Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species B (i.e., Figure 2A and claims 1-8 and 17-24) in the reply filed on 2/27/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 9-16 and 25 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species A and C there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 2/27/2026.
Therefore, claims 1-8 and 17-24 have been examined on the merits in this Office action.
Claim status
Claims 1-25 are pending.
Claims 9-16 and 25 are withdrawn.
Claims 1-8 and 17-24 have been examined on the merits.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-8, 18 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “the gain adjustment signal is generated based on a map that maps each of a plurality of values of the second magnetic field signal to a respective value of the gain adjustment signal.” The meaning of the language “the gain adjustment signal is generated based on a map that maps each of a plurality of values of the second magnetic field signal” is unclear. It is not clear how the map is created and what values are used for the map and how the values are obtained. It is not clear how the gain adjustment signal is generated based on the map. How the map is used and from where the map is created is not clear. Therefore, the claim limitation is not clear.
For purposes of the present examination the limitation “map that maps each of a plurality…...” is construed to mean as the gain valued are changed when the magnetic field changes and the relationship is considered as the map.
Clarification is required so that the scope of the claim is clear.
Claims 2-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite by virtue of its dependence from claim 1.
Claims 18 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, because of the same reason as stated above for claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 17 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Rubinsztain et al. (Hereinafter, “Rubinsztain”) in the US Patent Application Publication Number US 20220317161 A1.
Regarding claim 17, Rubinsztain teaches a device (A sensor includes: a reference magnetic field generator configured to generate a reference magnetic field that is modulated at a first frequency (Abstract); FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of a sensor 100; Paragraph [0016] Line 1; FIG. 4A is a diagram of an example of a sensor 400; Paragraph [0075] Line 1), comprising:
a magnetic field sensor [120A] (first channel 120A as the magnetic field sensor) (FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of a sensor 100, according to aspects of the disclosure. The sensor 100 may include a magnetic field generator 110, a first channel 120A; Paragraph [0016] Line 1-3) including:
(i) one or more first magnetic field sensing elements [122A]/[418A in Figure 4A] (a sensing unit 122A of the first channel 120A; Paragraph [0017] Line 3-4) arranged to produce a first magnetic field signal [123 A] (The sensing unit 122A may be configured to generate a signal 123A; Paragraph [0018] Line 6-7) in response to a magnetic field (a sensor is provided comprising: a reference magnetic field generator configured to generate a reference magnetic field; Paragraph [0002] Line 1-3),
(ii) a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) [124A]/420A (The first channel 120A may include the sensing unit 122A, an amplifier 124A (as the programmable gain amplifier); Paragraph [0018] Line 1-2; The gain adjustment circuit 130 may be configured to correct for sensitivity mismatch between the sensing units 122A and 122B by adjusting the gain of at least one of the amplifiers 124A and 124B; Paragraph [0020] Line 1-4; The gain of the amplifier 124A is adjusted by the gain adjustment unit 130 and therefore the amplifier 124A functions as a programmable gain amplifier) that is configured to amplify the first magnetic field signal [123A] to produce an amplified signal [125B] (The amplifier 124B may be configured to amplify the signal 123B to produce a signal 125B; Paragraph [0019] Line 7-9; Figure 1: Modified Figure 1 of Rubinsztain above), and
(iii) a first circuitry [126A] (signal processing circuit 126A as the first circuitry)/430A (The first channel 120A may include the sensing unit 122A, an amplifier 124A, and a signal processing circuit 126A; Paragraph [0018] Line 1-3) that is configured to generate an output signal [OUT_1] based on the amplified signal [125A] ( The signal processing circuit 126A may be configured to process the signal 125A to produce an output signal OUT_1; Paragraph [0018] Line 9-11); and
a compensation circuit [120B] (second channel 120B as the compensation circuit) (FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of a sensor 100, according to aspects of the disclosure. The sensor 100 may include a magnetic field generator 110, a first channel 120A, a second channel 120B; Paragraph [0016] Line 1-4; Channel 2 as the compensation circuit as it compensates the gain) including:
(i) one or more second magnetic field sensing elements [122B]/418B (The second channel 120B may include a sensing unit 122B; Paragraph [0019] Line 1-2) that are arranged to produce a second magnetic field signal [123B] in response to the magnetic field (The sensing unit 122B may be configured to generate a signal 123B. The amplifier 124B may be configured to amplify the signal 123B to produce a signal 125B; Paragraph [0019] Line 6-9), and
(ii) a second circuitry [124B+130+126B] in Figure 1/[420B+430B+440 +450] in Figure 4A (The second channel 120B may include a sensing unit 122B, an amplifier 124B, and a signal processing circuit 126B; Paragraph [0019] Line 1-3; a gain adjustment circuit 130; Paragraph [0016] Line 4; an amplifier 124B, and a signal processing circuit 126B and a gain adjustment circuit 130 is considered as the second circuitry in Figure 1 or an amplifier 420B, and a signal processing circuit 430B and a gain adjustment circuit 440 and gain code generator 450 is considered as the second circuitry in Figure 4) that is configured to adjust a gain of the PGA [124A] based on the second magnetic field signal [122B] (The gain adjustment circuit 130 may be configured to correct for sensitivity mismatch between the sensing units 122A and 122B by adjusting the gain of at least one of the amplifiers 124A and 124B. More particularly, the gain adjustment circuit 130 may be configured generate a gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ based on a difference of the signals 125A and 125B; Paragraph [0020] Line 1-7; The gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be a differential signal having a first component and a second component. The first component of the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be used to adjust the gain of the amplifier 124A: Paragraph [0020] Line 7-11), thereby causing a gain of the PGA to be increased or decreased based on a strength of the magnetic field at a location of the one or more second magnetic field sensing elements (FIG. 4C is a state diagram providing an example of one aspect of the operation of the sensor 400. As illustrated, at any given time of its operation, the sensor 400 may be in one of a calibration state 450A and an operating state 450B. When the sensor 400 is in the calibration state 450A: (i) the magnetic field generator 410 generates a reference magnetic field, (ii) the gain adjustment circuit generates a gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ, (iii) the gain code generator generates a first gain code and a second gain code, (iv) the first gain code is used to control the gain of the first amplifier 420A, and (v) the second gain code is used to control the gain of the second amplifier 420B; Paragraph [0091] Line 1-1-12; The gain code generator 450 may include a window comparator 452,……. A digital sample may fall within a particular range if the digital sample is greater than or equal to the lower bound of the range and less than or equal to the upper bound of the range. The gain code processor 456 may retrieve the contents of the accumulator register 454 and generate a first gain control code and a second gain control code. The first gain control code may be digitized to produce a gain control signal GC_1 and the second gain control code may be converted to analog form to produce a second gain control signal GC_2. The first gain control signal GC_1 may be applied at a gain control terminal of the first amplifier 420A and used to set the gain of the first amplifier 420A. The second gain control signal GC_2 may be applied at a gain control terminal of the second amplifier 420B and used to set the gain of the second amplifier 420B; Paragraph [0089] Line 1-32; In some implementations, the first gain control code and the second gain control code may be complementary, meaning that when one increases, the other one may decrease. Additionally or alternatively, in some implementations, the first gain control code may be based on the value that is stored in the accumulator register 454 and the second gain control code may be based on the difference between the value that is stored in the accumulator register 454 and the maximum value that can be stored in the accumulator register 454; Paragraph [0090] Line 1-10; therefore, a gain of the PGA causes to be increased or decreased based on a strength of the magnetic field at a location of the one or more second magnetic field sensing elements).
Regarding claim 21, Rubinsztain teaches a device, wherein:
each of the first magnetic field sensing elements [122A]/ [418A] includes one of a Hall effect element, a giant magnetoresistor (GMR), or a tunnel magnetoresistor (TMR) (The sensing unit 122A may include one or more Hall elements. For example, the sensing unit 122A may include a chopper-stabilized bridge circuit (e.g., a Wheatstone bridge) that is formed of Hall elements; Paragraph [0018] Line 3-6), and
each of the second magnetic field sensing elements [122B]/[418B] includes one of a Hall effect element, a giant magnetoresistor (GMR), or a tunnel magnetoresistor (TMR) (The sensing unit 122B may include one or more Hall elements. For example, the sensing unit 122B may include a chopper-stabilized bridge circuit (e.g., a Wheatstone bridge) that is formed of Hall elements; Paragraph [0019] Line 3-6).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-8, 18-20 and 22-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rubinsztain et al. (Hereinafter, “Rubinsztain”) in the US Patent Application Publication Number US 20220317161 A1 in view of Latham et al. (Hereinafter, “Latham”) in the US Patent Application Publication Number US 20170336481 A1.
Regarding claim 1, Rubinsztain teaches a device (A sensor includes: a reference magnetic field generator configured to generate a reference magnetic field that is modulated at a first frequency (Abstract); FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of a sensor 100; Paragraph [0016] Line 1; FIG. 4A is a diagram of an example of a sensor 400; Paragraph [0075] Line 1), comprising:
a magnetic field sensor [120A] (first channel 120A as the magnetic field sensor) (FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of a sensor 100, according to aspects of the disclosure. The sensor 100 may include a magnetic field generator 110, a first channel 120A; Paragraph [0016] Line 1-3) including:
(i) one or more first magnetic field sensing elements [122A]/[418A in Figure 4A] (a sensing unit 122A of the first channel 120A; Paragraph [0017] Line 3-4) arranged to produce a first magnetic field signal [123 A] (The sensing unit 122A may be configured to generate a signal 123A; Paragraph [0018] Line 6-7) in response to a magnetic field (a sensor is provided comprising: a reference magnetic field generator configured to generate a reference magnetic field; Paragraph [0002] Line 1-3),
(ii) a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) [124A]/420A (The first channel 120A may include the sensing unit 122A, an amplifier 124A (as the programmable gain amplifier); Paragraph [0018] Line 1-2; The gain adjustment circuit 130 may be configured to correct for sensitivity mismatch between the sensing units 122A and 122B by adjusting the gain of at least one of the amplifiers 124A and 124B; Paragraph [0020] Line 1-4; The gain of the amplifier 124A is adjusted by the gain adjustment unit 130 and therefore the amplifier 124A functions as a programmable gain amplifier) that is configured to amplify the first magnetic field signal [123A] to produce an amplified signal [125B] (The amplifier 124B may be configured to amplify the signal 123B to produce a signal 125B; Paragraph [0019] Line 7-9; Figure 1: Modified Figure 1 of Rubinsztain below), and
(iii) a first circuitry [126A] (signal processing circuit 126A as the first circuitry)/430A (The first channel 120A may include the sensing unit 122A, an amplifier 124A, and a signal processing circuit 126A; Paragraph [0018] Line 1-3) that is configured to generate an output signal [OUT_1] based on the amplified signal [125A] ( The signal processing circuit 126A may be configured to process the signal 125A to produce an output signal OUT_1; Paragraph [0018] Line 9-11); and
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Figure 1: Modified Figure 1 of Rubinsztain
a compensation circuit [120B] (second channel 120B as the compensation circuit) (FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of a sensor 100, according to aspects of the disclosure. The sensor 100 may include a magnetic field generator 110, a first channel 120A, a second channel 120B; Paragraph [0016] Line 1-4; Channel 2 as the compensation circuit as it compensates the gain) including:
(i) one or more second magnetic field sensing elements [122B]/418B (The second channel 120B may include a sensing unit 122B; Paragraph [0019] Line 1-2) that are arranged to produce a second magnetic field signal [123B] in response to the magnetic field (The sensing unit 122B may be configured to generate a signal 123B. The amplifier 124B may be configured to amplify the signal 123B to produce a signal 125B; Paragraph [0019] Line 6-9), and
(ii) a second circuitry [124B+130+126B] in Figure 1/[420B+430B+440 +450] in Figure 4A (The second channel 120B may include a sensing unit 122B, an amplifier 124B, and a signal processing circuit 126B; Paragraph [0019] Line 1-3; a gain adjustment circuit 130; Paragraph [0016] Line 4; an amplifier 124B, and a signal processing circuit 126B and a gain adjustment circuit 130 is considered as the second circuitry in Figure 1 or an amplifier 420B, and a signal processing circuit 430B and a gain adjustment circuit 440 and gain code generator 450 is considered as the second circuitry in Figure 4) that is configured to generate a gain adjustment signal [GAIN_ADJ] based on the second magnetic field signal [123B-125B] (The gain adjustment circuit 130 may be configured to correct for sensitivity mismatch between the sensing units 122A and 122B by adjusting the gain of at least one of the amplifiers 124A and 124B. More particularly, the gain adjustment circuit 130 may be configured generate a gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ based on a difference of the signals 125A and 125B; Paragraph [0020] Line 1-7),
the second circuitry [124B+130+126B] being configured to apply the gain adjustment signal [GAIN_ADJ] at a control terminal of the PGA [124A] (The gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be a differential signal having a first component and a second component. The first component of the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be used to adjust the gain of the amplifier 124A: Paragraph [0020] Line 7-11).
wherein the gain adjustment signal is generated based on a map (FIG. 4C is a state diagram providing an example of one aspect of the operation of the sensor 400. As illustrated, at any given time of its operation, the sensor 400 may be in one of a calibration state 450A and an operating state 450B. When the sensor 400 is in the calibration state 450A: (i) the magnetic field generator 410 generates a reference magnetic field, (ii) the gain adjustment circuit generates a gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ, (iii) the gain code generator generates a first gain code and a second gain code, (iv) the first gain code is used to control the gain of the first amplifier 420A, and (v) the second gain code is used to control the gain of the second amplifier 420B. According to the example of FIGS. 4A-C, the first and second gain codes are used to correct for a sensitivity mismatch between the first Hall-effect sensing unit 418A and the second Hall-effect sensing unit 418B by adjusting the respective gains of amplifiers 420A and 420B. When the sensor 400 is in the operating state 250A: (i) the sensor 400 senses an external magnetic field, and (ii) generates output signals OUT_X and OUT_Y based on the external magnetic field; Paragraph [0091] Line 1-20; first gain code and the second gain code is considered as the map as claim does not specifically mentioned what is a map and which limitation is represented in the map and therefore first gain code and second gain code is considered as the map as it maps the output signals OUT_X and OUT_Y based on the gain code);
the map being implemented by the second circuitry (FIG. 4A is a diagram of an example of a sensor 400, according to aspects of the disclosure. The sensor 400 may include a magnetic field generator 410, a first Hall-effect sensing unit 418A and a second Hall-effect sensing unit 418B, amplifiers 420A-B, signal processing circuits 430A-B, a gain adjustment circuit 440, and a gain code generator 450; Paragraph [0075] Line 1-7; An amplifier 420B, and a signal processing circuit 430B and a gain adjustment circuit 440 and gain code generator 450 is considered as the second circuitry in Figure 4A and the map as the gain code is generated by the gain code generator which is part of the second circuitry).
Rubinsztain fails to teach wherein that the map maps each of a plurality of values of the second magnetic field signal to a respective value of the gain adjustment signal, and wherein the magnetic field sensor and the compensation circuit are disposed in a same package.
Latham teaches magnetic field sensors and, more particularly, to magnetic field sensors having circuitry to sense and adjust a sensitivity of the magnetic field sensors to a magnetic field (Paragraph [0001] Line 1-4), wherein
the map maps each of a plurality of values of the second magnetic field signal to a respective value of the gain adjustment signal (A 2D or 3D magnetic field sensor may include a coil structure to generate a magnetic field on magnetic field sensing elements configured to sense fields in multiple respective axes. The coil structure can be used to equalize the gains of the magnetic field sensing elements. By forcing current through the coil and monitoring the outputs of each sensing element, the ratio of the gains of the sensing elements can be determined. The measured gain ratios can be compared with reference gain ratios (e.g., ratios fixed by the geometry of the magnetic field sensor structure) and the result of the comparison used to adjust the gain of the sensing elements or of the resulting magnetic field signals to equalize gain. This process can be repeated over time to maintain gain equalization in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity; Paragraph [0006] Line 1-14; In a second step, the measurement-comparison processor 414 may compare the measured gains G.sub.1, G.sub.2, . . . G.sub.N (which, as indicated above, may be absolute gains or relative gains) to reference gains in order to calculate the gain adjustment values K.sub.1, K.sub.2, . . . , K.sub.N. The reference gains may be stored within memory 412. In some embodiments, the reference gains may include N absolute gains (herein denoted R.sub.1, R.sub.2, . . . R.sub.N), one for each of the N sensing elements 402. The absolute reference gains R.sub.1, R.sub.2, . . . R.sub.N can be directly compared to respective ones of the measured gains G.sub.1, G.sub.2, . . . G.sub.N. For example, the ith gain adjustment value may be calculated as K.sub.i=R.sub.i/G.sub.i. In other embodiments, the reference gains may include relative gains between two or more of the sensing elements 402. The relative reference gains may be expressed as ratios, where the relative reference gain between the ith and jth sensing elements is herein denoted R.sub.i:j. Here, the measurement-comparison processor 414 may select adjustment values K.sub.1, K.sub.2, . . . , K.sub.N such that the ratio of measured gains multiplied by the respective gain adjustment values equals the reference ratios; Paragraph [0081] Line 1-20; Map is created by different gain adjustment signal by different magnetic field of the magnetic field sensing element), and
wherein the magnetic field sensor and the compensation circuit are disposed in a same package (Magnetic field sensors employ a variety of types of magnetic field sensing elements, for example, Hall effect elements and magnetoresistance elements, often coupled to a variety of electronics, all supported by a common substrate; Paragraph [0002] Line 1-5; Referring to FIG. 2, a structure 200 may be used for three-dimensional (3D) magnetic field sensing, according to one embodiment. The structure 200 may include three magnetic field sensing elements (or “sensing elements”) 202a, 202b, 202c and a coil structure 204. In some embodiments, the structure 200 may be provided as an integrated circuit (IC) substrate; Paragraph [0047] Line 1-7; Paragraph [0054]). The purpose of doing so is to maintain gain equalization in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity, to extract a reference signal and an external signal from each of the plurality of magnetic field sensing element output signals, to measure a gain of each of the plurality of reference signals, to compare the measured gains to the reference gains, and to adjust the gain of the external signals based on the comparing, to support the magnetic field sensing element.
It would have obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Rubinsztain in view of Latham to include each of a plurality of values of the second magnetic field signal to a respective value of the gain adjustment signal, and to dispose the magnetic field sensor and the compensation circuit in a same package, because Latham teaches to include each of a plurality of values of the magnetic field signal to a respective value of the gain adjustment signal, and to dispose the magnetic field sensor and the compensation circuit in a same package maintains gain equalization in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity (Paragraph [0006]), extracts a reference signal and an external signal from each of the plurality of magnetic field sensing element output signals, measures a gain of each of the plurality of reference signals, compares the measured gains to the reference gains, and adjusts the gain of the external signals based on the comparing (Paragraph [0015]), supports the magnetic field sensing element (Paragraph [0036]).
Regarding claim 2, Rubinsztain teaches a device,
wherein the second circuitry [124B+130+126B] in Figure 1/[420B+430B+440 +450] in Figure 4A includes a digital processing circuitry (Additional examples of the concept illustrated by FIG. 1 are discussed further below with respect to FIGS. 2A-4C; Paragraph [0022] Line 1-3; The signal processing circuit 230A may include a modulator 232A, a low-pass filter 223A, and a sinc filter 238A. The modulator 232A may be configured to demodulate the first amplified signal AS_1 at the chopping frequency MOD_2 to produce a demodulated signal AS_1′. The low-pass filter 223A may include a capacitor having a capacitance C and an amplifier having internal transconductance 1/R, as shown. The low-pass filter may filter the demodulated signal AS_1′ to produce a filtered signal AS_1″. The sine filter 238A may be configured to filter the signal AS_1″ to produce an output signal OUT_X; Paragraph [0027] Line 1-11; Therefore, second circuitry is a digital processing circuitry) and the map is implemented as part of a firmware of the digital processing circuitry (FIG. 4A is a diagram of an example of a sensor 400, according to aspects of the disclosure. The sensor 400 may include a magnetic field generator 410, a first Hall-effect sensing unit 418A and a second Hall-effect sensing unit 418B, amplifiers 420A-B, signal processing circuits 430A-B, a gain adjustment circuit 440, and a gain code generator 450. The sensor 400 differs from the sensor 200 (shown in FIG. 2A) in that it includes a digital gain code generator (e.g., the gain code generator 450); Paragraph [0075] Line 1-9; Map is generated by the digital gain code generator and therefore map is implemented as part of a firmware of the digital processing circuitry).
Regarding claim 3, Rubinsztain teaches a device,
further comprising one or more terminals [GAIN_ADJ] for updating the map (GAIN_ADJ is the terminal which changes or updates the value of the gain code to generate map).
Regarding claim 4, Rubinsztain teaches a device,
wherein the second circuitry [124B+130+126B] in Figure 1/[420B+430B+440 +450] in Figure 4A includes at least one of analog circuitry and/or digital circuitry (Additional examples of the concept illustrated by FIG. 1 are discussed further below with respect to FIGS. 2A-4C; Paragraph [0022] Line 1-3; The signal processing circuit 230A may include a modulator 232A, a low-pass filter 223A, and a sinc filter 238A. The modulator 232A may be configured to demodulate the first amplified signal AS_1 at the chopping frequency MOD_2 to produce a demodulated signal AS_1′. The low-pass filter 223A may include a capacitor having a capacitance C and an amplifier having internal transconductance 1/R, as shown. The low-pass filter may filter the demodulated signal AS_1′ to produce a filtered signal AS_1″. The sine filter 238A may be configured to filter the signal AS_1″ to produce an output signal OUT_X; Paragraph [0027] Line 1-11; Therefore, second circuitry is a digital circuitry).
Regarding claim 5, Rubinsztain fails to teach a device, wherein the first circuitry is configured to adjust a gain and/or offset of the amplified signal based on at least one of temperature, humidity, and/or stress.
Latham teaches magnetic field sensors and, more particularly, to magnetic field sensors having circuitry to sense and adjust a sensitivity of the magnetic field sensors to a magnetic field (Paragraph [0001] Line 1-4), wherein
wherein the first circuitry is configured to adjust a gain and/or offset of the amplified signal based on at least one of temperature, humidity, and/or stress (The magnetic field sensing elements 302a, 302b may have sensitivities S.sub.1 and S.sub.2, respectively. The sensitivities S.sub.1 and S.sub.2 may vary with temperature, stress, and other conditions imposed, for example, on an IC substrate; Paragraph [0061] Line 1-4; The sensor 104 may further include a coil structure and a gain equalization circuit that, together, can be used to equalize the gain of the magnetic field sensing elements in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity; Paragraph [0046] Line 3-8). The purpose of doing so is to equalize the gain of the magnetic field sensing elements in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity, to accurately control over temperature, stress, etc.
It would have obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Rubinsztain in view of Latham to adjust a gain and/or offset of the amplified signal based on at least one of temperature, humidity, and/or stress, because Latham teaches to adjust a gain and/or offset of the amplified signal based on at least one of temperature, humidity, and/or stress, equalizes the gain of the magnetic field sensing elements in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity (Paragraph [0046), accurately controls over temperature, stress, etc. (Paragraph [0087]).
Regarding claim 6, Rubinsztain teaches a device,
wherein applying the gain adjustment signal at a control terminal of the PGA causes a gain of the PGA to increase or decrease based on a strength of the magnetic field at a location of the one or more second magnetic field sensing elements (FIG. 4C is a state diagram providing an example of one aspect of the operation of the sensor 400. As illustrated, at any given time of its operation, the sensor 400 may be in one of a calibration state 450A and an operating state 450B. When the sensor 400 is in the calibration state 450A: (i) the magnetic field generator 410 generates a reference magnetic field, (ii) the gain adjustment circuit generates a gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ, (iii) the gain code generator generates a first gain code and a second gain code, (iv) the first gain code is used to control the gain of the first amplifier 420A, and (v) the second gain code is used to control the gain of the second amplifier 420B; Paragraph [0091] Line 1-1-12; The gain code generator 450 may include a window comparator 452, an accumulator register 454, and a gain code processor 456. The window comparator 452 may digitize the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ to produce a digital sample of the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ. The window comparator 452 may then compare the digital sample to each of three windows. If the digital sample falls within a first window, the digital sample may decrement the value that is stored in the accumulator register 454 by a first value (e.g., ‘1’). If the digital sample falls within a second window, the window comparator 452 may leave unchanged the value that is stored in the accumulator register 454. If the digital sample falls within a third window, the window comparator may increment the value that is stored in the accumulator register 454 by a second value (e.g., ‘1’). In some implementations, each of the first, second, and third windows may include a numerical range. A digital sample may fall within a particular range if the digital sample is greater than or equal to the lower bound of the range and less than or equal to the upper bound of the range. The gain code processor 456 may retrieve the contents of the accumulator register 454 and generate a first gain control code and a second gain control code. The first gain control code may be digitized to produce a gain control signal GC_1 and the second gain control code may be converted to analog form to produce a second gain control signal GC_2. The first gain control signal GC_1 may be applied at a gain control terminal of the first amplifier 420A and used to set the gain of the first amplifier 420A. The second gain control signal GC_2 may be applied at a gain control terminal of the second amplifier 420B and used to set the gain of the second amplifier 420B; Paragraph [0089] Line 1-32; In some implementations, the first gain control code and the second gain control code may be complementary, meaning that when one increases, the other one may decrease. Additionally or alternatively, in some implementations, the first gain control code may be based on the value that is stored in the accumulator register 454 and the second gain control code may be based on the difference between the value that is stored in the accumulator register 454 and the maximum value that can be stored in the accumulator register 454; Paragraph [0090] Line 1-10; therefore, the gain adjustment signal at a control terminal of the PGA causes a gain of the PGA to increase or decrease based on a strength of the magnetic field at a location of the one or more second magnetic field sensing elements).
Regarding claim 7, Rubinsztain fails to teach a device, wherein the magnetic field sensor and the compensation circuit are formed on a same substrate.
Latham teaches magnetic field sensors and, more particularly, to magnetic field sensors having circuitry to sense and adjust a sensitivity of the magnetic field sensors to a magnetic field (Paragraph [0001] Line 1-4),
wherein the magnetic field sensor and the compensation circuit are formed on a same substrate (Magnetic field sensors employ a variety of types of magnetic field sensing elements, for example, Hall effect elements and magnetoresistance elements, often coupled to a variety of electronics, all supported by a common substrate; Paragraph [0002] Line 1-5; Referring to FIG. 2, a structure 200 may be used for three-dimensional (3D) magnetic field sensing, according to one embodiment. The structure 200 may include three magnetic field sensing elements (or “sensing elements”) 202a, 202b, 202c and a coil structure 204. In some embodiments, the structure 200 may be provided as an integrated circuit (IC) substrate; Paragraph [0047] Line 1-7; Paragraph [0054]). The purpose of doing so is to support the magnetic field sensing element.
It would have obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Rubinsztain in view of Latham to form the magnetic field sensor and the compensation circuit on a same substrate, because Latham teaches to form the magnetic field sensor and the compensation circuit on a same substrate supports the magnetic field sensing elements (Paragraph [0036]).
Regarding claim 8, Rubinsztain teaches a device, wherein:
the map is implemented in hardware by using analog circuitry and/or digital logic (FIG. 4A is a diagram of an example of a sensor 400, according to aspects of the disclosure. The sensor 400 may include a magnetic field generator 410, a first Hall-effect sensing unit 418A and a second Hall-effect sensing unit 418B, amplifiers 420A-B, signal processing circuits 430A-B, a gain adjustment circuit 440, and a gain code generator 450; Paragraph [0075] Line 1-7; Additional examples of the concept illustrated by FIG. 1 are discussed further below with respect to FIGS. 2A-4C; Paragraph [0022] Line 1-3; The signal processing circuit 230A may include a modulator 232A, a low-pass filter 223A, and a sinc filter 238A. The modulator 232A may be configured to demodulate the first amplified signal AS_1 at the chopping frequency MOD_2 to produce a demodulated signal AS_1′. The low-pass filter 223A may include a capacitor having a capacitance C and an amplifier having internal transconductance 1/R, as shown. The low-pass filter may filter the demodulated signal AS_1′ to produce a filtered signal AS_1″. The sine filter 238A may be configured to filter the signal AS_1″ to produce an output signal OUT_X; Paragraph [0027] Line 1-11; An amplifier 420B, and a signal processing circuit 430B and a gain adjustment circuit 440 and gain code generator 450 is considered as the second circuitry in Figure 4A and the map as the gain code is generated by the digital gain code generator. Map is generated by the digital gain code generator and therefore map is implemented as part of a firmware of the digital processing circuitry),
each of the first magnetic field sensing elements [122A]/ [418A] includes one of a Hall effect element, a giant magnetoresistor (GMR), or a tunnel magnetoresistor (TMR) (The sensing unit 122A may include one or more Hall elements. For example, the sensing unit 122A may include a chopper-stabilized bridge circuit (e.g., a Wheatstone bridge) that is formed of Hall elements; Paragraph [0018] Line 3-6), and
each of the second magnetic field sensing elements [122B]/[418B] includes one of a Hall effect element, a giant magnetoresistor (GMR), or a tunnel magnetoresistor (TMR) (The sensing unit 122B may include one or more Hall elements. For example, the sensing unit 122B may include a chopper-stabilized bridge circuit (e.g., a Wheatstone bridge) that is formed of Hall elements; Paragraph [0019] Line 3-6).
Regarding claim 18, Rubinsztain teaches a device, wherein adjusting the gain of the PGA includes generating a gain adjustment signal [GAIN_ADJ] (The gain adjustment circuit 130 may be configured to correct for sensitivity mismatch between the sensing units 122A and 122B by adjusting the gain of at least one of the amplifiers 124A and 124B. More particularly, the gain adjustment circuit 130 may be configured generate a gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ based on a difference of the signals 125A and 125B; Paragraph [0020] Line 1-7) and applying the gain adjustment signal [GAIN_ADJ] at a control terminal of the PGA [124A] (The gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be a differential signal having a first component and a second component. The first component of the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be used to adjust the gain of the amplifier 124A: Paragraph [0020] Line 7-11),
the gain adjustment signal being generated by using a map (FIG. 4C is a state diagram providing an example of one aspect of the operation of the sensor 400. As illustrated, at any given time of its operation, the sensor 400 may be in one of a calibration state 450A and an operating state 450B. When the sensor 400 is in the calibration state 450A: (i) the magnetic field generator 410 generates a reference magnetic field, (ii) the gain adjustment circuit generates a gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ, (iii) the gain code generator generates a first gain code and a second gain code, (iv) the first gain code is used to control the gain of the first amplifier 420A, and (v) the second gain code is used to control the gain of the second amplifier 420B. According to the example of FIGS. 4A-C, the first and second gain codes are used to correct for a sensitivity mismatch between the first Hall-effect sensing unit 418A and the second Hall-effect sensing unit 418B by adjusting the respective gains of amplifiers 420A and 420B. When the sensor 400 is in the operating state 250A: (i) the sensor 400 senses an external magnetic field, and (ii) generates output signals OUT_X and OUT_Y based on the external magnetic field; Paragraph [0091] Line 1-20; first gain code and the second gain code is considered as the map as claim does not specifically mentioned what is a map and which limitation is represented in the map and therefore first gain code and second gain code is considered as the map as it maps the output signals OUT_X and OUT_Y based on the gain code).
Rubinsztain fails to teach wherein that the map maps each of a plurality of values of the second magnetic field signal to a respective value of the gain adjustment signal.
Latham teaches magnetic field sensors and, more particularly, to magnetic field sensors having circuitry to sense and adjust a sensitivity of the magnetic field sensors to a magnetic field (Paragraph [0001] Line 1-4), wherein
the map maps each of a plurality of values of the second magnetic field signal to a respective value of the gain adjustment signal (A 2D or 3D magnetic field sensor may include a coil structure to generate a magnetic field on magnetic field sensing elements configured to sense fields in multiple respective axes. The coil structure can be used to equalize the gains of the magnetic field sensing elements. By forcing current through the coil and monitoring the outputs of each sensing element, the ratio of the gains of the sensing elements can be determined. The measured gain ratios can be compared with reference gain ratios (e.g., ratios fixed by the geometry of the magnetic field sensor structure) and the result of the comparison used to adjust the gain of the sensing elements or of the resulting magnetic field signals to equalize gain. This process can be repeated over time to maintain gain equalization in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity; Paragraph [0006] Line 1-14; In a second step, the measurement-comparison processor 414 may compare the measured gains G.sub.1, G.sub.2, . . . G.sub.N (which, as indicated above, may be absolute gains or relative gains) to reference gains in order to calculate the gain adjustment values K.sub.1, K.sub.2, . . . , K.sub.N. The reference gains may be stored within memory 412. In some embodiments, the reference gains may include N absolute gains (herein denoted R.sub.1, R.sub.2, . . . R.sub.N), one for each of the N sensing elements 402. The absolute reference gains R.sub.1, R.sub.2, . . . R.sub.N can be directly compared to respective ones of the measured gains G.sub.1, G.sub.2, . . . G.sub.N. For example, the ith gain adjustment value may be calculated as K.sub.i=R.sub.i/G.sub.i. In other embodiments, the reference gains may include relative gains between two or more of the sensing elements 402. The relative reference gains may be expressed as ratios, where the relative reference gain between the ith and jth sensing elements is herein denoted R.sub.i:j. Here, the measurement-comparison processor 414 may select adjustment values K.sub.1, K.sub.2, . . . , K.sub.N such that the ratio of measured gains multiplied by the respective gain adjustment values equals the reference ratios; Paragraph [0081] Line 1-20; Map is created by different gain adjustment signal by different magnetic field of the magnetic field sensing element). The purpose of doing so is to maintain gain equalization in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity, to extract a reference signal and an external signal from each of the plurality of magnetic field sensing element output signals, to measure a gain of each of the plurality of reference signals, to compare the measured gains to the reference gains, and to adjust the gain of the external signals based on the comparing.
It would have obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Rubinsztain in view of Latham to include each of a plurality of values of the second magnetic field signal to a respective value of the gain adjustment signal, and to dispose the magnetic field sensor and the compensation circuit in a same package, because Latham teaches to include each of a plurality of values of the magnetic field signal to a respective value of the gain adjustment signal maintains gain equalization in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity (Paragraph [0006]), extracts a reference signal and an external signal from each of the plurality of magnetic field sensing element output signals, measures a gain of each of the plurality of reference signals, compares the measured gains to the reference gains, and adjusts the gain of the external signals based on the comparing (Paragraph [0015]).
Regarding claim 19, Rubinsztain fails to teach a device, wherein the magnetic field sensor and the compensation circuit are disposed in a same package.
Latham teaches magnetic field sensors and, more particularly, to magnetic field sensors having circuitry to sense and adjust a sensitivity of the magnetic field sensors to a magnetic field (Paragraph [0001] Line 1-4),
wherein the magnetic field sensor and the compensation circuit are disposed in a same package (Magnetic field sensors employ a variety of types of magnetic field sensing elements, for example, Hall effect elements and magnetoresistance elements, often coupled to a variety of electronics, all supported by a common substrate; Paragraph [0002] Line 1-5; Referring to FIG. 2, a structure 200 may be used for three-dimensional (3D) magnetic field sensing, according to one embodiment. The structure 200 may include three magnetic field sensing elements (or “sensing elements”) 202a, 202b, 202c and a coil structure 204. In some embodiments, the structure 200 may be provided as an integrated circuit (IC) substrate; Paragraph [0047] Line 1-7; Paragraph [0054]). The purpose of doing so is to maintain gain equalization in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity, to support the magnetic field sensing element.
It would have obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Rubinsztain in view of Latham to dispose the magnetic field sensor and the compensation circuit in a same package, because Latham teaches to include each of a plurality of values of the magnetic field signal to a respective value of the gain adjustment signal, and to dispose the magnetic field sensor and the compensation circuit in a same package maintains gain equalization in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity (Paragraph [0006]), supports the magnetic field sensing element (Paragraph [0036]).
Regarding claim 20, Rubinsztain fails to teach a device, wherein the first circuitry is configured to adjust a gain and/or offset of the amplified signal based on at least one of temperature, humidity, and/or stress.
Latham teaches magnetic field sensors and, more particularly, to magnetic field sensors having circuitry to sense and adjust a sensitivity of the magnetic field sensors to a magnetic field (Paragraph [0001] Line 1-4), wherein
wherein the first circuitry is configured to adjust a gain and/or offset of the amplified signal based on at least one of temperature, humidity, and/or stress (The magnetic field sensing elements 302a, 302b may have sensitivities S.sub.1 and S.sub.2, respectively. The sensitivities S.sub.1 and S.sub.2 may vary with temperature, stress, and other conditions imposed, for example, on an IC substrate; Paragraph [0061] Line 1-4; The sensor 104 may further include a coil structure and a gain equalization circuit that, together, can be used to equalize the gain of the magnetic field sensing elements in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity; Paragraph [0046] Line 3-8). The purpose of doing so is to equalize the gain of the magnetic field sensing elements in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity, to accurately control over temperature, stress, etc.
It would have obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Rubinsztain in view of Latham to adjust a gain and/or offset of the amplified signal based on at least one of temperature, humidity, and/or stress, because Latham teaches to adjust a gain and/or offset of the amplified signal based on at least one of temperature, humidity, and/or stress, equalizes the gain of the magnetic field sensing elements in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity (Paragraph [0046), accurately controls over temperature, stress, etc. (Paragraph [0087]).
Regarding claim 22, Rubinsztain teaches a method for use in a magnetic field sensor (A sensor includes: a reference magnetic field generator configured to generate a reference magnetic field that is modulated at a first frequency (Abstract); FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of a sensor 100; Paragraph [0016] Line 1; FIG. 4A is a diagram of an example of a sensor 400; Paragraph [0075] Line 1), comprising:
generating a first magnetic field signal [123 A] (The sensing unit 122A may be configured to generate a signal 123A; Paragraph [0018] Line 6-7) by using one or more first magnetic field sensing elements [122A]/[418A in Figure 4A] (a sensing unit 122A of the first channel 120A; Paragraph [0017] Line 3-4), the first magnetic field signal [123A] being generated in response to a magnetic field (a sensor is provided comprising: a reference magnetic field generator configured to generate a reference magnetic field; Paragraph [0002] Line 1-3; magnetic field generator 110 generates magnetic field),
generating a second magnetic field signal [123B] (The sensing unit 122B may be configured to generate a signal 123B. The amplifier 124B may be configured to amplify the signal 123B to produce a signal 125B; Paragraph [0019] Line 6-9) by using one or more second magnetic field sensing elements [122B]/418B (The second channel 120B may include a sensing unit 122B; Paragraph [0019] Line 1-2), the second magnetic field signal [123B] being generated in response to the magnetic field (The sensing unit 122B may be configured to generate a signal 123B. The amplifier 124B may be configured to amplify the signal 123B to produce a signal 125B; Paragraph [0019] Line 6-9), and
generating an output signal [OUT_1] at least in part by adjusting a gain [GAIN_ADJ] of the first magnetic field signal [123A] based on the second magnetic field signal [123B-125B] (The gain adjustment circuit 130 may be configured to correct for sensitivity mismatch between the sensing units 122A and 122B by adjusting the gain of at least one of the amplifiers 124A and 124B. More particularly, the gain adjustment circuit 130 may be configured generate a gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ based on a difference of the signals 125A and 125B; Paragraph [0020] Line 1-7); The gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be a differential signal having a first component and a second component. The first component of the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be used to adjust the gain of the amplifier 124A: Paragraph [0020] Line 7-11).
Rubinsztain fails to teach wherein the first magnetic field sensor and the second magnetic field sensing elements are formed on a same substrate.
Latham teaches magnetic field sensors and, more particularly, to magnetic field sensors having circuitry to sense and adjust a sensitivity of the magnetic field sensors to a magnetic field (Paragraph [0001] Line 1-4),
wherein the first magnetic field sensor and the second magnetic field sensing elements are formed on a same substrate (Magnetic field sensors employ a variety of types of magnetic field sensing elements, for example, Hall effect elements and magnetoresistance elements, often coupled to a variety of electronics, all supported by a common substrate; Paragraph [0002] Line 1-5; Referring to FIG. 2, a structure 200 may be used for three-dimensional (3D) magnetic field sensing, according to one embodiment. The structure 200 may include three magnetic field sensing elements (or “sensing elements”) 202a, 202b, 202c and a coil structure 204. In some embodiments, the structure 200 may be provided as an integrated circuit (IC) substrate; Paragraph [0047] Line 1-7; Paragraph [0054]). The purpose of doing so is to maintain gain equalization in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity, to support the magnetic field sensing element.
It would have obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Rubinsztain in view of Latham to form the first magnetic field sensor and the second magnetic field sensing elements on a same substrate, because Latham teaches to form the first magnetic field sensor and the second magnetic field sensing elements on a same substrate maintains gain equalization in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity (Paragraph [0006]), supports the magnetic field sensing element (Paragraph [0036]).
Regarding claim 23, Rubinsztain teaches a method,
wherein adjusting the gain of the first magnetic field signal [123A] includes generating a gain adjustment signal [GAIN_ADJ] based on the second magnetic field signal [123B-125B] (The gain adjustment circuit 130 may be configured to correct for sensitivity mismatch between the sensing units 122A and 122B by adjusting the gain of at least one of the amplifiers 124A and 124B. More particularly, the gain adjustment circuit 130 may be configured generate a gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ based on a difference of the signals 125A and 125B; Paragraph [0020] Line 1-7), and
applying the gain adjustment signal [GAIN_ADJ] at a control terminal of a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) [124A] that is arranged to amplify the first magnetic field signal [123A] (The gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be a differential signal having a first component and a second component. The first component of the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be used to adjust the gain of the amplifier 124A: Paragraph [0020] Line 7-11).
Regarding claim 24, Rubinsztain teaches a method,
wherein adjusting the gain of the first magnetic field signal [123A] includes identifying a value for a gain adjustment signal [GAIN_ADJ], setting the gain adjustment signal to the identified value (The gain adjustment circuit 130 may be configured to correct for sensitivity mismatch between the sensing units 122A and 122B by adjusting the gain of at least one of the amplifiers 124A and 124B. More particularly, the gain adjustment circuit 130 may be configured generate a gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ based on a difference of the signals 125A and 125B; Paragraph [0020] Line 1-7), and
applying the gain adjustment signal [GAIN_ADJ] at a control terminal of a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) [124A] that is arranged to amplify the first magnetic field signal [123A] (The gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be a differential signal having a first component and a second component. The first component of the gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ may be used to adjust the gain of the amplifier 124A: Paragraph [0020] Line 7-11),
the value for the gain adjustment signal being identified based on the second magnetic field signal (The gain adjustment circuit 130 may be configured to correct for sensitivity mismatch between the sensing units 122A and 122B by adjusting the gain of at least one of the amplifiers 124A and 124B. More particularly, the gain adjustment circuit 130 may be configured generate a gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ based on a difference of the signals 125A and 125B; Paragraph [0020] Line 1-7) by using a map (FIG. 4C is a state diagram providing an example of one aspect of the operation of the sensor 400. As illustrated, at any given time of its operation, the sensor 400 may be in one of a calibration state 450A and an operating state 450B. When the sensor 400 is in the calibration state 450A: (i) the magnetic field generator 410 generates a reference magnetic field, (ii) the gain adjustment circuit generates a gain adjustment signal GAIN_ADJ, (iii) the gain code generator generates a first gain code and a second gain code, (iv) the first gain code is used to control the gain of the first amplifier 420A, and (v) the second gain code is used to control the gain of the second amplifier 420B. According to the example of FIGS. 4A-C, the first and second gain codes are used to correct for a sensitivity mismatch between the first Hall-effect sensing unit 418A and the second Hall-effect sensing unit 418B by adjusting the respective gains of amplifiers 420A and 420B. When the sensor 400 is in the operating state 250A: (i) the sensor 400 senses an external magnetic field, and (ii) generates output signals OUT_X and OUT_Y based on the external magnetic field; Paragraph [0091] Line 1-20; first gain code and the second gain code is considered as the map as claim does not specifically mentioned what is a map and which limitation is represented in the map and therefore first gain code and second gain code is considered as the map as it maps the output signals OUT_X and OUT_Y based on the gain code),
the map being implemented as one or more of a firmware of the magnetic field sensor, analog circuitry that is part of the magnetic field sensor, and/or digital circuitry that is part of the magnetic field sensor (FIG. 4A is a diagram of an example of a sensor 400, according to aspects of the disclosure. The sensor 400 may include a magnetic field generator 410, a first Hall-effect sensing unit 418A and a second Hall-effect sensing unit 418B, amplifiers 420A-B, signal processing circuits 430A-B, a gain adjustment circuit 440, and a gain code generator 450; Paragraph [0075] Line 1-7; An amplifier 420B, and a signal processing circuit 430B and a gain adjustment circuit 440 and gain code generator 450 is considered as the second circuitry in Figure 4A and the map as the gain code is generated by the gain code generator as digital gain code generator which is part of the magnetic field sensor).
Rubinsztain fails to teach wherein that the map maps each of a plurality of ranges of the second magnetic field signal to a corresponding value of the gain adjustment signal.
Latham teaches magnetic field sensors and, more particularly, to magnetic field sensors having circuitry to sense and adjust a sensitivity of the magnetic field sensors to a magnetic field (Paragraph [0001] Line 1-4), wherein
the map maps each of a plurality of ranges of the second magnetic field signal to a corresponding value of the gain adjustment signal (A 2D or 3D magnetic field sensor may include a coil structure to generate a magnetic field on magnetic field sensing elements configured to sense fields in multiple respective axes. The coil structure can be used to equalize the gains of the magnetic field sensing elements. By forcing current through the coil and monitoring the outputs of each sensing element, the ratio of the gains of the sensing elements can be determined. The measured gain ratios can be compared with reference gain ratios (e.g., ratios fixed by the geometry of the magnetic field sensor structure) and the result of the comparison used to adjust the gain of the sensing elements or of the resulting magnetic field signals to equalize gain. This process can be repeated over time to maintain gain equalization in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity; Paragraph [0006] Line 1-14; In a second step, the measurement-comparison processor 414 may compare the measured gains G.sub.1, G.sub.2, . . . G.sub.N (which, as indicated above, may be absolute gains or relative gains) to reference gains in order to calculate the gain adjustment values K.sub.1, K.sub.2, . . . , K.sub.N. The reference gains may be stored within memory 412. In some embodiments, the reference gains may include N absolute gains (herein denoted R.sub.1, R.sub.2, . . . R.sub.N), one for each of the N sensing elements 402. The absolute reference gains R.sub.1, R.sub.2, . . . R.sub.N can be directly compared to respective ones of the measured gains G.sub.1, G.sub.2, . . . G.sub.N. For example, the ith gain adjustment value may be calculated as K.sub.i=R.sub.i/G.sub.i. In other embodiments, the reference gains may include relative gains between two or more of the sensing elements 402. The relative reference gains may be expressed as ratios, where the relative reference gain between the ith and jth sensing elements is herein denoted R.sub.i:j. Here, the measurement-comparison processor 414 may select adjustment values K.sub.1, K.sub.2, . . . , K.sub.N such that the ratio of measured gains multiplied by the respective gain adjustment values equals the reference ratios; Paragraph [0081] Line 1-20; Map is created by different gain adjustment signal by different magnetic field of the magnetic field sensing element). The purpose of doing so is to maintain gain equalization in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity, to extract a reference signal and an external signal from each of the plurality of magnetic field sensing element output signals, to measure a gain of each of the plurality of reference signals, to compare the measured gains to the reference gains, and to adjust the gain of the external signals based on the comparing.
It would have obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Rubinsztain in view of Latham to include each of a plurality of values of the second magnetic field signal to a respective value of the gain adjustment signal, and to dispose the magnetic field sensor and the compensation circuit in a same package, because Latham teaches to include each of a plurality of values of the magnetic field signal to a respective value of the gain adjustment signal maintains gain equalization in the presence of temperature, mechanical stress, and other phenomena that may affect sensitivity (Paragraph [0006]), extracts a reference signal and an external signal from each of the plurality of magnetic field sensing element output signals, measures a gain of each of the plurality of reference signals, compares the measured gains to the reference gains, and adjusts the gain of the external signals based on the comparing (Paragraph [0015]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Latham et al. (US 20210018576 A1) discloses, “MAGNETIC FIELD SENSORS HAVING A MAGNETIC ANTI-ALIASING FILTER- [0003] This disclosure relates generally to magnetic field sensors and more particularly, to sensors having anti-aliasing filtering. [0040] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example magnetic field sensor 300 having a first channel 301, including magnetic field sensing element 312 (which may be the same as or similar to magnetic field sensing element 114 in FIG. 1) and a second channel 302 including a magnetic field sensing element 330 (which may be the same as or similar to magnetic field sensing element 124 in FIG. 1). FIG. 3 provides one example implementation for combining the signal generated by the first channel with the signal generated by the second channel. [0041] In the sensor 300, the first channel 301 with sensing element 312 can be a higher accuracy, lower bandwidth channel, and the second channel 302 with sensing element 330 can be a lower accuracy, higher bandwidth channel. The first channel 301 includes magnetic low pass filter 310 (which may be the same as or similar to magnetic low pass filter 112), magnetic field sensing element 312 (which may be a chopped Hall sensing element), an amplifier 314 which may include sensitivity control 315, a dominant low-pass filter 316, and an amplifier 318 which may include offset control 319. The output of the amplifier 318 can be provided as a separate output OUT3 (which may be the same as output OUT1 in FIG. 1), and/or may for example be fed to a combiner 320, which is part of a processor 350 (which may be the same as or substantially similar to processor 130 in FIG. 1). [0042] The second channel 302 includes magnetic field sensing element 330 (which may be an un-chopped Hall sensing element), an amplifier 332 which may have sensitivity control 334, a combiner 340 (responsive to a feedback signal from a gain, integration, and weighting block 322 as will be described). The second channel 302 also includes a low pass filter 344 and amplifier 346. The low pass filter 344 may be the same filter as the filter 128 in FIG. 1. The amplifier 346 may be the same as or substantially similar to the amplifier 140 in FIG. 1. The output VIOUT of the amplifier 346 can be the same as output 140 shown in FIG. 1. [0043] A combiner 320, gain, integration, weighting block 322, combiner 340, and filter 342 can be part of the processor 350, which may be the same as or substantially similar to processor 130 in FIG. 1. [0044] A magnetic low pass filter 310 filters a bandwidth of a magnetic field experienced by the magnetic field sensing element 312 by a first amount, and filters a bandwidth of a magnetic field experienced by the magnetic field sensing element 330 by a second amount which may be zero (in other words it does not filter the bandwidth of the second magnetic field sensing element), so that only the first magnetic field sensing element 312 is reduced by a first amount-However Latham does not disclose wherein the gain adjustment signal is generated based on a map that maps each of a
plurality of values of the second magnetic field signal to a respective value of the gain adjustment signal, the map being implemented by the second circuitry.”
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NASIMA MONSUR whose telephone number is (571)272-8497. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00 am-6:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eman Alkafawi can be reached at (571) 272-4448. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NASIMA MONSUR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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