Apparatus for Sensor with Improved Power Consumption and Associated Methods

Abstract

A sensor includes a coil suspended in a magnetic field, and a light source to produce a light output in response to a current, wherein a duty cycle and/or pulse-repetition frequency of the current is configurable. The sensor further includes an optical detector to use the light output of the light source to detect displacement of the coil in response to a stimulus.

1 . A sensor, comprising:
 a coil suspended in a magnetic field;   a light source to produce a light output in response to a current, wherein a duty cycle and/or pulse-repetition frequency of the current is configurable; and   an optical detector to use the light output of the light source to detect displacement of the coil in response to a stimulus.   
     
     
         2 . The sensor according to  claim 1 , wherein a controller configures the duty cycle and/or pulse-repetition frequency of the current. 
     
     
         3 . The sensor according to  claim 2 , wherein the controller comprises a microcontroller unit (MCU). 
     
     
         4 . The sensor according to  claim 2 , wherein the controller resides in a microcontroller unit (MCU). 
     
     
         5 . The sensor according to  claim 1 , wherein the light source comprises a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). 
     
     
         6 . The sensor according to  claim 1 , wherein the light source comprises a light-emitting diode (LED). 
     
     
         7 . The sensor according to  claim 1 , wherein the sensor responds to the stimulus within a frequency band, and wherein pulse-repetition frequency of the current is configured such that the current has a frequency larger than the frequency band. 
     
     
         8 . The sensor according to  claim 1 , further comprising a feedback circuit coupled to the optical detector and to the coil. 
     
     
         9 . The sensor according to  claim 1 , further comprising a variable voltage source to configure the duty cycle and/or pulse-repetition frequency of the current. 
     
     
         10 . The sensor according to  claim 1 , further comprising a voltage source and a controllable switch to configure the duty cycle and/or pulse-repetition frequency of the current. 
     
     
         11 . The sensor according to  claim 1 , further comprising a variable current source to configure the duty cycle and/or pulse-repetition frequency of the current. 
     
     
         12 . The sensor according to  claim 1 , further comprising a current source and a controllable switch to configure the duty cycle and/or pulse-repetition frequency of the current. 
     
     
         13 . A system, comprising:
 a sensor, comprising:
 a coil suspended in a magnetic field; 
 a light source to produce a light output in response to a current, wherein a duty cycle and/or pulse-repetition frequency of the current is configurable by a microcontroller unit (MCU); 
 an optical detector to use the light output of the light source to detect displacement of the coil in response to a stimulus; and 
 a feedback circuit coupled to the optical detector and to the coil to form a negative feedback loop. 
   
     
     
         14 . The system according to  claim 13 , further comprising a host coupled to provide at least one command to the MCU, wherein in response to the at least one command, the MCU configures the duty cycle and/or pulse-repetition frequency of the current. 
     
     
         15 . The system according to  claim 13 , wherein the light source comprises a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) or a light-emitting diode (LED). 
     
     
         16 . The system according to  claim 13 , wherein the sensor responds to the stimulus within a frequency band, and wherein pulse-repetition frequency of the current is configured such that the current has a frequency larger than the frequency band. 
     
     
         17 . A method of operating a sensor that includes a coil suspended in a magnetic field, a light source to produce a light output in response to a current, and an optical detector to use the light output of the light source to detect displacement of the coil in response to a stimulus, the method comprising configuring a duty cycle and/or pulse-repetition frequency of the current. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein configuring the duty cycle and/or pulse-repetition frequency of the current further comprises using a microcontroller unit (MCU). 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the light source comprises a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) or a light-emitting diode (LED). 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein configuring the duty cycle and/or pulse-repetition frequency of the current further comprises configuring the current such that the current has a pulse-repetition frequency higher than a bandwidth within which the sensor responds to the stimulus.