Self-adaptive current monitoring circuit having a voltage dividing unit for outputting an increased or decreased divided voltage signal according to a voltage regulation signal

• US 10,459,009 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2018
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hangzhou Hongxin Microelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hangzhou Hongxin Microelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Wang, Chih-yang
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Que Tan
• Application Number:
  US15/871,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20190128926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 250214 R
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/44 Electric circuits for command of an exposure part G03B7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/4406 Plural ranges in circuit, e.g. switchable ranges; Adjusting sensitivity selecting gain values
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 15/04 Voltage dividers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/0061 Measuring currents of particle-beams, currents from electron multipliers, photocurrents, ion currents; Measuring in plasmas
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/1659 to indicate that the value is within or outside a predetermined range of values (window) G01R19/16514, G01R19/16519, G01R19/16528 and G01R19/16533 take precedence

Abstract

The present invention provides a self-adaptive current monitoring circuit, configured to monitor a current generated by an optical sensing element, including a voltage dividing unit coupled with the optical sensing element for generating a corresponding divided voltage signal according to a current signal of the optical sensing element; a comparison unit coupled with the voltage dividing unit for receiving and generating a monitoring signal according to the divided voltage signal; a threshold unit coupled with the comparison unit for receiving the monitoring signal and comparing the monitoring signal with a threshold signal to output a switch control signal; and a voltage regulation unit coupled with the threshold unit and the voltage dividing unit for receiving and generating a voltage regulation signal according to the switch control signal, and the voltage dividing unit receives and outputs an increased or decreased divided voltage signal according to the voltage regulation signal.

Claims

1. A self-adaptive current monitoring circuit, configured to monitor a current generated by an optical sensing element, the self-adaptive current monitoring circuit comprising a voltage dividing unit, a comparison unit, a threshold unit, and a voltage regulation unit;

the voltage dividing unit coupled with the optical sensing element, and the voltage dividing unit configured to generate a corresponding divided voltage signal according to a current signal of the optical sensing element;

the comparison unit coupled with the voltage dividing unit, and the comparison unit configured to receive and generate a monitoring signal according to the divided voltage signal;

the threshold unit coupled with the comparison unit, and the threshold unit configured to receive the monitoring signal and compare the monitoring signal with a threshold signal to output a switch control signal; and

the voltage regulation unit coupled with the threshold unit and the voltage dividing unit, the voltage regulation unit configured to receive and generate a voltage regulation signal according to the switch control signal, and the voltage dividing unit receiving and outputting an increased or decreased divided voltage signal according to the voltage regulation signal.

2. The self-adaptive current monitoring circuit according to claim 1, further comprising a current mirror unit coupled with the comparison unit and the threshold unit, and the current mirror unit configured to receive and mirror the monitoring signal and output the switch control signal according to a mirrored monitoring signal and the threshold signal.

3. The self-adaptive current monitoring circuit according to claim 2, the current mirror unit comprising at least two stages of mirror circuits, wherein a first-stage mirror circuit is coupled with the comparison unit for mirroring the monitoring signal of the comparison unit, and each of other mirror circuits except the first-stage mirror circuit is coupled with a previous-stage mirror circuit thereof for mirroring a current signal of the previous-stage minor circuit.

4. The self-adaptive current monitoring circuit according to claim 3, wherein the number of the voltage regulation unit and the number of the mirror circuits are set correspondingly.

5. The self-adaptive current monitoring circuit according to claim 1, wherein the current mirror unit comprises a first-stage mirror circuit and a second-stage mirror circuit, and the threshold unit comprises a first threshold circuit and a second threshold circuit;

wherein the first-stage minor circuit is coupled with the comparison unit and the first threshold circuit, and the first-stage mirror circuit is configured to receive and mirror the monitoring signal and output a first switch control signal according to a mirrored monitoring signal and a first threshold signal; and

wherein the second-stage mirror circuit is coupled with the first-stage mirror circuit and the second threshold circuit, the second-stage mirror circuit is configured to receive a first mirror current signal generated by the first-stage mirror circuit after the first-stage minor circuit minors the monitoring signal and is configured to output a second switch control signal according to the first mirror current signal and a second threshold signal.

6. The self-adaptive current monitoring circuit according to claim 3, wherein the current minor unit comprises the first-stage mirror circuit and a second-stage mirror circuit, and the threshold unit comprises a first threshold circuit and a second threshold circuit;

wherein the first-stage minor circuit is coupled with the comparison unit and the first threshold circuit, and the first-stage mirror circuit is configured to receive and mirror the monitoring signal and output a first switch control signal according to a mirrored monitoring signal and a first threshold signal; and

wherein the second-stage mirror circuit is coupled with the first-stage mirror circuit and the second threshold circuit, the second-stage mirror circuit is configured to receive a first mirror current signal generated by the first-stage mirror circuit after the first-stage minor circuit minors the monitoring signal and is configured to output a second switch control signal according to the first mirror current signal and a second threshold signal.

7. The self-adaptive current monitoring circuit according to claim 5, the voltage regulation unit comprising a first voltage regulation circuit and a second voltage regulation circuit;

the first voltage regulation circuit coupled with the first-stage mirror circuit and the voltage dividing unit, and the first voltage regulation circuit configured to receive and control the first voltage regulation circuit to be integrated into the voltage division unit according to the first switch control signal and configured to carry on a first voltage regulation to the divided voltage signal generated by the voltage dividing unit; and

the second voltage regulation circuit coupled with the second stage mirror circuit and the voltage dividing unit, and the second voltage regulation circuit configured to receive and control the second voltage regulation circuit to be integrated into the voltage division unit according to the second switch control signal and configured to carry on a second voltage regulation to the divided voltage signal generated by the voltage dividing unit.

8. The self-adaptive current monitoring circuit according to claim 6, the voltage regulation unit comprising a first voltage regulation circuit and a second voltage regulation circuit;

the first voltage regulation circuit coupled with the first-stage mirror circuit and the voltage dividing unit, and the first voltage regulation circuit configured to receive and control the first voltage regulation circuit to be integrated into the voltage division unit according to the first switch control signal and configured to carry on a first voltage regulation to the divided voltage signal generated by the voltage dividing unit; and

the second voltage regulation circuit coupled with the second stage mirror circuit and the voltage dividing unit, and the second voltage regulation circuit configured to receive and control the second voltage regulation circuit to be integrated into the voltage division unit according to the second switch control signal and configured to carry on a second voltage regulation to the divided voltage signal generated by the voltage dividing unit.

9. The self-adaptive current monitoring circuit according to claim 7, wherein the first voltage regulation circuit and the second voltage regulation circuit are both connected in parallel with the voltage dividing unit.

10. The self-adaptive current monitoring circuit according to claim 8, wherein the first voltage regulation circuit and the second voltage regulation circuit are both connected in parallel with the voltage dividing unit.