Magnetic field sensor for sensing a proximity and/or a location of an object

• Main Authors: Vig, Ravi, David, Paul A
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 26.02.2019
• Subjects: ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVEREDIN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT; MEASURING; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS; MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEARDIMENSIONS; MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION,OR SHOCK; MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PHYSICS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; TESTING

A back-biased magnetic field sensor can have one or more vertical Hall effect elements arranged within a substrate region of a substrate, wherein magnetic fields are oriented substantially vertical to the substrate within the substrate region when a ferromagnetic object is not proximate. When the ferromagnetic object becomes proximate, the magnetic field sensor can sense at least the proximity, and, in some embodiments, can also localize a position of the ferromagnetic object relative to the magnetic field sensor.