CHOPPED CIRCUIT WITH AC AND DC RIPPLE ERROR FEEDBACK LOOPS

• US 20140077873A1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Motz, Mario, Bresch, Manfred
• Granted Patent: US 8,829,988 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 330/9
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/02 Modifications of amplifiers to raise the efficiency, e.g. gliding Class A stages, use of an auxiliary oscillation
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/333 A frequency modulator or demodulator being used in the amplifier circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/411 the output amplifying stage of an amplifier comprising two power stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/38 DC amplifiers with modulator at input and demodulator at output; Modulators or demodulators specially adapted for use in such amplifiers switched capacitor amplifiers H03F3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/387 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/45475 using IC blocks as the active amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/45977 using switching means, e.g. sample and hold

Abstract

The present disclosure relate to a sensor system having a low offset error. In some embodiments, the sensor system comprises a sensor configured to generate a sensor signal, which is provided to a main signal path having a first chopping correction circuit and a second chopping correction circuit. The first and second chopping correction circuit chop the sensor signal at first and second frequencies to reduce offset errors, but in doing so generate first and second chopping ripple errors. A first digital offset feedback loop generates a first compensation signal, which is fed back into the main signal path to mitigate the first chopping ripple error. A second digital offset feedback loop generates a second compensation signal, which is fed back into the main signal path to mitigate the second chopping ripple error.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a main signal path configured to receive an input signal, comprising;

a first chopping correction circuit configured to chop the input signal at a first frequency to reduce an offset error in the input signal; and

a second chopping correction circuit configured to chop the input signal at a second frequency to further reduce the offset error;

a first feedback loop configured to generate a first compensation signal, which is fed back to the main signal path to mitigate a first chopper ripple error generated by the first chopping correction circuit; and

a second feedback loop configured to generate a second compensation signal, which is fed back to the main signal path to mitigate a second chopper ripple error generated by the second chopping correction circuit.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a summation element configured to add the first and second compensation signals to generate a composite compensation signal; and

a digital-to-analog converter configured to receive the composite compensation signal and to generate an analog correction signal based thereupon, which is fed back into the main signal path to mitigate the first chopper ripple error and the second chopper ripple error.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first chopping correction circuit comprises:

a first chopping modulator configured to modulate the input signal by chopping the input signal at the first frequency; and

a first chopping demodulator located downstream of the first chopping modulator and configured to demodulate the input signal by chopping the input signal at the first frequency.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the second chopping correction circuit comprises:

a second chopping modulator configured to modulate the input signal by chopping the input signal at the second frequency, which is different than the first frequency; and

a second chopping demodulator located downstream of the second chopping modulator and configured to demodulate the input signal by chopping the input signal at the second frequency.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the main signal path comprises:

an analog-to-digital converter located downstream of the first chopping modulator and the second chopping modulator and configured to convert the input signal from an analog signal to a digital signal.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the main signal path comprises:

a linear amplifier located downstream of the first chopping modulator and the second chopping modulator and configured to increase an amplitude of the input signal.

7. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

a sensor configured to provide the input signal to the main signal path;

wherein the first chopping modulator comprises a current inverter configured to chop the input signal by inverting a bias current provided to the sensor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first feedback loop comprises:

a first chopper switch configured to chop a feedback signal received from the main signal path at the first frequency to generate a first input signal; and

a first digital integrator located downstream of the first chopper switch and configured to integrate the first input signal to generate the first compensation signal.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the second feedback loop comprises:

a second digital integrator configured to integrate the feedback signal to generate a second input signal; and

a second chopper switch configured to chop the second input signal at the first frequency to generate the second compensation signal.

10. A sensor system, comprising:

a sensor configured to provide a sensor signal corresponding to a physical quantity measured by the sensor to a main signal path;

a signal modification circuit configured to receive the sensor signal, to modify the sensor signal, and to generate an output signal;

a first chopping correction circuit configured to chop the sensor signal at a first frequency to reduce an offset error of the sensor signal;

a first feedback loop configured to generate a first compensation signal based on a first feedback signal received from the main signal path, which mitigates a first chopper ripple error generated by the first chopping correction circuit;

a second chopping correction circuit configured to chop the sensor signal at a second frequency to reduce the offset error; and

a second feedback loop configured to generate a second compensation signal based on a second feedback signal received from the main signal path, which mitigates a second chopper ripple error generated by the second chopping correction circuit.

11. The sensor system of claim 10, wherein the second chopping correction circuit comprises:

a second chopping modulator configured to modulate the sensor signal by chopping the sensor signal at the second frequency, which is different than the first frequency; and

a second chopping demodulator located downstream of the second chopping modulator and configured to demodulate the sensor signal by chopping the sensor signal at the second frequency.

12. The sensor system of claim 11, wherein the second chopping modulator comprises a current inverter configured to chop the sensor signal by inverting a bias current provided to the sensor.

13. The sensor system of claim 10, wherein the first chopping correction circuit comprises:

a first chopping modulator configured to modulate the sensor signal by chopping the sensor signal at the first frequency; and

a first chopping demodulator located downstream of the first chopping modulator and configured to demodulate the sensor signal by chopping the sensor signal at the first frequency.

14. The sensor system of claim 10, wherein the first feedback loop comprises:

a first chopper switch configured to chop the first feedback at the first frequency to generate a first input signal; and

a first digital integrator located downstream of the first chopper switch and configured to integrate the first input signal to generate the first compensation signal.

15. The sensor system of claim 10, wherein the second feedback loop comprises:

a second digital integrator configured to integrate the second feedback signal to generate a second input signal; and

a second chopper switch configured to chop the second input signal at the first frequency to generate the second compensation signal.

16. The sensor system of claim 10, further comprising:

a summation element configured to add the first and second compensation signals to generate a composite compensation signal; and

a digital-to-analog converter configured to receive the composite compensation signal and to generate an analog correction signal based thereupon.

17. The sensor system of claim 10,

wherein the first feedback loop comprises a first comparator configured to receive the feedback signal and to compare the feedback signal to a first threshold value to generate a first digital signal that is provided to a first digital integrator;

wherein the second feedback loop comprises a second comparator configured to receive the feedback signal and to compare the feedback signal to a second threshold value to generate a second digital signal that is provided to a second digital integrator.

18. A method of reducing offset errors in a signal, comprising:

providing an input signal to a main signal path comprising a first chopping correction circuit and a second chopping correction circuit configured to reduce an offset within the input signal;

providing a first feedback signal from the main signal path to a first feedback loop and a second feedback signal from the main signal path to a second feedback loop;

generating a first compensation signal based upon the first feedback signal that mitigates a first chopper ripple error generated by the first chopping correction circuit; and

generating a second compensation signal based upon the second feedback signal that mitigates a second chopper ripple error generated by the second chopping correction circuit.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

adding the first compensation signal and the second compensation signal to generate a composite compensation signal.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

converting the composite compensation signal to an analog correction signal that is provided to the main signal path to mitigate the first chopper ripple error and the second chopper ripple error.