Patent ID: 9588134
Date: 2017-03-07
CPC Classifications: G01D,G01P,G01R

Claim:
1. A sensor system, comprising: a nonlinear sensor comprising a magneto-resistive sensor configured to generate a nonlinear signal measuring a physical input quantity, wherein the nonlinear sensor enters a nonlinear saturation region of operation at a first amplitude of the physical input quantity; a linear sensor comprising a Hall sensor configured to generate a linear signal measuring the physical input quantity, wherein the linear sensor enters a linear saturation region of operation at a second amplitude of the physical input quantity larger than the first amplitude; a signal processing unit configured to determine when the nonlinear signal is in the nonlinear saturation region of operation, to apply a weighting to the linear signal or the nonlinear signal, and to generate a composite output signal corresponding to the physical input quantity, which is a combination of the weighting, the nonlinear signal, and the linear signal, wherein the weighting is applied to cause the nonlinear signal to have a smaller influence on the composite output signal than the linear signal when the nonlinear sensor is in the nonlinear saturation region of operation; and wherein the magneto-resistive sensor has a first magnetoresistor, a second magnetoresistor, a third magnetoresistor, and a fourth magnetoresistor; and wherein the linear sensor comprises a first Hall plate and a second Hall plate spatially arranged between the first and second magnetoresistors and the third and fourth magnetoresistors.