electrical motor. First and second corrective components for vd and vq of the d-q coordinate system for the motor can be generated from amplitudes of the BEMF harmonic components and the angles of the BEMF harmonic components orders of the BEMF harmonic components and amplitude of 1st harmonic of BEMF.

Abstract: In one aspect, a Hall effect device includes an implantation layer; an epitaxial layer located above the implantation layer; a trench filled with a dielectric material and extending from a top surface of the epitaxial layer into the implantation layer and defining an enclosed region; a buried layer the epitaxial layer from the implantation layer within the enclosed region; and a contact pad located on the epitaxial layer. The trench reduces a current from the contact pad from traveling in a lateral direction orthogonal to a vertical direction and enables the current to travel in the vertical direction.

Abstract: Apparatus includes an ADC configured to convert an analog signal to a digital signal, a comparator having a first input responsive to the analog signal, a second input responsive to the digital signal, and an output at which a comparison signal is provided, and an output checker configured to process the comparison signal to generate a fault signal indicative of whether a fault has occurred in the ADC. The comparator can be an analog comparator in which case the digital signal is converted to an analog signal for the comparison or a digital comparator in which case an additional ADC is provided to convert the analog signal into a digital signal for the comparison. Embodiments include more than one ADC in which case summation elements are provided to sum the analog signals and the digital signals for the comparison.

Abstract: In one aspect, a magnetic field current sensor includes an annihilation detector. The annihilation detector includes an annihilation bridge that includes magnetoresistance elements. The annihilation detector also includes a current bridge that includes at least two of the magnetoresistance elements, a first comparator configured to compare an output signal from the annihilation bridge and a second comparator configured to compare an output signal from the current bridge. An output of the annihilation detector indicates whether an annihilation exists in one or more of the magnetoresistance elements using at least one of the outputs signals of the first and second comparators.

Abstract: Electronic circuits and methods sense an electromagnetic property of a target, and transmit data packets that encode the property along with diagnostic messages while avoiding data loss due to truncation at high sensing speeds. Data address bits may be used to split messages across multiple data packets. Data bits may be combined into a unified header that takes less time to transmit than in prior communication protocols. The transmission duration of each data bit may be lowered, thereby increasing throughput. The receiving system may synchronize its own operation against these shortened data bits, increasing its speed. Error packets may be sent between data packets, thereby reducing time to respond to faults in safety-critical systems. And additional current levels may be used to increase the data information rate.

Abstract: A substrate, comprising one or more first conductive layers, one or more second conductive layers, and a dielectric material that is arranged to encapsulate, at least in part, the first conductive layers and the second conductive layers. The one or more second conductive layers are electrically coupled to the first conductive layers. The first conductive layers and the second conductive layers are arranged to form a conductor. The first conductive layers are arranged to define a first rift in the conductor.

Abstract: A magnetic field sensor includes a lead frame, a passive component, semiconductor die supporting a magnetic field sensing element and attached to the lead frame, a non-conductive mold material enclosing the die and at least a portion of the lead frame, and a ferromagnetic mold material secured to a portion of the non-conductive mold material. The lead frame has a recessed region and the passive component is positioned in the recessed region. The ferromagnetic mold material may comprise a soft ferromagnetic material to form a concentrator or a hard ferromagnetic material to form a bias magnet.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for processing signal return of photons reflected by a target illuminated by laser energy using at least one threshold. Parameters of pulses in the signal return exceeding one or more thresholds can be stored in memory. Example parameters include time of flight (ToF) and a time over threshold (ToT).

Abstract: A method is provided for transmitting a message concurrently with a pulse-encoded signal, the method comprising: assigning an identifier to the message; transmitting an identifier of the message between every two consecutive pulses of the pulse-encoded signal until the whole message is transmitted; transmitting a first portion of a payload of the message between every two consecutive pulses of the pulse-encoded signal until the whole message is transmitted; and transmitting a different part of a second portion of the payload of the message between every two consecutive pulses of the pulse-encoded signal until the whole message is transmitted, wherein the pulse-encoded signal encodes information by varying a frequency of pulses of the pulse-encoded signal, and the message is transmitted over a plurality of transmission periods that are delimited by respective consecutive pulses of the pulse-encoded signal.

Abstract: A magnetic field sensor includes a first coil responsive to a first AC coil drive signal having a first frequency, a magnetic field sensing element responsive to a sensing element drive signal and configured to simultaneously detect a directly coupled magnetic field generated by the first coil and a reflected magnetic field generated by an eddy current induced in a conductive target by the first coil, the conductive target disposed proximate to the magnetic field sensing element, the magnetic field sensing element further configured to generate a magnetic field signal, a second coil responsive to a second AC coil drive signal having a second frequency that is the same as the first frequency and current sensing circuitry configured to measure a magnitude of the second AC coil drive signal that causes the magnetic field signal to be approximately zero.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for extracting temperature information for an array from a signal through first and second contacts based on temperature dependent properties of the a PN junction. An example method includes connecting first and second PN junctions to a bias source to reverse bias the first and second PN junctions, connecting a first contact to the first PN junction, connecting a second contact to N type material forming a junction with P type material of the first PN junction, and extracting temperature information for the first PN junction from a signal through the first and second contacts based on temperature dependent properties of the first PN junction.