WE CLAIM:
1. A position and orientation sensor package comprising:
a dielectric substrate;
a first magneto-resistance sensor chip attached to the dielectric substrate, the first magneto-resistance sensor chip comprising at least one magneto-resistance sensor circuit; and
a second magneto-resistance sensor chip attached to the dielectric substrate and positioned adjacent the first magneto-resistance sensor chip, the second magneto-resistance sensor chip comprising at least one magneto-resistance sensor circuit;
wherein the at least one magneto-resistance sensor circuit of the first magneto-resistance sensor chip is oriented in a different direction than the at least one magneto-resistance sensor circuit of the second magneto-resistance sensor chip.
2. The position and orientation sensor package as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips are attached to the dielectric substrate such that the orientation between the at least one magneto-resistance sensor circuit of each of the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips is known.
3. The position and orientation sensor package as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second magneto-resistance sensor chip is aligned with the first magneto-resistance sensor chip along a lengthwise direction of the dielectric substrate.
4. The position and orientation sensor package as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one magneto-resistance sensor circuit on each of the first and
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second magneto-resistance sensor chips comprises a single magneto-resistance sensor circuit.
5. The position and orientation sensor package as claimed in claim 1
wherein the at least one magneto-resistance sensor circuit on each of the first and
second magneto-resistance sensor chips comprises:
a first magneto-resistance sensor circuit; and
a second magneto-resistance sensor circuit arranged orthogonal to the first magneto-resistance sensor circuit;
wherein the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips thus comprise two-axis sensor chips.
6. The position and orientation sensor package as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips comprises further comprises a calibration coil positioned a fixed distance from the at least one magneto-resistance sensor circuit, the calibration coil configured to generate a calibration magnetic field that provides for calibration of the respective magneto-resistance sensor chip.
7. The position and orientation sensor package as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a common calibration coil positioned a fixed distance from the at least one magneto-resistance sensor circuit on each of the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips, the common calibration coil configured to generate a calibration magnetic field that provides for calibration of each of the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips.
8. The position and orientation sensor package as claimed in claim 1 wherein the dielectric substrate comprises:
a first substrate portion positioned along a first plane; and
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a second substrate portion positioned along a second plane orthogonal to the first plane;
wherein the first magneto-resistance sensor chip is attached to the first substrate portion and the second magneto-resistance sensor chip is attached to the second substrate portion.
9. The position and orientation sensor package as claimed in claim 8
further comprising a third magneto-resistance sensor chip that is attached to the
first substrate portion adjacent to the first magneto-resistance sensor chip, the
third magneto-resistance sensor chip comprising at least one magneto-resistance
sensor circuit;
wherein the first, second and third magneto-resistance sensor chips form a three-axis sensor package.
10. The position and orientation sensor package as claimed in claim 1
wherein the dielectric substrate comprises a plurality of connection pads formed
thereon and wherein each of the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips
comprises a plurality of chip pads formed thereon; and
wherein the position and orientation sensor package further comprises a solder that joins respective chip pads of the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips to respective connection pads of the dielectric substrate via a flip chip attachment.
11. The position and orientation sensor package as claimed in claim 1
wherein the dielectric substrate comprises one of an FR4, ceramic, or polyimide
material, and wherein the dielectric substrate comprises a plurality of electrical
leads formed thereon and connected to the first and second magneto-resistance
sensor chips to receive and transmit signals therefrom.
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12. A method of manufacturing a position and orientation sensor
package comprising:
providing a dielectric substrate;
attaching a first magneto-resistance sensor chip to the dielectric substrate, the first magneto-resistance sensor chip comprising at least one magneto-resistance sensor circuit; and
attaching a second magneto-resistance sensor chip to the dielectric substrate such that the second magneto-resistance sensor chip is positioned adjacent the first magneto-resistance sensor chip, the second magneto-resistance sensor chip comprising at least one magneto-resistance sensor circuit;
wherein attaching the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips to the dielectric substrate comprises attaching the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips to the dielectric substrate to establish a known angle between the at least one magneto-resistance sensor circuit of the first magneto-resistance sensor chip and the at least one magneto-resistance sensor circuit of the second magneto-resistance sensor chip.
13. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein attaching the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips to the dielectric substrate comprises a flip-chip attachment of the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips to the dielectric substrate, with a reflow-solder providing an electrical connection between chip pads of the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips and connection pads of the dielectric substrate.
14. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein attaching the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips to the dielectric substrate comprises attaching the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips to the dielectric substrate such that the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips are aligned along a lengthwise direction of the dielectric substrate.
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15. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the dielectric substrate
comprises a first substrate portion positioned along a first plane and a second
substrate portion positioned along a second plane orthogonal to the first plane; and
wherein attaching the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips comprises:
attaching the first magneto-resistance sensor chip to the first substrate portion; and
attaching the second magneto-resistance sensor chip to the second substrate portion.
16. The method as claimed in claim 15 further comprising attaching a
third magneto-resistance sensor chip to the first substrate portion such that the
third magneto-resistance sensor chip is aligned with the first magneto-resistance
sensor chip along a lengthwise direction of the dielectric substrate, the third
magneto-resistance sensor chip comprising at least one magneto-resistance sensor
circuit;
wherein the first, second, and third magneto-resistance sensor chips form a three-axis sensor package.
17. The method as claimed in claim 12 further comprising forming a common calibration coil on the dielectric substrate, the common calibratoin coil being positioned a fixed distance from the at least one magneto-resistance sensor circuit on each of the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips, the common calibration coil configured to generate a calibration magnetic field that provides for calibration of each of the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips.
18. A multi-axis magneto-resistance sensor package comprising:
a flex circuit comprising a dielectric substrate and conductive
interconnects;
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a first magneto-resistance sensor chip attached to the dielectric substrate so as to be electrically coupled to the conductive interconnects; and
a second magneto-resistance sensor chip attached to the dielectric substrate so as to be electrically coupled to the conductive interconnects;
wherein each of the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips comprises at least one magneto-resistance sensor circuit, with the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips being attached to the flex circuit such that an orientation of the at least one magneto-resistance sensor circuit on the first magneto-resistance sensor chip is different from an orientation of the at least one magneto-resistance sensor circuit on the second magneto-resistance sensor chip by a known angle.
19. The multi-axis magneto-resistance sensor package as claimed in claim 18 wherein the second magneto-resistance sensor chip is aligned with the first magneto-resistance sensor chip along a lengthwise direction of the flex circuit, such that a width of the multi-axis magneto-resistance sensor package is approximately equal to a width of the first and second magneto-resistance sensor chips.
20. The multi-axis magneto-resistance sensor package as claimed in claim 18 wherein the flex circuit comprises first and second substrate portion oreiented orthogonal to one another, such that the flex circuit comprises an L-shape;
and wherein the first magneto-resistance sensor chip is attached to the first substrate portion and the second magneto-resistance sensor chip is attached to the second substrate portion.
iMi
Dated this the 25th day of August, 2016
AMIT SINGH
Agent for Applicant IN/PA-1554
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