TEMPERATURE SENSOR

• US 20120327972A1
• Filed: 06/26/2012
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LSIS Co. Ltd. (LS Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LSIS Co. Ltd. (LS Corporation)
• Inventors: SEON, Jong
• Application Number:
  US13/533,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20120327972A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 374/178
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/01 using semiconducting elements having PN junctions G01K7/02, G01K7/16, G01K7/30 take precedence

Abstract

Provided is a low power consuming, highly precise, wide-range temperature sensor. The temperature sensor includes a current mirror, a first MOS transistor, and a second MOS transistor. The current mirror generates a first reference current in response to a particular current applied by a power voltage and a second reference current in response to the first reference current so as to output the first and second reference currents. The first MOS transistor includes a drain terminal D1 receiving the first reference current and a gate terminal G1 receiving a bias voltage. The second MOS transistor includes a drain terminal D2 receiving the second reference current, and the second MOS transistor generates an output voltage.

Claims

1. A temperature sensor comprising:

a current mirror generating a first reference current in response to a particular current applied by a power voltage and a second reference current in response to the first reference current, so as to output the first and second reference currents;

a first MOS transistor comprising a drain terminal receiving the first reference current and a gate terminal receiving a bias voltage; and

a second MOS transistor comprising a drain terminal receiving the second reference current, the second MOS transistor generating an output voltage.

2. The temperature sensor according to claim 1, further comprising an amplifier to amplify the output voltage.

3. The temperature sensor according to claim 2, wherein the amplifier has gain of A where A denotes a rational number.

4. The temperature sensor according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second MOS transistors is one of a p-MOS transistor and an n-MOS transistor.

5. The temperature sensor according to claim 1, wherein when the first MOS transistor has a width W1, a length L1, and a ratio K1 of W1/L1 and the second MOS transistor has a width W2, a length L2, and a ratio K2 of W2/L2, the output voltage is changed by varying a ratio of K1/K2 of the first and second MOS transistors.

6. The temperature sensor according to claim 1, wherein the output voltage is changed by the bias voltage applied to the gate terminal of the first MOS transistor.

7. The temperature sensor according to claim 5, wherein the ratio of K1/K2 of the first and second MOS transistors satisfies that K1=W1/L1 is N times K2=W2/L1 where N denotes a rational number.

8. The temperature sensor according to claim 1, wherein the current mirror comprises a third MOS transistor and a fourth MOS transistor, and each of the third and fourth MOS transistors is one of a p-MOS transistor and an n-MOS transistor,

wherein the third and fourth MOS transistors are transistors of the same kind.

9. The temperature sensor according to claim 1, wherein the current mirror comprises a first bipolar transistor and a second bipolar transistor.