Device with chip package and non-intersecting coil layout

Abstract

Various embodiments according to the present disclosure relate to a device having a chip package and a non-intersecting coil layout. The innovative concepts described herein relate to a device having a substrate having an excitation coil designed to generate a magnetic field in response to a fed input signal and a pickup coil assembly designed to generate an output signal in response to the magnetic field. The excitation coil has one or more windings, which are arranged in a ring-shaped manner around the pickup coil assembly in a top view of the substrate plane. In addition, the device also includes a chip package having at least one electrical terminal, which is connected to the pickup coil assembly by means of a signal guiding conductor. According to the concepts described herein, the chip package is placed on the substrate so that the signal guiding conductor and the one or more windings of the excitation coil do not intersect in a top view of the substrate plane.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The innovative concept described herein relates to a device, for example a stator component for an inductive angle sensor, wherein the device has a substrate with at least one coil for coupling out a magnetic field and at least one coil for coupling in a magnetic field. In addition, the device has an electronic chip for operating the coils. The electronic chip is arranged in a chip package, which has electrical terminals for connecting the coils and the electronic chip. In this case, the chip package is advantageously arranged on the substrate in such a way that the conductor tracks of the two coils do not intersect. Background Art

[0002] The inductive angle sensor usually has a stator part and a rotor part that can rotate relative to the stator part. The stator part can be implemented, for example, as a printed circuit board, abbreviated as PCB (English: Printed Circuit Board). An excitation coil can be arranged on the PCB. The excitation coil is fed with an input signal, such as an AC signal. In response to this, the excitation coil generates a magnetic field coupled out from the excitation coil. The opposite rotor part has an inductive target, and the magnetic field is coupled into the inductive target. In response to this, the inductive target generates eddy currents, which in turn generate a secondary magnetic field coupled out from the inductive target. The secondary magnetic field is then coupled into a pickup coil assembly arranged on the stator part. In response to this, the pickup coil assembly generates an output signal representing the angle between the stator part and the rotor part.

[0003] If the PCB is now viewed from above, it will be seen that the pickup coil assembly is arranged inside the excitation coil, that is, the winding of the excitation coil surrounds the pickup coil assembly in a ring-shaped manner. In addition, a chip package with a chip is also arranged on the PCB, and the chip has a corresponding electronic circuit for operating the angle sensor. In the top view of the PCB, the chip package is arranged outside the ring-shaped excitation coil. Now in order to be able to connect the pickup coil assembly to the chip, the connecting wires of the pickup coil assembly must be led out of the ring-shaped excitation coil in some way. This inevitably leads to the intersection or crossing of the connecting wires of the pickup coil assembly with the windings of the excitation coil. The connecting wires of the pickup coil assembly and the windings of the excitation coil are laid in different planes in or on the substrate. Therefore, "intersection" should not be understood here as a physical "contact" (short circuit) of the connecting wires of the pickup coil assembly with the windings of the excitation coil, but should be understood as a contactless or non-touching intersection of the conductor traces extending above or below each other. However, this can lead to undesired interference between the excitation coil and the pick-up coil assembly or to interference signals being coupled into the connecting lines of the pick-up coil assembly.

[0004] It is therefore desirable to provide an arrangement for an inductive angle sensor which does not have the above-mentioned disadvantages and in particular largely avoids or at least significantly suppresses interference between the excitation coil and the pick-up coil assembly. Summary of the invention

[0005] Therefore, a device having the features according to the invention is proposed. Embodiments and other advantageous aspects of the device are listed in the corresponding dependent claims.

[0006] The device described herein comprises, in particular, a substrate with an excitation coil and a pickup coil assembly. The excitation coil is designed to generate a magnetic field in response to a fed input signal. The pickup coil assembly is designed to generate an output signal in response to a magnetic field. The pickup coil assembly has at least one pickup coil, which is designed in one or more metallization layers of the substrate. The excitation coil in turn has one or more windings, which are arranged in a ring-shaped manner around the pickup coil assembly in a top view of the substrate plane. In addition, the device also comprises an electronic chip with a circuit. The circuit is designed to feed an input signal to the excitation coil and / or detect an output signal of the pickup coil assembly. The electronic chip is arranged in a chip package (or chip housing), which has at least one electrical terminal, which is connected to at least one pickup coil of the pickup coil assembly by means of a signal guiding conductor. According to the innovative concept described herein, the chip package is advantageously placed on the substrate so that the signal guiding conductor and the one or more windings of the excitation coil do not intersect in a top view of the substrate plane. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Some embodiments are shown by way of example in the drawings and will be explained below.

[0008] Figure 1 shows a schematic top view of a device according to an embodiment,

[0009] Figure 2 shows a schematic top view of a device according to another embodiment,

[0010] Figure 3 shows a schematic top view of a device according to another embodiment,

[0011] Figure 4 shows a schematic top view of a device according to another embodiment,

[0012] Figure 5 shows a schematic top view of a device according to another embodiment,

[0013] Figure 6 shows a schematic top view of a device according to another embodiment,

[0014] Figure 7 shows a schematic perspective view of a conventional inductive angle sensor,

[0015] Fig. 8A shows the coil layout of the stator component of a conventional angle sensor, and

[0016] Figure 8B Shown with Fig. 8A Top view of the stator component corresponding to the coil layout. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Embodiments are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings, wherein elements having the same or similar functions are provided with the same reference numerals.

[0018] If k-fold symmetry is mentioned here, it is to be understood as a form of rotational symmetry or rotational symmetry. If an object can be rotated 360 degrees around an axis (n / k) so that the object looks the same after the rotation as before the rotation, then the object has k-fold symmetry (where n is an arbitrary integer).

[0019] In order to introduce the problem on which this is based, a conventional inductive angle sensor according to the prior art will first be discussed. Figure 7 A schematic diagram of such an inductive angle sensor 700 is shown.

[0020] The angle sensor 700 includes an excitation coil 701 and a pickup coil assembly 702, which has two offset pickup single coils 703 and 704. The excitation coil 701 and the pickup coil assembly 702 are usually arranged on a stator component (not explicitly shown here). In addition, the angle sensor 700 also has an inductive target 705. The target 705 is usually arranged on a rotor component (not explicitly shown here).

[0021] The target 705 may be, for example, a stamped metal molding having a thickness d. The target 705 may have a k-fold symmetry. In this example, the target 705 has a three-fold symmetry with three teeth 705A and three gaps 705B, respectively. The teeth 705A have a span s at the outer radius.

[0022] The pickup coils 703 and 704 can have the same k-fold symmetry as the target 705. In this example, the two pickup coils 703 and 704 have a 3-fold symmetry, in which each two adjacent windings 703A and 703B belong to the same whole. They are wound in different directions to compensate for the uniform external magnetic field (interference field) of the excitation coil 701 and the symmetrical interference field. Therefore, they are also called non-directional. The windings 703A and 703B can have a winding angle β. The first pickup coil 703 and the second pickup coil 704 are arranged to be offset from each other by a certain angle (here 30°). The offset angle depends on the variable k of the k-fold symmetry of the pickup coils 703 and 704.

[0023] The excitation coil 701 and the pickup coils 703 , 704 are arranged rotationally symmetrically about a common rotation axis R. In this case, the excitation coil 701 is arranged in a ring-shaped manner around the pickup coils 703 , 704 .

[0024] Fig. 8A and Figure 8B The problems associated therewith are more clearly shown. Fig. 8A yes Figure 8B The schematic coil layout of the device 700 is shown. Figure 8B As shown, the device 700 is a stator component of an inductive angle sensor, and the device 700 has a PCB 720, on which a plurality of coils 701, 703A, 703B, 703C and two chip packages 721, 722 are arranged. Therefore, a first pickup coil 703A, a second pickup coil 703B, and a third pickup coil 703C and an excitation coil 701 surrounding the pickup coils in a ring manner are arranged on the PCB 700. The pickup coils 703A, 703B, and 703C are respectively rotated and offset by 10° relative to each other.

[0025] The PCB 720 has two metallization layers (not visible here) in which the coils 701 , 703A, 703B, 703C are designed. Fig. 8A The blue lines shown mark the conductor tracks in the lower metallization layer and the red lines mark the conductor tracks in the upper metallization layer. Here, the coil windings of the individual coils 701, 703A, 703B, 703C are laid out so that they alternate between the upper metallization layer and the lower metallization layer. Thus, half of the winding is laid out in the upper metallization layer and then the next half of the winding is laid out in the lower metallization layer. The alternation between the two metallization layers is achieved by means of vias 731. In Figure 8B Only the conductor tracks implemented in the upper metallization layer can be seen in FIG. 1 , so that here, in each coil, only half of its winding can be seen, so to speak.

[0026] For clarity, in Fig. 8AThe excitation coil 701 is shown in solid lines, and the three pickup coils 703A, 703B, 703C are shown in dashed lines with short dashes and dashed lines with long dashes as well as dash-dotted lines. Also for the sake of clarity, only the right chip package 722 is shown among the two chip packages. The excitation coil 701 and the pickup coils 703A, 703B, 703C are connected to the chip package 722. For the sake of clarity, only the conductor traces 733 leading to the right chip package 722 are also shown here.

[0027] As in Fig. 8A and Figure 8B As can be seen in FIG. 7 , the pickup coils 703A, 703B, 703C are arranged inside the excitation coil 701, i.e. the excitation coil 701 surrounds the pickup coils 703A, 703B, 703C in a ring-shaped manner. The chip packages 721, 722 are arranged outside the ring-shaped excitation coil 701. Now in order to make the pickup coils 703A, 703B, 703C located inside contact with the chip packages 721, 722 located outside, the conductor traces 733 of the pickup coils 703A, 703B, 703C must be led out of the ring-shaped excitation coil 701. This results in that the conductor traces 733 of the pickup coils 703A, 703B, 703C must cross the windings of the ring-shaped excitation coil 701.

[0028] It should be pointed out again here that "intersection" should not be understood as a physical "contact" (short circuit) of the connecting wires of the pickup coil assembly and the excitation coil winding, but rather as a contactless or non-touching intersection of conductor tracks running above or below each other.

[0029] However, since the PCB has two metallization layers in which the corresponding coils 701, 703A, 703B, 703C are designed, it is problematic to achieve the intersection of the conductor traces 733 of the pickup coils 703A, 703B, 703C with the windings of the excitation coil 701. Therefore, all the windings of the excitation coil 701 must be laid in the lower metallization layer (or upper metallization layer) at the intersection point, while all the conductor traces 733 of the pickup coils 703A, 703B, 703C must be laid in the upper metallization layer (or lower metallization layer).

[0030] However, this leads to asymmetries. In particular, Fig. 8A It can be seen that the winding of the excitation coil 701 is crowned at the intersection, and the conductor trace 733 of the pickup coils 703A, 703B, and 703C laid below (or above) it creates an area where interference occurs with the winding of the excitation coil 701, because the magnetic flux of the excitation coil 701 is also coupled into the conductor trace 733 of the pickup coils 703A, 703B, and 703C in an undesirable manner.

[0031] Furthermore, even the windings of the excitation coil 701 of the left chip package 721 are coupled magnetically or inductively into the conductor tracks 733 of the right package 722. This in turn leads to an undesired coupling between the two angle sensor systems (left chip package or right chip package). In addition, the asymmetry of the conductor tracks 733 and the otherwise circular crown of the excitation coil 701 can lead to a mismatch in the desired common coupling between the excitation coil 701 and the pickup coils 703A, 703B, 703C.

[0032] This problem is solved with the device 100 according to the innovative concepts described herein.

[0033] Figure 1 A non-limiting embodiment of such a device 100 is shown. The device 100 can in particular be a stator component of an inductive angle sensor. The device 100 has a substrate 101. The substrate 101 can be implemented as a PCB, for example. The substrate 101 is substantially flat and thus extends in a corresponding substrate plane SE. That is, the substrate plane SE substantially corresponds to the main extension direction of the substrate 101. The substrate plane SE extends substantially parallel to the flat surface of the flat substrate 101. Therefore, the substrate 101 has a first surface or a first main side 101A extending parallel to the substrate plane SE and an opposite second surface or a second main side 101B (not visible here) which also extends parallel to the substrate plane SE. Figure 1 A top view of the substrate plane SE is shown, thereby also showing a top view of the above-mentioned first surface or first main side 101A of the substantially planar substrate 101. The second main side 101B is correspondingly arranged on the rear side, which is not visible here.

[0034] The substrate 101 may have at least one metallization layer. The substrate 101 may preferably have two or more metallization layers, wherein the metallization layers may extend parallel to the substrate plane SE or parallel to the first main side 101A and / or the second main side 101B of the substrate 101. However, here, the metallization layers are spaced apart from each other in a direction perpendicular to the substrate plane SE, that is, for example, stacked in layers in and / or on the substrate 101. For example, the first metallization layer may be disposed on the first main side 101A of the substrate 101, and the second metallization layer may be disposed on the opposite second main side 101B of the substrate 101.

[0035] The substrate 101 has an excitation coil 110. The excitation coil 110 may have one or more windings. In the non-limiting embodiment shown here, the excitation coil 100 has a first winding 110A and a second winding 110B arranged in parallel with the first winding 110A. The excitation coil 110 is designed to generate a magnetic field in response to a fed input signal.

[0036] This magnetic field can be received by an inductive target (not shown here). The inductive target can in turn be fixed on a rotor component that is rotatably arranged relative to a base plate (stator component). It should be mentioned at this point that the device 100 described herein can also be a rotor component. In this case, the inductive target can be arranged on the stator component.

[0037] In addition, the substrate 101 also has a pickup coil assembly 120 . The pickup coil assembly 120 is designed to generate an output signal in response to a magnetic field. The magnetic field may be a secondary magnetic field emitted from an inductive target, and the secondary magnetic field is coupled into the pickup coil assembly 120 .

[0038] The pickup coil assembly 120 has at least one pickup coil 120A. However, the pickup coil assembly 120 may also have more than one pickup coil 120A. In addition, the device 100 itself may have more than one pickup coil assembly 120, and these pickup coil assemblies 120 each have one or more separate pickup coils.

[0039] The individual pickup coils 120A of the pickup coil assembly 120, and optionally the individual windings 110A, 110B of the excitation coil 110, may be designed in one or more metallization layers of the substrate 101. As described above, the metallization layers may extend parallel to the substrate plane SE. Therefore, the (multiple) pickup coil assemblies 120 and optionally the excitation coils 110 may extend in planes parallel to the substrate plane SE, respectively.

[0040] The (multiple) pickup coil assemblies 120 and / or the excitation coil 110 can in particular be designed in multiple metallization layers at the same time. That is to say, for example, the first section (e.g., the first half) of the winding of the pickup coil 120A and / or the excitation coil 110 can be designed in the first metallization layer, and the second section (e.g., the second half) can be designed in the second metallization layer. With the help of vias, the individual sections of the winding (e.g., the first half or the second half) can be guided back and forth alternately between the individual metallization layers. In this regard, reference can also be made again to the description of the embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8A and Figure 8B statement.

[0041] As in Figure 1As can be seen in the top view of the substrate plane SE, one or more windings 110A, 110B of the excitation coil 110 can be arranged in a ring-shaped manner around the pickup coil assembly 120. In other words, the pickup coil assembly 120 can be arranged within the ring-shaped excitation coil 110, which is also observed in the top view of the substrate plane SE.

[0042] In addition, the device 100 also has an electronic chip 130. The electronic chip 130 can be designed as a semiconductor chip. The electronic chip 130 can have a circuit for operating the device 100, in particular for operating the excitation coil 110 and / or the pickup coil assembly 120, such as an integrated semiconductor circuit. To this end, the circuit can be designed, for example, to feed the above-mentioned input signal (for example, an AC signal) to the excitation coil 110 and / or detect the output signal of the pickup coil assembly 120 (for example, the induced AC signal).

[0043] The electronic chip 130 is arranged in a chip package 122 having at least one electrical terminal 123 which is connected with at least one pick-up coil 120A of the pick-up coil assembly 120 by means of a signal guiding conductor 124 .

[0044] The signal guiding conductor 124 may be designed or arranged in, at or on the substrate 101. The signal guiding conductor 124 may be implemented in the form of a conductor trace on the substrate 101 designed as a PCB, for example. Figure 1 As can be seen in the figure, the signal guiding conductor 124 can be led to the electrical terminal (Terminal) 123 on the outside of the chip package 122 and terminated at the electrical terminal 123. The signal guiding conductor 124 mentioned here can be particularly understood as an electrical conductor arranged in, at or on the substrate 101, which is laid outside the chip package 122 and can be led to the chip package 122 or wired to the electrical terminal (Terminal) 123 of the chip package 122.

[0045] Starting from the electrical terminal 123, further electrical conductors (not explicitly shown here) can be introduced into the interior of the chip package 122. For example, the chip package 122 can have contact pins, by means of which the chip package 122 is mounted on the substrate 101, wherein the contact pins can in turn extend into the interior of the chip package 122. Then, for example, a bonding wire can be connected there to such a contact pin. The bonding wire can extend over the electronic chip 130 and make contact with a bonding pad arranged on the chip 130. Starting from the bonding pad, one or more metallization traces at the chip 130 can extend further, for example in one or more metallization planes, to an electronic circuit, for example a transistor at the input of a preamplifier. In a top view of the substrate plane SE, the transistor input can be arranged outside one or more windings 110A, 110B of the excitation coil 110, or preferably inside one or more windings 110A, 110B of the excitation coil 110. Therefore, the signal guiding conductor 124 described herein may also be understood as one or more electrical conductors that are routed inside the chip package 122 and contact the conductor 124 that is routed outside the chip package 122 in some cases.

[0046] According to the innovative concepts described herein, the chip package 122 is placed on the substrate 101 such that the signal guiding conductor 124 and one or more windings 110A, 110B of the excitation coil 110 do not intersect in a top view of the substrate plane SE.

[0047] As mentioned at the beginning, one or more windings 110A, 110B of the excitation coil 110 and the signal guide conductor 124 of the pickup coil assembly 120 can be designed in different metallization layers and thus laid in different planes in or on the substrate. Therefore, it should be clearly pointed out again at this point that "intersection" should not be understood as a physical "contact" (short circuit) between the signal guide conductor 124 of the pickup coil assembly 120 and the windings 110A, 110B of the excitation coil 110, but should be understood as a contactless or non-touching intersection of conductor tracks laid above or below each other, that is, a contactless or non-touching intersection of the signal guide conductor 124 and the windings 110A, 110B of the excitation coil 110, in particular, a contactless or non-touching intersection of the signal guide conductor 124 laid outside the chip package 122 in, at or on the substrate 101 or PCB.

[0048] Here, the chip package 122 may be placed such that the chip package 122 is arranged above at least a portion of the windings 110A, 110B of the excitation coil 110. That is, also in the top view of the substrate plane SE, the portion of the windings 110A, 110B of the excitation coil 110 extends through below the chip package 122. Figure 1 It is indicated by the dotted line below the chip package 122 .

[0049] According to such an embodiment, the chip package 122 can be arranged, for example, on the substrate 101 so that the chip package 122 extends above at least one of the windings 110A, 110B of the excitation coil 110 in a top view of the substrate plane SE, and thus the at least one winding extends through underneath the chip package 122.

[0050] The chip package 122 can be mounted on the substrate 101, for example, as an SMD (surface mounted device). Therefore, when the chip package 122 is arranged "above" the corresponding conductor traces (i.e., the signal guide conductor 124 and the windings 110A, 110B of the excitation coil 110), the meaning is understandable. Here, this should not be understood as the chip package 122 must be in physical contact with the conductor traces. Rather, it should be understood that in the top view of the substrate plane SE, the outline of the chip package 122 covers the conductor traces (i.e., the signal guide conductor 124 and the windings 110A, 110B of the excitation coil 110) located below the chip package 122.

[0051] In addition to this, the chip package 122 may also be placed on the substrate 101 so that the aforementioned electrical terminal 123 connected to the at least one pickup coil 120A of the pickup coil assembly 120 is arranged inside the annular excitation coil 110 in a top view of the substrate plane SE. Alternatively, the chip package 122 may be placed on the substrate 101 so that the aforementioned electrical terminal 123 connected to the at least one pickup coil 120A of the pickup coil assembly 120 is at least oriented toward the annular excitation coil 110, and in particular toward the inner region of the annular excitation coil 110 in a top view of the substrate plane SE (see also FIG. 1 ). Figure 4 ).

[0052] Figure 2 Another embodiment of a device 100 according to the innovative concepts described herein is shown. As mentioned at the beginning, the excitation coil 110 can have any number of windings. In this non-limiting example, the excitation coil 110 has four windings 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D. More generally, the excitation coil 110 can have a number of windings from 1 to n.

[0053] According to one embodiment, the chip package 122 may be placed on the substrate 101 such that the chip package 122 is arranged above at least the second winding to the (n-1)th winding. That is, at least the second winding to the (n-1)th winding extend through below the chip package 122. Figure 2 In the example shown having a total of four windings 110A to 110D, at least the second winding 110B and the third winding 110C extend through underneath the chip package 122 .

[0054] As can be seen here, the windings 110A to 110D can be arranged in a spiral shape. Depending on the counting method, for example, the transition from the first winding 110A to the second winding 110B extending below the chip package 122 can be counted as the second winding 110B, and the transition from the third winding or (n-1)th winding 110C to the fourth winding or nth winding 110D can be counted as the third winding or (n-1)th winding 110C. According to a conceivable embodiment, the chip package 122 can be arranged above all remaining windings of the excitation coil 110 except the first winding and the nth winding.

[0055] In addition, Figure 2 As can be seen in FIG. 1 , the chip package 122 has a first lateral outer side 141, at which the chip package 122 has contact terminals 123, 131, and the chip package 122 has an opposite second lateral outer side 142, at which the chip package 122 may also have contact terminals 132. The chip package 122 may be placed on the substrate 101, so that at least one of the lateral outer sides 141, 142 of the chip package 122 having the contact terminals is arranged within the excitation coil 110 in a top view of the substrate plane SE.

[0056] Therefore, in a top view of the substrate plane SE, the chip package 122 may be at least partially arranged in the excitation coil 110. However, the chip package 122 may also be placed on the substrate 101 so that the chip package 122 is completely arranged in the excitation coil 110 in a top view of the substrate plane SE.

[0057] In the non-limiting embodiment shown here, the chip package 122 has a first excitation coil terminal 131 on its first lateral outer side 141, to which a winding of the excitation coil 110 can be connected, preferably the first winding 110A. In addition, the chip package 122 has a second excitation coil terminal 132 on its opposite second lateral outer side 142, to which another winding of the excitation coil 110 can be connected, preferably the last winding 110D. Here, the first excitation coil terminal 131 can be arranged inside the excitation coil 110 in a top view of the substrate plane SE, and the second excitation coil terminal 132 can be arranged outside the excitation coil 110 in a top view of the substrate plane SE.

[0058] Figure 3 1 shows another embodiment of the device 100. Here, the chip package 122 also includes a first lateral outer side 141 with contact terminals and an opposite second lateral outer side 142 with contact terminals. Here, the first winding 110A of the excitation coil 110 is also laid along the bottom of the chip package 122. In addition, this can apply to all embodiments described herein.

[0059] In addition, the device 100 also has a pickup coil assembly 120, which has a total of three individual pickup coils 120A, 120B, 120C. All three pickup coils 120A, 120B, 120C are only shown symbolically as inductors. Their physical conductor tracks can be located inside the first winding 110A of the excitation coil 110 in a top view of the substrate plane SE. The chip package 122 has a corresponding number of electrical contact terminals 151, 152, 153 for connecting the individual pickup coils 120A, 120B, 120C. These electrical contact terminals 151, 152, 153 can be arranged inside the excitation coil 110 in a top view of the substrate plane SE.

[0060] Furthermore, the chip package 122 may also have at least one power supply terminal for connecting a power source 160. In the embodiment shown here, the power supply terminals may be bipolar power supply terminals 161, 162. Alternatively or additionally, the chip package 122 may have at least one I / O port 163, for example a (combined) signal input and / or signal output terminal 163. The I / O port 163 may be connected to a control unit 150, which is designed to provide input signals for the excitation coil 110 and / or to receive and optionally evaluate output signals extracted by the pickup coil assembly 120.

[0061] At least one of these terminals (i.e., the power supply terminals 161, 162 and / or the I / O port or the signal input and / or signal output terminal 163) may be arranged on the second lateral outer side 142 of the chip package 122 arranged outside the annular excitation coil 110. In the embodiment shown here, both the power supply terminals 161, 162 and the signal input and / or signal output terminal 163 may be arranged on the second lateral outer side 142 of the chip package 122 arranged outside the annular excitation coil 110.

[0062] Figure 4 1 shows another embodiment of the device 100. In contrast to the previously discussed embodiments, here both the first excitation coil terminal 131 and the second excitation coil terminal 132 are arranged on a first lateral outer side 141 of the chip package 122 with contact terminals. The electrical contact terminals 151, 152, 153 described above for connecting the individual pickup coils 120A, 120B, 120C can also be arranged on the first lateral outer side 141 of the chip package 122. Here, the first lateral outer side 141 faces the excitation coil 110 and here in particular faces the inner region of the excitation coil 110 as seen in the top view. The signal guide conductors 124A, 124B, 124C of the individual pickup coils 120A, 120B, 120C of the pickup coil assembly 120 are laid in the inner region of the excitation coil 110.

[0063] Here, the chip package 122 is placed on the substrate 101 so that the signal guide conductors 124A, 124B, 124C of the individual pickup coils 120A, 120B, 120C of the pickup coil assembly 120 do not intersect with the one or more windings 110A of the excitation coil 110. To this end, for example, electrical contact terminals 151, 152, 153 for connecting the individual pickup coils 120A, 120B, 120C may be arranged at the lateral outer side 141 of the chip package 122 so that these electrical contact terminals 151, 152, 153 are positioned between the contact terminals 131, 132 of the excitation coil 110 along the lateral outer side 141.

[0064] Another difference shown here, which may apply to all embodiments, is the number of I / O ports. That is, the chip package 122 may have 1 to n I / O ports 1631 to 163 n At least one of these I / O ports, preferably all of the I / O ports, is arranged on a second lateral outer side 142 of the chip package 122 , wherein the second lateral outer side 142 faces away from the excitation coil 110 or is arranged outside the excitation coil 110 .

[0065] In principle, this also applies to all embodiments described herein, the power supply terminals 161, 162 and / or the I / O ports 1631 to 163 n The electrical contact terminals 151, 152, 153 of the individual pickup coils 120A, 120B, 120C of the pickup coil assembly 120 may be arranged on the second lateral outer side 142 of the chip package 122 having the contact terminals, wherein the second lateral outer side 142 faces away from the annular excitation coil 110. The electrical contact terminals 151, 152, 153 of the individual pickup coils 120A, 120B, 120C for connecting the pickup coil assembly 120 may be arranged on the opposite first lateral outer side 141 of the chip package 122 having the contact terminals, wherein the first lateral outer side 141 faces the inner area (e.g., the center) of the annular excitation coil 110 in a top view of the substrate plane SE.

[0066] As mentioned at the beginning, the device 100 can have a plurality of pickup coil assemblies, each of which has a plurality of individual pickup coils. In some embodiments, all electrical contact terminals for connecting the individual pickup coils of the plurality of pickup coil assemblies can be arranged on a first lateral outer side 141 of the chip package 122 having contact terminals, wherein the first lateral outer side 141 faces an inner region (e.g., center) of the annular excitation coil 110 in a top view of the substrate plane SE and / or is arranged inside the excitation coil 110.

[0067] Figure 5 A further embodiment of the device 100 is shown. The device 100 differs from the previously discussed embodiments in particular in that it has an electrical component 180, in particular a capacitor element (tank capacitor), which is connected in parallel to the two excitation coil terminals 131, 132. Here, the component 180 is arranged inside the annular excitation coil 110 when viewed in a top view of the substrate plane SE. The component 180 can be designed as an SMD component (SMD: surface mounted device) and arranged on the substrate 101. The signal guide conductors 124A, 124B, 124C of the pickup coils 120A, 120B, 120C can pass through the component 180 in one or more metallization layers below the component 180.

[0068] An alternative embodiment not explicitly shown here provides that the two excitation coil terminals 131, 132 are arranged on a second lateral outer side 142 of the chip package 122 arranged outside the annular excitation coil 110. Thus, the electrical component 180 (for example, a capacitor) connected in parallel to the two excitation coil terminals 131, 132 can also be arranged correspondingly outside the excitation coil 110 in a top view of the substrate plane SE.

[0069] If one of the two excitation coil terminals 131, 132 is arranged on the first lateral outer side 141 of the chip package 122, and the other of the two excitation coil terminals 131, 132 is arranged on the second lateral outer side 142 of the chip package 122 (see, for example, Figure 3 ), then the device 180 connected in parallel to the two excitation coil terminals 131, 132 will also be arranged above at least one of the windings 110A to 110D of the excitation coil 110, so that the at least one winding will then extend through below the device 180 accordingly.

[0070] Another conceivable embodiment, which is not explicitly shown here, may provide that the electrical component 180, in particular the capacitor element, is integrated in the chip package 122. That is to say, the electronic chip 130 and the component (for example, capacitor) 180 are then arranged in the chip package 122. In this case, the component (for example, capacitor) 180 can be arranged above. Figure 1 Between two connecting pins or contact pins inside the chip package 122, and these contact pins are connected to each other in a conductive manner. A winding of the excitation coil 110 can be connected at the two contact pins respectively. That is, outside the chip package 122, the contact pin can form or have two excitation coil terminals 131, 132. This will be advantageous, for example, when the chip package 122 has a lead frame. However, this is also conceivable in the case of a chip package 122 without a lead frame, such as in the case of a wafer-level ball grid array (WLB) package or an embedded wafer-level ball grid array (eWLB) package. This is because in the case of this form of chip package 122, there is a rewiring layer inside the chip package 122, which can connect the terminals of the device (e.g., capacitor) 180 to the terminals of the output driver of the excitation coil 110.

[0071] In the case of integrating the device 180 into the interior of the chip package 122, it is also conceivable that both the excitation coil terminals 131, 132 are arranged on the first lateral outer side 141 or the second lateral outer side 142 of the chip package 122, or that one excitation coil terminal 131 is arranged on the first lateral outer side 141 and the corresponding other excitation coil terminal 132 is arranged on the second lateral outer side 142 of the chip package 122. In each case, the device 180 can connect the two excitation coil terminals 131, 132 to each other in an electrically conductive manner within the chip package 122.

[0072] Many types of available chip packages for semiconductor circuits have a lead frame with a solid die pad, to which the chip is fixed and which also forms terminals, pins, wires or gullwings. The die pad, which is usually designed in the form of a large-area sheet metal, can lead in particular to interference with the windings 110A to 110D of the excitation coil 110, in particular when the windings 110A to 110D extend through under the chip package 122 according to the concepts described herein. In this case, the alternating magnetic field of the excitation coil 110 induces undesirable eddy currents in the conductive sheet metal (die pad, lead frame, etc.), and the secondary magnetic field generated by these sheet metals in turn induces undesirable signals in the pickup coils 120A, 120B, 120C.

[0073] In order to avoid this effect, it is proposed to implement the chip package 122 as a package without a lead frame. The chip package 122 can be designed, for example, as a chip size package (CSP), or as a leadless chip carrier (LCC) package, or as a wafer level ball grid array (WLB) package, or as an embedded wafer level ball grid array (eWLB) package.

[0074] Figure 6 1 shows another embodiment of the device 100. In particular, it differs from the previously discussed embodiments in that two electronic chips 1301, 1302 are provided here, each of which has a circuit for operating the device 100. The two chips 1301, 1302 can each be arranged in a separate chip package 122 as described herein. Alternatively, as in Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , two chips 1301 , 1302 may be arranged together in one and the same chip package 122 .

[0075] Furthermore, the device 100 may also include a separate excitation coil 110 having one or more windings 110A, 110B. Alternatively, the device 100 may include two annular (and optionally concentrically arranged) excitation coils 1101, 1102, each having one or more windings, wherein the first excitation coil 1101 may be connected to the first chip 1301, and the second excitation coil 1102 may be connected to the second chip 1302. Purely for the sake of clarity, the excitation coil terminals 131, 132 discussed above are not shown here.

[0076] Figure 6The illustrated embodiment provides a device 100 with two redundant system components. The vertical dashed line marks the boundary between the two redundant system components. In a top view of the substrate plane SE, the two chips 1301, 1302 can be arranged above the excitation coil 110 or one or more windings 110A, 110B of the excitation coils 1101, 1102, so that they extend below the two chips 1301, 1302. Figure 6 The two chips 1301 and 1302 may be arranged centrally above the excitation coil 110 or above at least one of the excitation coils 1101 and 1102, that is, an imaginary straight line connecting the centers of the two chips 1301 and 1302 may extend in a tangential manner to the excitation coil 110 or 1101 and / or 1102 extending below the two chips 1301 and 1302.

[0077] Furthermore, the device 100 may have two pickup coil assemblies 1201, 1202. Here, in the top view of the substrate plane SE, the two pickup coil assemblies 1201, 1202 may also be arranged inside the annular excitation coil 110 or inside the two annular excitation coils 1101, 1102. Each of the two chips 1301, 1302 may be connected to the pickup coil assemblies 1201, 1202, respectively, wherein the two pickup coil assemblies 1201, 1202 may respectively have one or more pickup coils 1201A, 1202A, etc. The chip package 122 may accordingly have one or more first electrical terminals 1231 for connecting the individual pickup coils 1201A of the first pickup coil assembly 1201, etc. In addition, the chip package 122 may also have one or more second electrical terminals 1232 for connecting the individual pickup coils 1202A of the second pickup coil assembly 1202, etc.

[0078] The pickup coil 1201A and the like of the first pickup coil assembly 1201 may be connected to the corresponding electrical terminals 1231 of the chip package 122 by means of one or more first signal guiding conductors 1241A, 1241B. The pickup coil 1202A and the like of the second pickup coil assembly 1202 may be connected to the corresponding electrical terminals 1232 of the chip package 122 by means of one or more second signal guiding conductors 1242A, 1242B.

[0079] In the embodiment shown here, the chip package 122 can also be placed on the substrate 101 so that one or more first signal guiding conductors 1241A, 1241B and second signal guiding conductors 1242A, 1242B and one or more windings 110A, 110B of the excitation coil 110 do not intersect in a top view of the substrate plane 101.

[0080] The electrical terminals 1231, 1232 for connecting the pickup coil assemblies 1201, 1202 may be arranged on the first lateral outer side 141 of the chip package 122 with the contact terminals. Alternatively or additionally, the excitation coil terminals 131, 132 (not explicitly shown here) may also be arranged on the first lateral outer side 141 of the chip package 122. Figure 6 As shown, the first lateral outer side 141 can be arranged inside the annular excitation coil 110 or inside the two excitation coils 1101, 1102, or at least toward the inner area (e.g., center) of the excitation coil 110 or the excitation coils 1101, 1102 (see, for example, Figure 4 ).

[0081] Furthermore, the chip package 122 may also have electrical terminals 1901, 1902 for power supply and / or in the form of input signal and / or output signal terminals (I / O ports). These electrical terminals 1901, 1902 may be arranged on the second lateral outer side 142 of the chip package 122 that is opposite and has contact terminals. Figure 6 As shown, the second lateral outer side 142 may be arranged outside the annular excitation coil 110 or outside the two excitation coils 1101 , 1102 , or away from the inner region (eg, center) of the excitation coil 110 or the excitation coils 1101 , 1102 .

[0082] Therefore, in all embodiments described herein, the chip package 122 can be used to achieve non-intersecting routing of the conductor traces 124 of one or more pickup coil assemblies 1201, 1202 relative to one or more windings 110A, ..., 110D of the excitation coil 110. In some embodiments, the electrical terminals 123 for the pickup coil assemblies 1201, 1202 can be arranged on the lateral outer side 141 of the chip package 122, which, when viewed in a top view of the substrate plane SE, faces the inner area (e.g., the center) of the excitation coil 110 or is arranged inside the excitation coil 110. This preferably may involve all existing electrical terminals 123 for connecting all existing pickup coil assemblies 1201, 1202. Other electrical terminals (e.g., power supply terminals 161, 162 and / or I / O ports 1631, ..., 163 n ) can be arranged on opposite lateral outer sides 142 of the chip package 122, wherein, viewed in a top view of the substrate plane SE, the outer sides 142 face away from an inner region (e.g., the center) of the excitation coil 110 or are arranged outside the excitation coil 110. This can preferably involve all existing electrical terminals 161, 162, 1631, ..., 163 except for the electrical terminal 123 for connecting all existing pickup coil assemblies 1201, 1202. nAll existing excitation coil terminals 131 , 132 may be arranged together on one of the two lateral outer sides 141 , 142 of the chip package 122 . Alternatively, the first excitation coil terminal 131 may be arranged on the first lateral outer side 141 , and the second excitation coil terminal 132 may be arranged on the second lateral outer side 142 .

[0083] Some embodiments of the concepts described herein relate to the described chip package 122 for a device 100, for example for a stator component or a rotor component of an inductive angle sensor. The chip package 122 described herein may in particular include a chip 130 with an integrated semiconductor circuit (IC: integrated circuit) for operating the device 100. The device 100 itself may in particular be a stator component or a rotor component of an inductive angle sensor.

[0084] The chip 130 may, for example, have an integrated circuit which is designed to feed an input signal, for example an AC signal, to the excitation coil 110 of the inductive angle sensor. In addition, the chip 130 may also have an integrated circuit which is designed to receive and / or evaluate an output signal, for example an AC signal induced in the pickup coil assembly 120 of the inductive angle sensor.

[0085] The chip package 122 may have electrical terminals for different purposes. For example, the chip package 122 may have electrical terminals 161, 162 for supplying power, and / or one or more signal input and / or signal output terminals 1631, . . . , 163 n , and / or electrical terminals 131 , 132 for contacting the excitation coil 110 , and / or one or more electrical terminals 151 , 152 , 153 for contacting the individual pickup coils 120A, 120B, 120C of the pickup coil assembly 120 .

[0086] The electrical terminals 131, 132 for contacting the excitation coil 110 and / or one or more electrical terminals 151, 152, 153 for contacting the individual pickup coils 120A, 120B, 120C of the pickup coil assembly 120 may be arranged on the first lateral outer side 141 of the chip package 122. Electrical terminals 161, 162 for power supply and / or one or more signal input and / or signal output terminals 1631, ..., 163 n The chip package 122 may be disposed on a second lateral outer side 142 opposite to the first lateral outer side 141 .

[0087] For example, all existing electrical terminals 131, 132 for contacting the excitation coil 110 and / or all existing electrical terminals 151, 152, 153 for contacting the individual pickup coils 120A, 120B, 120C of the pickup coil assembly 120 may be arranged on the first lateral outer side 141 of the chip package 122. Alternatively or additionally, all existing electrical terminals 161, 162 for power supply and / or all existing signal input and / or signal output terminals 1631, . . . , 163 n may be disposed on the second lateral outer side 142 of the chip package 122 .

[0088] In a top view of the substrate plane SE, the first lateral outer side 141 may be arranged inside the excitation coil 110. Alternatively, in a top view of the substrate plane SE, the first lateral outer side 141 may at least face the inner region of the (e.g., annular) excitation coil 110. In another conceivable alternative, in a top view of the substrate plane SE, the first lateral outer side 141 may at least face the excitation coil 110.

[0089] In a top view of the substrate plane SE, the second laterally outer side 142 may be arranged outside the excitation coil 110. Alternatively, in a top view of the substrate plane SE, the second laterally outer side 142 may at least face away from an inner region of the (eg, annular) excitation coil 110.

[0090] In some conceivable embodiments, the chip package 122 may be implemented without a solid die pad. In addition, the chip package 122 may be designed as a lead frame-free, that is, it may not have a metal lead frame. It is also conceivable that the chip package 122 is implemented without contact pins, that is, without lateral contact pins (leads). Instead, the chip package 122 may have a contact island (welding area (Lands)). For example, the chip package 122 may be designed as a WLB or eWLB package. As shown in the discussed figures for illustrative purposes, the chip package 122 may be arranged on the first main side 101A of the substrate 101. The first main side 101A may be the following main side of the substrate 101, which faces the rotor component in the case of an assembled inductive angle sensor. However, alternatively, the chip package 122 may also be arranged on the opposite second main side 101B of the substrate 101, that is, the main side of the substrate 101 that faces away from the rotor component in the case of an assembled angle sensor.

[0091] Some embodiments relate to a complete inductive angle sensor system or an inductive angle sensor. The inductive angle sensor may include a stator component having at least one excitation coil 110 and one or more pickup coil assemblies 1201, 1202. The stator component may be, for example, the device 100 described herein. In addition, the stator component may also have a chip package 122 described herein, which has a sensor chip 130 accommodated therein.

[0092] Furthermore, the inductive angle sensor can also have a rotor part which is movable (in particular rotatable) relative to the stator part. The rotor part can have an inductive target.

[0093] The chip package 122 may be arranged or placed on the stator component such that the chip package 122 covers one or more windings 110A to 110D of the excitation coil 110 in a top view of the substrate plane SE. That is, the chip package 122 may be arranged on the substrate 101 directly above the one or more windings 110A to 110D of the excitation coil 110.

[0094] As described above, the chip package 122 can be arranged above one or more windings 110A to 110D of the excitation coil 110, but the exception is the conductor tracks leading to the excitation coil terminals 131, 132. These conductor tracks can extend outside the contour of the chip package 122 in a top view of the substrate plane SE. Alternatively or additionally, the innermost and / or outermost windings of the excitation coil 110 can also extend outside the contour of the chip package 122.

[0095] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of the principles of the innovative concepts described herein. It should be understood that modifications and variations to the arrangements and details described herein will be apparent to others skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that the concepts described herein be limited only by the scope of protection of the appended claims, and not by the specific details presented herein with reference to the description and illustration of the embodiments.

Claims

1. An electronic device (100), comprising: A substrate (101) having an excitation coil (110) and a pickup coil assembly (120), wherein the excitation coil (110) is designed to generate a magnetic field in response to a fed input signal, and the pickup coil assembly (120) is designed to generate an output signal in response to the magnetic field, The pickup coil assembly (120) has at least one pickup coil (120A), and the at least one pickup coil is designed in one or more metallization layers of the substrate (101). wherein the excitation coil (110) has one or more windings (110A, ..., 110D) which are arranged in a ring-shaped manner around the pickup coil assembly (120) in a top view of the substrate plane (SE), and an electronic chip (130) having a circuit designed to feed the input signal to the excitation coil (110) and / or detect the output signal of the pickup coil assembly (120), The electronic chip (130) is arranged in a chip package (122), the chip package having at least one electrical terminal, the at least one electrical terminal being connected to the at least one pickup coil (120A) of the pickup coil assembly (120) by means of a signal guiding conductor (124), and The chip package (122) is placed on the substrate (101) so that the signal guiding conductor (124) and the one or more windings (110A, ..., 110D) of the excitation coil (110) do not intersect in a top view of the substrate plane (SE).

2. The device (100) according to claim 1, The chip package (122) is arranged on the substrate (101) so that the chip package extends above at least one of the windings (110A, ..., 110D) of the excitation coil (110) in a top view of the substrate plane (SE), and thus the at least one winding extends through below the chip package (122).

3. The device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, The excitation coil (110) has 1 to n windings (110A, ..., 110D), and at least the second winding to the (n-1)th winding extend through below the chip package (122).

4. The device (100) according to claim 1, In a top view of the substrate plane (SE), a first terminal connected to the at least one pickup coil (120A) of the pickup coil assembly (120) is arranged inside the annular excitation coil (110).

5. The device (100) according to claim 1, The chip package (122) has further electrical terminals (151, 152, 153), which are connected to further pickup coils (120A, 120B, 120C) of the pickup coil assembly (120), and in a top view of the substrate plane (SE), these terminals (151, 152, 153) are arranged inside the annular excitation coil (110).

6. The device (100) according to claim 1, wherein in a top view of the substrate plane (SE), a first lateral outer side (141) of the chip package (122) is arranged inside the annular excitation coil (110), and wherein in a top view of the substrate plane (SE), an opposite second lateral outer side (142) of the chip package (122) is arranged outside the annular excitation coil (110).

7. The device (100) according to claim 6, The chip package (122) further comprises two energized excitation coil terminals (131, 132) for connecting the excitation coil (110), wherein the two excitation coil terminals (131, 132) are arranged on the first lateral outer side (141) of the chip package (122), and the first lateral outer side is arranged inside the annular excitation coil (110).

8. The device (100) according to claim 7, The device (100) further comprises a charged capacitor element (180) which is connected in parallel with the two excitation coil terminals (131, 132), and in a top view of the substrate plane (SE), the capacitor element (180) is arranged inside the annular excitation coil (110).

9. The device (100) according to claim 6, The chip package (122) further comprises two energized excitation coil terminals (131, 132) for connecting the excitation coil (110), wherein the two excitation coil terminals (131, 132) are arranged on the second lateral outer side (142) of the chip package (122), and the second lateral outer side is arranged outside the annular excitation coil (110).

10. The device (100) according to claim 9, The device (100) further comprises a charged resistance element (180), which is connected in parallel with the two excitation coil terminals (131, 132), and in a top view of the substrate plane (SE), the resistance element (180) is arranged outside the annular excitation coil (110).

11. The device (100) according to claim 6, The chip package (122) further comprises two powered excitation coil terminals (131, 132) for connecting the excitation coil (110). The first excitation coil terminal (131) is arranged on the first lateral outer side (141) of the chip package (122), and the first lateral outer side is arranged inside the annular excitation coil (110), and the second excitation coil terminal (132) is arranged on the second lateral outer side (142) of the chip package (122), and the second lateral outer side is arranged outside the annular excitation coil (110).

12. The device (100) according to claim 6, The chip package (122) further comprises power supply terminals (161, 162) and at least one signal input and / or signal output terminal (163), wherein the power supply terminals (161, 162) and the signal input and / or signal output terminals (163) are arranged on the second lateral outer side (142) of the chip package (122), and the second lateral outer side is arranged outside the annular excitation coil (110).

13. The device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the device (100) has a second pickup coil assembly (1202), wherein in a top view of the substrate plane (SE), the one or more windings (110A, ..., 110D) of the excitation coil (110) are also arranged in a ring-shaped manner around the second pickup coil assembly (1202), and wherein the device (100) has a second electronic chip (1302) for operating the second pickup coil assembly (1202), wherein the second electronic chip (1302) is also arranged in the chip package (122), The chip package (122) has at least one second electrical terminal (1322), and the at least one second electrical terminal is connected to at least one pickup coil (1202A) of the second pickup coil assembly (1202) by means of a second signal guiding conductor (1242); and The chip package (122) is placed on the substrate (101) so that the second signal guiding conductor (1242) and the one or more windings (110A, ..., 110D) of the excitation coil (110) do not intersect in a top view of the substrate plane (SE).

14. The device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the chip package (122) is implemented as a package without a lead frame, or The chip package (122) is designed as a chip size package (CSP), or as a leadless chip carrier (LCC) package, or as a wafer level ball grid array (WLB) package, or as an embedded wafer level ball grid array (eWLB) package.

15. A chip package (122) for use in the device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims.

16. An inductive angle sensor having a device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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