Patent · US Expired

Method for the offset calibration of a magnetoresistive angle sensor including at least one wheatstone bridge

US6304074A · kind A · utility

35Cited by
2References
9Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateNov 10, 1999
Grant dateOct 16, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 10, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R33/09
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

For the offset calibration of a magnetoresistive angle sensor for the determination of the directions of magnetic fields, the sensor includes a Wheatstone bridge with at least four magnetoresistive resistors. The Wheatstone bridge receives an input signal at its input side, in particular an input voltage, and supplies an angle signal at its output side, in particular an angle voltage, in dependence on the direction of a magnetic field which acts on the Wheatstone bridge. The Wheatstone bridge includes a first and a second pair of mutually opposed, substantially parallel magnetoresistive resistors, the first and the second pair being arranged substantially at right angles to one another, while the direction of the magnetic field can be determined from the angle signal supplied by the Wheatstone bridge by means of an evaluation circuit. In a first step the Wheatstone bridge is acted upon by a direct magnetic field which is so aligned that it is neither substantially perpendicular to the magnetoresistive resistors of the first pair nor substantially perpendicular to the magnetoresistive resistors of the second pair of the Wheatstone bridge. In a second step the direct magnetic field i…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.