US 11,885,645 B2
Supply voltage configurable sensor
Alexander Latham, Harvard, MA (US); Evan Shorman, Hooksett, NH (US); and Michael C. Doogue, Bedford, NH (US)
Assigned to Allegro MicroSystems, LLC, Manchester, NH (US)
Filed by Allegro MicroSystems, LLC, Manchester, NH (US)
Filed on Jun. 17, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/350,045.
Prior Publication US 2022/0404182 A1, Dec. 22, 2022
Int. Cl. G01D 18/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01D 18/00 (2013.01) 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sensor comprising:
a sensing element configured to generate a sensing element output signal indicative of a sensed parameter;
a fine sensitivity control block;
a coarse gain selection block;
a coarse offset selection block;
a signal path responsive to the sensing element output signal, wherein the signal path is configured to generate a sensor output signal indicative of the sensed parameter, and wherein the signal path comprises: (i) an amplifier for amplifying the sensing element output signal; (ii) a summation element for applying an offset to the sensing element output signal, and (iii) an output driver for generating the sensor output signal;
a supply voltage detector configured to generate a supply voltage signal indicative of which of a plurality of voltage ranges a supply voltage of the sensor falls within, the supply voltage signal being a digital signal having at least a plurality of states, each of the plurality of states corresponding to a different one of the plurality of voltage ranges; and
a computation block configured to perform a coarse offset adjustment and a coarse gain adjustment on the sensor output signal, the coarse offset adjustment and the coarse gain adjustment being performed based on the supply voltage signal, the coarse offset adjustment and the coarse gain adjustment being performed after a fine sensitivity control is performed on the sensor output signal by the fine sensitivity control block, the coarse offset adjustment and the coarse gain adjustment being performed by providing one or more configuration signals to the coarse gain selection block and the coarse offset selection block thereby causing: (a) the coarse gain selection block to adjust a gain of the amplifier and (b) the coarse offset selection block to adjust the offset that is being applied by the summation element.