Patents Assigned to MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES
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Patent number: 11852555Abstract: A magnetic field sensor arrangement for determining a signal magnetic flux in a manner which is substantially strayfield immune, comprises: a signal magnetic field source; a first and second magnetic flux concentrator forming an air gap between exterior faces of the magnetic flux concentrators; the flux concentrators being configured for guiding a signal magnetic flux to and across the air gap in a gap direction; a magnetic field sensor arranged inside the air gap, and configured for measuring a first and second signal in the gap direction and perpendicular to the gap direction; and for reducing or eliminating an magnetic disturbance field based on the first and second signal. An angle sensor arrangement. A torque sensor. A method of measuring a signal flux, an angle, a torque in a substantially strayfield immune manner.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 2020Date of Patent: December 26, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES SAInventor: Javier Bilbao De Mendizabal
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Patent number: 11849650Abstract: A sensor device comprising: a lead frame; a first/second semiconductor die having a first/second sensor structure at a first/second sensor location, and a plurality of first/second bond pads electrically connected to the lead frame; the semiconductor dies having a square or rectangular shape with a geometric center; the sensor locations are offset from the geometrical centers; the second die is stacked on top of the first die, and is rotated by a non-zero angle and optionally also offset or shifted with respect to the first die, such that a perpendicular projection of the first and second sensor location coincide.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2020Date of Patent: December 19, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES SAInventors: Arnaud Laville, Eric Lahaye, Jian Chen
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Patent number: 11846687Abstract: A method of determining a gradient of a magnetic field, includes the steps of: biasing a first/second magnetic sensor with a first/second biasing signal; measuring and amplifying a first/second magnetic sensor signal; measuring a temperature and/or a stress difference; adjusting at least one of: the second biasing signal, the second amplifier gain, the amplified and digitized second sensor value using a predefined function f(T) or f(T, ??) or f(??) of the measured temperature and/or the measured differential stress before determining a difference between the first/second signal/value derived from the first/second sensor signal. A magnetic sensor device is configured for performing this method, as well as a current sensor device, and a position sensor device.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2022Date of Patent: December 19, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES SAInventors: Nicolas Dupre, Yves Bidaux
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Patent number: 11828827Abstract: A magnetic sensor device comprises a substrate. A first magnetic sensor, a second magnetic sensor, and one or more inductors are disposed over the substrate and are controlled by a magnetic sensor controller having a control circuit. The control circuit is adapted for controlling the first magnetic sensor to measure magnetic fields under presence of a first set of magnetic fields, and for controlling the second magnetic sensor to measure magnetic fields under presence of a second set of magnetic fields generated by the inductors. The control circuit calculates a relative sensitivity matching value that converts magnetic field values measured by the second magnetic sensor to a comparable magnetic field value measured by the first magnetic sensor or vice versa.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2022Date of Patent: November 28, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES NVInventors: Samuel Huber Lindenberger, Javier Bilbao De Mendizabal
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Patent number: 11815452Abstract: A gas sensor device (100) is configured to measure a predetermined gas of interest and comprises an enclosure (101) comprising a semiconductor substrate (102) and defining a first cavity (124), an optically transmissive second closed cavity (126) and a third cavity (128). The second cavity (126) is interposed between the first and third cavities (124, 128). The first cavity (124) comprises an inlet port (130) for receiving a gas under test, an outlet port (132) for venting the gas under test. The first cavity (124) also comprises an optical source (112) and a measurement sensor (114). The second cavity (126) is configured as a gaseous filter comprising a volume of the gas of interest sealingly disposed in the second cavity (126), and the third cavity (128) comprises a reference measurement sensor (116) disposed therein.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2020Date of Patent: November 14, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES NVInventors: Wouter Leten, Joris Roels, Xiaoning Jia, Roeland Baets, Gunther Roelkens
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Patent number: 11815533Abstract: A current sensor system for accurately measuring an AC electrical current having frequencies up to 2 kHz, the system comprising: an electrical conductor (e.g. busbar) for conducting said AC current thereby creating a first magnetic field; a magnetic sensor device for measuring a magnetic field component or gradient; an object (e.g. a metal plate) having an electrically conductive surface arranged in the vicinity of said conductor for allowing eddy currents to flow in said surface, thereby creating a second magnetic field which is superimposed with the first magnetic field; wherein the magnetic sensor device is configured for determining the current as a signal or value proportional to the measured component or gradient. The metal plate may have an opening. The current sensor system may further comprise a shielding.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 2021Date of Patent: November 14, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES SAInventor: Simon Houis
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Patent number: 11802962Abstract: A method for multipath error compensation comprises an unstructured light source (142) illuminating a scene during a plurality of consecutive time frames. A structured light source (144) illuminates the scene concurrently, the illumination by the structured source (144) occurring during predetermined frames of the plurality of consecutive time frames. An array of photodetectors (102) each generate a set of signals in response to irradiation with light reflected from the scene according to an indirect time of flight calculation technique to yield a plurality of sets of signals. An error estimate is derived (130) from the plurality of sets of signals generated during a selected time frame of the plurality of consecutive time frames when structured illumination takes place and another time frame temporally about the selected time frame when both structured and unstructured illumination takes place. The error estimate is applied in a range calculation with respect to the scene.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2020Date of Patent: October 31, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES NVInventor: Volodymyr Seliuchenko
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Patent number: 11796305Abstract: A position sensor system for determining a position of a sensor device relative to a magnetic structure, the system comprising: said magnetic structure comprising a plurality of non-equidistant poles; said sensor device comprising at least three magnetic sensors spaced apart over predefined distances; and the sensor device being adapted for: a) measuring at least three in-plane magnetic field components, and for calculating two in-plane field gradients therefrom; b) measuring at least three out-of-plane magnetic field components, and for calculating two out-of-plane field gradients therefrom; c) calculating a coarse signal based on these gradients; d) calculating a fine signal based on these gradients; e) determining said position based on the coarse signal and the fine signal.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 2022Date of Patent: October 24, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES SAInventor: Yves Bidaux
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Patent number: 11796572Abstract: A current sensor system has a conductor and a packaged integrated circuit for sensing a current in the conductor. The conductor is external to the packaged integrated circuit. The packaged integrated circuit includes a substrate having an active surface and a back surface; one or more magnetic sensing elements; a processing circuit arranged to process signals received from the one or more magnetic sensing elements to derive an output signal indicative of a sensed current in the conductor; a housing; a plurality of leads; electrical connections between the leads and the active surface. The back surface of the substrate is disposed on a support formed by at least two inner lead portions of the plurality of leads and the active side of the substrate is oriented towards the outer ends of the outer lead portions of the leads in a direction perpendicular to a plane defined by the support.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 2021Date of Patent: October 24, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES SAInventors: Lucian Barbut, Simon Houis, Lionel Tombez, Tim Vangerven
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Patent number: 11796573Abstract: A current sensor system for measuring an AC electrical current, includes: a busbar having a beam shaped portion having a length and a width; a sensor device comprising two sensor elements spaced apart from each other in the width direction of the beam shaped portion. The sensor device is configured for measuring a magnetic field difference or a magnetic field gradient, and for determining the AC current based on said difference or gradient.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2022Date of Patent: October 24, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES SAInventor: Simon Houis
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Patent number: 11797043Abstract: A magnetic sensor system includes an integrated circuit comprising a semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor substrate has a plurality of magnetic sensors configured for measuring at least two first magnetic field components oriented in a first direction, and for measuring at least two second magnetic field components oriented in a second direction; a permanent magnet movable relative to the integrated circuit and configured for generating a magnetic field. A processing circuit is configured for determining at least two physical quantities related to a position of the magnet, using a predefined algorithm based on the measured first and second magnetic field components or values derived therefrom, as inputs, and that uses a plurality of at least eight constants which are determined using machine learning. A force sensor system, a joystick or thumbstick system, and a method may use the magnetic sensor system.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 2022Date of Patent: October 24, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES SAInventors: Gael Close, Nicolas Dupre, Théo Le Signor
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Patent number: 11796609Abstract: An integrated sensor device includes: a semiconductor substrate comprising a horizontal Hall element, and an integrated magnetic flux concentrator located substantially above said horizontal Hall element, wherein the first magnetic flux concentrator has a shape with a geometric center which is aligned with a geometric centre of the horizontal Hall element; and wherein the shape has a height H and a transversal dimension D, wherein H?30 ?m and/or wherein (H/D)?25%. The integrated magnetic flux concentrator may be partially incorporated in the “interconnection stack”. A method is provided for producing such an integrated sensor device.Type: GrantFiled: October 20, 2021Date of Patent: October 24, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES SAInventors: Yves Bidaux, Lionel Tombez
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Patent number: 11788866Abstract: A position sensor device comprising two or more magnetic sensors capable of measuring one or two or three orthogonal magnetic field components at various sensor locations; and a processing circuit for determining a first, a second and a third difference of two respective components, and for determining a first ratio of the first and second difference, and determining and outputting a first angle based on this first ratio; and for determining a second ratio of the first and third difference, for optionally determining a second angle, optionally comparing the two angles or the two ratios; and for outputting at least one of: the second angle, the two ratios, a diagnostic signal based on a comparison of the angles or ratios.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2022Date of Patent: October 17, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES SAInventors: Lionel Tombez, Yves Bidaux, Gael Close
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Patent number: 11789092Abstract: A method of magnetic sensing uses at least two magnetic sensing elements including a first and a second magnetic sensor element. The method includes: a) measuring in a first configuration a combination of the first and second signal obtained from both sensors; b) measuring in a second configuration an individual signal obtained from the first sensor only; c) testing a consistency of the combined signal and the individual signal, or testing a consistency of signals derived therefrom, in order to detect an error. A sensor device is configured for performing this method. A sensor system includes the sensor device and optionally a second processor connected thereto.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2022Date of Patent: October 17, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES SAInventors: Zsombor Lazar, Mathieu Poezart, Lionel Tombez
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Patent number: 11785865Abstract: A method of producing a semiconductor substrate comprising at least one integrated magnetic flux concentrator, comprising the steps of: a) providing a semiconductor substrate having an upper surface; b) making at least one cavity in said upper surface; c) depositing one or more layers of one or more materials, including sputtering at least one layer of a soft magnetic material; d) removing substantially all of the soft magnetic material that is situated outside of the at least one cavity, while leaving at least a portion of the soft magnetic material that is inside said at least one cavity. A semiconductor substrate comprising at least one integrated magnetic flux concentrator. A sensor device or a sensor system, a current sensor device or system, a position sensor device or system, a proximity sensor device or system, an integrated transformer device or system.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2021Date of Patent: October 10, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES SAInventors: Appo Van Der Wiel, Yves Bidaux, Lionel Tombez
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Patent number: 11747369Abstract: A current sensor arrangement for measuring an AC electrical current, comprising: an electrical conductor having three transverse rectangular cut-outs; a sensor device comprising two sensor elements spaced apart along a first direction for measuring two magnetic field components oriented in said first direction, and configured for determining a magnetic field difference or magnetic field gradient, and for determining the AC current based on said difference or gradient. The sensor device is positioned at a particular location relative to the second cut-out, such that the magnetic field difference or gradient is substantially proportional to the AC current for frequencies from 100 Hz to 2 kHz. A current sensor system. A method of measuring an AC current with improved accuracy.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 2021Date of Patent: September 5, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES SAInventor: Simon Houis
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Patent number: 11738610Abstract: A detection system for extracting information from a sensor module in a rolling wheel comprises: a sensor module which comprises a sensor adapted for sensing a physical property of the tire when mounted in a tire of the wheel or on an inner surface of a tire of the wheel; an acquisition module adapted for sampling a signal from the sensor module, thus obtaining a sequence of data samples; a correlation module adapted for cross-correlating a signed reference sequence with the sequence of data samples thus obtaining a correlation sequence; an extraction module adapted for identifying at least one perturbation in the correlation sequence, wherein the perturbation is induced when a part of the tire where the sensor is mounted hits the ground thereby forming the tire patch.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2020Date of Patent: August 29, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES SAInventor: Jeremie Chabloz
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Patent number: 11740263Abstract: A current sensor system for measuring an AC electrical current, comprising: a busbar having a thickness and a width; a sensor device comprising two sensor elements spaced apart along a first direction for measuring two magnetic field components oriented in a second direction; the sensor device configured for determining a magnetic field difference, and for determining the AC current based on said difference. The sensor device is positioned relative to the busbar such that a reference point in the middle between the two sensor elements is located at a first distance from a side of the busbar from 70% to 110% or from 70% to 95% of the width of the busbar and is located at a second distance from 0.5 to 4.0 mm from the busbar.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2021Date of Patent: August 29, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES SAInventor: Simon Houis
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Patent number: 11733318Abstract: A sensor package comprises a non-conductive substrate, at least two electrically conductive coils located at a first side of the non-conductive substrate, an evaluation circuit located at a second side of the non-conductive substrate opposing the first side of the non-conductive substrate and conductive connections between the at least two electrically conductive coils and the evaluation circuit.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 2019Date of Patent: August 22, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES SAInventors: Vincent Hiligsmann, Wolfram Kluge, David Ihle, Jian Chen, Jorg Rudiger, Sascha Beyer
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Patent number: 11729516Abstract: A method of digitally processing an image comprises: generating an intensity distribution model (170) in respect of at least a portion of the array of sensing pixels (102) of a detector device (100). The array of sensing pixels comprises clusters of pixels. A pixel (140) from the array of sensing pixels is then selected (202) and a first distance and a second distance from the selected pixel to a first neighbouring pixel (142) and a second neighbouring pixel (144), respectively, are determined (402) and the intensity distribution model (170) referenced (406) by the first distance is used to calculate a first weight and a second weight to apply to the first and second neighbouring pixels, respectively. The first distance comprises an intra-cluster distance and the second distance comprises an inter-cluster distance, the intra-cluster distance being different from the inter-cluster distance.Type: GrantFiled: February 9, 2022Date of Patent: August 15, 2023Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES NVInventors: Wouter Reusen, Adrian Hill, Luc Buydens