Environmental sensor

• US 10,254,173 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2016
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Michigan (University of Michigan)
• Original Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Michigan (University of Michigan)
• Inventors: Choi, Myungjoon, Sylvester, Dennis, Blaauw, David T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kinkead, Arnold M
• Application Number:
  US15/335,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20170122815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 331176, 331 57, 327293, 327291, 327513
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/20 Compensating for effects of temperature changes other than those to be measured, e.g. changes in ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/00 Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/00 Measuring temperature based on the use of electric or magnetic elements directly sensitive to heat giving results other than momentary value of temperature G01K3/00 ; Power supply therefor, e.g. using thermoelectric elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/01 using semiconducting elements having PN junctions G01K7/02, G01K7/16, G01K7/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/56 using semiconductor devices in series with the load as final control devices G05F1/461 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 3/16 being semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 3/18 using Zener diodes
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 3/22 wherein the transistors are of the bipolar type only G05F3/26, G05F3/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 3/242 with compensation for device parameters, e.g. channel width modulation, threshold voltage, processing, or external variations, e.g. temperature, loading, supply voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 3/245 producing a voltage or current as a predetermined function of the temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 3/247 producing a voltage or current as a predetermined function of the supply voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 3/30 Regulators using the difference between the base-emitter voltages of two bipolar transistors operating at different current densities G05F3/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/06 Sense amplifiers; Associated circuits , e.g. timing or triggering circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/12 Bit line control circuits, e.g. drivers, boosters, pull-up circuits, pull-down circuits, precharging circuits, equalising circuits, for bit lines
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/011 Modifications of generator to compensate for variations in physical values, e.g. voltage, temperature to maintain energy constant H03K3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/012 Modifications of generator to improve response time or to decrease power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/0315 Ring oscillators
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 1/00 Stabilisation of generator output against variations of physical values, e.g. power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 1/02 against variations of temperature only

Abstract

An environmental sensor implementing a sleep mode timer with an oscillator circuit suitable for low power applications is presented. The oscillator circuit includes a plurality of timer stages cascaded in series with each other. Each timer circuit includes a plurality of transistors and operates to output two voltages with opposite polarities, such that the polarities of the two voltages oscillate periodically based on leakage current in the plurality of transistors. Each timer circuit further includes one or more tuning transistors that operate to adjust a frequency at which the polarities of the voltages oscillate. A complementary-to-absolute temperature (“CTAT”) voltage generator is configured to receive a regulated voltage and supply a bias voltage to the one or more tuning transistors in each of the plurality of timer circuits, where the CTAT voltage generator adjusts the bias voltage linearly and inversely with changes in temperature.

Claims

1. An oscillator circuit, comprising:

a plurality of timer circuits cascaded in series with each other, wherein each timer circuit is comprised of a plurality of transistors and operates to output two voltages with opposite polarities, such that the polarities of the two voltages oscillate periodically based on leakage current in the plurality of transistors;

wherein each timer circuit further includes one or more tuning transistors that operate to adjust a frequency at which the polarities of the two voltages oscillate; and

a complementary-to-absolute temperature (“

CTAT”

) voltage generator configured to receive a regulated voltage and supply a bias voltage to the one or more tuning transistors in each of the plurality of timer circuits, where the CTAT voltage generator adjusts the bias voltage linearly and inversely with changes in temperature.

2. The oscillator circuit of claim 1 wherein each timer circuit includes a pair of inverters cross-coupled to each other.

3. The oscillator circuit of claim 2 wherein each timer circuit further includes a first tuning transistor electrically coupled to an output of a first inverter in the pair of inverters and a second tuning transistor electrically coupled to an output of a second inverter in the pair of inverters.

4. The oscillator circuit of claim 1 wherein the plurality of transistors and the one or more tuning transistors in each timing circuit operate only in a subthreshold region.

5. The oscillator circuit of claim 1 wherein the CTAT voltage generator supplies the bias voltage to a gate terminal of each tuning transistor, and wherein the CTAT voltage generator is comprised of transistors operating only in a subthreshold region.

6. The oscillator circuit of claim 1 wherein the CTAT voltage generator is implemented by a stack of diode-connected transistors.

7. The oscillator circuit of claim 1 further comprising a NAND gate arranged in series with the plurality of timer circuits.

8. An oscillator circuit, comprising:

a plurality of timer circuits cascaded in series with each other, wherein each timer circuit includes a pair of inverters cross-coupled to each other and two tuning transistors, such that a first one of the two tuning transistors is coupled to an output of a first inverter in the pair of inverters, and a second one of the two tuning transistors is coupled to an output of a second inverter in the pair of inverters; and

a complementary-to-absolute temperature (“

CTAT”

) voltage generator configured to receive a regulated voltage and supply a bias voltage to each of the two tuning transistors in each of the plurality of timer circuits, where the CTAT voltage generator adjusts the bias voltage linearly and inversely with changes in temperature.

9. The oscillator circuit of claim 8 wherein the pair of inverters in each of the plurality of timer circuits oscillates periodically between states based on leakage current of transistors comprising the pair of inverters.

10. The oscillator circuit of claim 9 wherein the transistors comprising the pair of inverters and the two tuning transistors operate only in a subthreshold region.

11. The oscillator circuit of claim 10 wherein each timer circuit further includes:

a first pair of transistors coupled between a high side of a supply voltage and the pair of inverters; and

a second pair of transistors coupled between the pair of inverters and a low side of the supply voltage.

12. The oscillator circuit of claim 8 wherein the CTAT voltage generator supplies the bias voltage to a gate terminal of each tuning transistor, and wherein the CTAT voltage generator is comprised of transistors operating only in a subthreshold region.

13. The oscillator circuit of claim 8 further comprising a NAND gate arranged in series with the plurality of timer circuits.

14. An environmental sensor comprising:

a sensor device configured to detect, during an active mode of operation, an existence or measure an amount of a physical parameter associated with an environment in which the environmental sensor has been deployed; and

a sleep mode timer configured to wake up the sensor device from a sleep mode of operation to the active mode of operation, wherein the sleep mode timer comprises;

a plurality of timer circuits cascaded in series with each other, wherein each timer circuit is comprised of a plurality of transistors and operates to output two voltages with opposite polarities, such that the polarities of the two voltages oscillate periodically based on leakage current in the plurality of transistors, wherein each timer circuit further includes one or more tuning transistors that operate to adjust a frequency at which the polarities of the two voltages oscillate; and

a complementary-to-absolute temperature (“

CTAT”

) voltage generator configured to receive a regulated voltage and supply a bias voltage to the one or more tuning transistors in each of the plurality of timer circuits, where the CTAT voltage generator adjusts the bias voltage linearly and inversely with changes in temperature.

15. The environmental sensor of claim 14, wherein each timer circuit includes a pair of inverters cross-coupled to each other.

16. The environmental sensor of claim 15, wherein each timer circuit further includes a first tuning transistor electrically coupled to an output of a first inverter in the pair of inverters and a second tuning transistor electrically coupled to an output of a second inverter in the pair of inverters.

17. The environmental sensor of claim 14, wherein the plurality of transistors and the one or more tuning transistors in each timing circuit operate only in a subthreshold region.

18. The environmental sensor of claim 14, wherein the CTAT voltage generator supplies the bias voltage to a gate terminal of each tuning transistor, and wherein the CTAT voltage generator is comprised of transistors operating only in a subthreshold region.

19. The environmental sensor of claim 14, wherein the CTAT voltage generator is implemented by a stack of diode-connected transistors.

20. The environmental sensor of claim 14, further comprising a NAND gate arranged in series with the plurality of timer circuits.