RESISTANCE MEASUREMENT CIRCUIT AND MEASURING METHOD EMPLOYING THE SAME

• US 20120274341A1
• Filed: 12/22/2011
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: FU, YING-BIN
• Application Number:
  US13/334,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20120274341A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/691
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 17/06 Automatic balancing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/08 Measuring resistance by measuring both voltage and current

Abstract

A resistance measurement circuit used in a power circuit includes an analog to digital converter (ADC), a signal control module, and a potentiometer. The ADC can receive an output voltage from the power circuit and convert the output voltage from the power circuit to digital signals. The signal control module compares two consecutive digital signals to establish any voltage difference according to the comparison. If the voltage difference is outside a predetermined voltage range, the signal control module adjusts the resistance of the potentiometer and the output voltage from the power circuit until the voltage difference is within the predetermined voltage range.

Claims

1. A resistance measurement circuit used in a power circuit, comprising:

an analog to digital converter (ADC) electrically connected to the power circuit to receive output voltage from the power circuit;

a signal control module electrically connected to the ADC; and

a potentiometer electrically connected to the signal control module, wherein the ADC converts the output voltage from the power circuit to corresponding digital signals, the signal control module compares two consecutive digital signals to establish a voltage difference according to the comparison, if the voltage difference is outside a predetermined voltage range, the signal control module controls the potentiometer to adjust the resistance and the output voltage from the power circuit until the voltage difference is within the predetermined voltage range.

2. The resistance measurement circuit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a display module electrically connected to the signal control module, wherein the display module displays the resistance values of the potentiometer.

3. The resistance measurement circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ADC is a 24-bit analog-to-digital microchip and comprises an input port, a clock port, a data port, and a control port, the input port electrically connects the power circuit to achieve the output voltage, the clock port, the data port and the control port electrically connect to the signal control module, the ADC converts the output analog voltage from the power circuit to the digital signal proportional to the magnitude of the voltage, and the digital signal is transmitted to the signal control module via one of the data port.

4. The resistance measurement circuit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the signal control module is a microcontroller and comprises an enable pin, a control pin, a clock pin, a data pin, and a group of input/output (I/O) pins, the control pin is electrically connected to the control port of the ADC to control the ADC to record the output voltage of the power circuit, the clock pin is electrically connected to the clock pin of the ADC, the data pin is electrically connected to the data port of the ADC, and the I/O pins are electrically connected to the potentiometer.

5. The resistance measurement circuit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the signal control module determines whether the voltage difference is outside the predetermined voltage range, if the current voltage difference is within the predetermined voltage range, the signal control module stores the current resistance of the potentiometer, and if the voltage difference is within the predetermined voltage range with a certain period of observational time, the signal control module records and stores the current resistance of the potentiometer which is used as the desired resistance of a temperature compensation resistor in the power circuit.

6. The resistance measurement circuit as claimed in claim 4, wherein the potentiometer is a digital potentiometer and comprises a group of address pins, two data pins, and two measurement ports, the address pins electrically and respectively connect four of the I/O pins, so the signal control module communicates with and initializes the potentiometer via the address pins, the data pins are electrically connected to the other two I/O pins to communicate with the signal control module.

7. The resistance measurement circuit as claimed in claim 6, wherein the power circuit comprises a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller, a thermistor and an output terminal, the thermistor is electrically connected between the PWM controller and ground, the output terminal electrically connects the input port of the ADC to provide the output voltage, the PWM controller controls and adjusts the output voltage of the output terminal, and one of the measurement port is electrically connected to a power supply unit to power the potentiometer, the other measurement port electrically connects the thermistor and the PWM controller.

8. The resistance measurement circuit as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a switch electrically connected to the enable pin of the signal control, wherein the when the switch is switched on, the enable pin is enabled to activate the signal control module.

9. A resistance measurement circuit used in a power circuit to figure out a desired resistance, the power circuit comprising an output terminal, the resistance measurement circuit comprising:

an analog to digital converter (ADC) electrically connected to the output terminal of the power circuit;

a signal control module electrically connected to the ADC to control the ADC to receive different output voltage from the output terminal of the power circuit; and

a potentiometer electrically connected to the signal control module, wherein the ADC converts the output voltage from the output terminal of the power circuit to corresponding digital signals, the signal control module compares two consecutive digital signals corresponding to the two consecutive output voltage, and establishes a voltage difference according to the comparison, if the voltage difference is outside a predetermined voltage range, the signal control module sends a command signal to control the potentiometer to adjust the resistance and the output voltage from the output terminal until the voltage difference is within predetermined voltage range or the comparison has finished, if the voltage difference is within the predetermined voltage range, the signal control module stores the current resistance of the potentiometer as the desired resistance.

10. The resistance measurement circuit as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a display module electrically connected to the signal control module, wherein the display module displays the resistance values of the potentiometer.

11. The resistance measurement circuit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the ADC is a 24-bit analog-to-digital microchip and comprises an input port, a clock port, a data port, and a control port, the input port electrically connects the power circuit to achieve the output voltage, the clock port, the data port and the control port electrically connect to the signal control module, the ADC converts the output analog voltage from the output terminal to the digital signal proportional to the magnitude of the voltage, and the digital signal is transmitted to the signal control module via one of the data port.

12. The resistance measurement circuit as claimed in claim 11, wherein the signal control module is a microcontroller and comprises an enable pin, a control pin, a clock pin, a data pin, and a group of input/output (I/O) pins, the control pin is electrically connected to the control port of the ADC to control the ADC to record the output voltage from the output terminal, the clock pin is electrically connected to the clock pin of the ADC, the data pin is electrically connected to the data port of the ADC, and the I/O pins are electrically connected to the potentiometer.

13. The resistance measurement circuit as claimed in claim 11, wherein the signal control module determines whether the voltage difference is outside the predetermined voltage range, if the current voltage difference is within the predetermined voltage range, the signal control module stores the current resistance of the potentiometer, and if the voltage difference is within the predetermined voltage range within a certain period of observational time, the signal control module records and stores the current resistance of the potentiometer which is used as the desired resistance of a temperature compensation resistor in the power circuit.

14. The resistance measurement circuit as claimed in claim 12, wherein the potentiometer is a digital potentiometer and comprises a group of address pins, two data pins, and two measurement ports, the address pins electrically and respectively connect four of the I/O pins, so the signal control module communicates with and initializes the potentiometer through the address pins, the data pins are electrically connected to the other two I/O pins to communicate with the signal control module.

15. The resistance measurement circuit as claimed in claim 14, wherein the power circuit comprises a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller, a thermistor and an output terminal, the thermistor is electrically connected between the PWM controller and ground, the output terminal electrically connects the input port of the ADC to provide the output voltage, the PWM controller controls and adjusts the output voltage of the output terminal according to the comparison, and one of the measurement ports is electrically connected to a power supply unit to power the potentiometer, the other measurement port electrically connects the thermistor and the PWM controller.

16. The resistance measurement circuit as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a switch electrically connected to the enable pin of the signal control, wherein the when the switch is switched on, the enable pin is enabled to activate the signal control module.

17. A measuring method for measuring the resistance of a temperature-compensating resistor in a power circuit, the measuring method comprising steps of:

obtaining a first output voltage from the power circuit;

obtaining a second output voltage from the power circuit at certain intervals;

comparing the first output voltage with the second output voltage to establish a voltage difference to determine whether the voltage difference is within a predetermined voltage range within a certain period of observational time; and

recording the current resistance of a potentiometer to use the current resistance as the desired resistance of the temperature-compensating resistor.

18. The measuring method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising activating a signal control module to set a testing time.

19. The measuring method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising storing the current resistance of the potentiometer if the voltage difference is within the predetermined voltage range.

20. The measuring method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising transmitting a command signal to control the potentiometer to control and adjust the resistance and the output voltage of the power circuit if the voltage difference is outside the predetermined voltage range.