Sensor interface circuit and sensor output adjusting method

• US 10,101,175 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2017
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Li, Sih-Han, Sheu, Shyh-Shyuan, Yang, Ya-Wen, Cheng, Chih-Ping, Lin, Chih-Sheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Hernandez, William
• Application Number:
  US15/607,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20180136010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• Field of Search: 327365, 327509, 327590
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 2210/60 Unique sensor identification
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 18/008 with calibration coefficients stored in memory
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 3/022 having an ideal characteristic, map or correction data stored in a digital memory
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/30 Modifications for providing a predetermined threshold before switching shaping pulses by thresholding H03K5/08

Abstract

A sensor interface circuit and sensor output adjusting method are provided. The sensor interface circuit includes a processor and a gain control circuit. The processor obtains information of a linear region of a sensor to set a configuration corresponding to the sensor. The gain control circuit is coupled to the processor, performs a return-to-zero operation for a maximum electronic value and a minimum electronic value corresponding to the linear region and performs a full-scale operation for a slope of the linear region according to the maximum input range of an analog-to-digital converter which is a subsequent-stage circuit of the sensor interface circuit.

Claims

1. A sensor interface circuit, comprising:

a processor, obtaining information of a linear region of a sensor to set a configuration corresponding to the sensor; and

a gain control circuit, coupled to the processor, performing a return-to-zero operation for a maximum electronic value and a minimum electronic value corresponding to the linear region and performing a full-scale operation for a slope of the linear region according to a maximum input range of an analog-to-digital converter which is a subsequent-stage circuit of the sensor interface circuit.

2. The sensor interface circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a storage device, coupled to the processor and storing related parameters corresponding to the linear region and the configuration corresponding to the sensor.

3. The sensor interface circuit of claim 2, wherein the storage device stores property information of the sensor in advance.

4. The sensor interface circuit of claim 3, wherein the processor reads the property information of the sensor and obtains the information of the linear region of the sensor according to the property information.

5. The sensor interface circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a driver circuit, coupled to the processor and transmitting a driving source to the sensor.

6. The sensor interface circuit of claim 5, wherein the processor calibrates a value of the driving source according to the linear region of the sensor.

7. The sensor interface circuit of claim 1, wherein the processor sweeps environment values and obtains the information of the linear region of the sensor according to the swept environment values.

8. The sensor interface circuit of claim 1, wherein the processor defines a sensor range according to the linear region.

9. The sensor interface circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

an offset cancellation circuit, coupled to the gain control circuit and canceling an offset of a sensor output.

10. The sensor interface circuit of claim 1, wherein the processor selects a target region from the linear region.

11. The sensor interface circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a switch circuit, coupled to the gain control circuit and comprising a plurality of switches, wherein the processor individually connect to different sensors by switching the switches.

12. A sensor output adjusting method for a sensor, comprising:

obtaining information of a linear region of the sensor;

performing a return-to-zero operation for a maximum electronic value and a minimum electronic value corresponding to the linear region; and

performing a full-scale operation for a slope of the linear region according to a maximum input range of an analog-to-digital converter; and

setting a configuration corresponding to the sensor.

13. The sensor output adjusting method of claim 12, further comprising:

storing related parameters corresponding to the linear region and the configuration corresponding to the sensor.

14. The sensor output adjusting method of claim 13, further comprising:

storing property information of the sensor in advance.

15. The sensor output adjusting method of claim 14, further comprising

reading the property information of the sensor;

and

obtaining the information of the linear region of the sensor according to the property information.

16. The sensor output adjusting method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting a driving source to the sensor.

17. The sensor output adjusting method of claim 16, further comprising:

calibrating a value of the driving source according to the linear region of the sensor.

18. The sensor output adjusting method of claim 12, further comprising:

sweeping environment values; and

obtaining the information of the linear region of the sensor according to the swept environment values.

19. The sensor output adjusting method of claim 12, further comprising

defining a sensor range according to the linear region.

20. The sensor output adjusting method of claim 12, further comprising:

canceling an offset of a sensor output.

21. The sensor output adjusting method of claim 12, further comprising:

selecting a target region from the linear region.

22. The sensor output adjusting method of claim 12, further comprising:

individually connecting to different sensors by switching a switch circuit to set configurations corresponding to the different sensors.