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Dynamically balanced fully differential circuit for use with a battery monitoring circuit

  • US 5,600,247 A
  • Filed: 08/17/1994
  • Issued: 02/04/1997
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1992
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A battery monitoring circuit for monitoring current with a current monitor through a sense resistor disposed in series with one terminal of the battery by detecting the voltage across the sense resistor in order to determine the current through the battery terminal, the current monitor comprising:

  • a voltage-to-frequency converter for converting the voltage across the sense resistor to a primary pulse stream, the rate of said primary pulse stream corresponding to the voltage across the sense resistor;

    a circuit for determining the current through the battery terminal, the current being a function of the rate of said primary pulse stream; and

    said voltage-to-frequency converter having a differential structure associated therewith, said differential structure comprising;

    a first differential leg having first passive switching elements and first active elements associated therewith for receiving as an input voltage the voltage that is across the sense resistor and processing the input voltage therethrough with said first passive switching elements and said first active elements in a first predetermined manner and outputting a first differential signal,a second differential leg substantially identical to said first differential leg and having second passive switching elements and second active elements associated therewith for receiving as an input voltage the voltage across the sense resistor and processing the input voltage therethrough with said second passive switching elements and said second active elements in a second predetermined manner and outputting a second differential signal, said second differential signal being substantially similar to said first differential signal and of an opposite polarity with differences between said first and second differential signals resulting from differences between said first and second passive switching elements and said first and second active elements in said first and second differential legs, respectively, wherein positive transitions in said first differential signal will correspond to negative transitions in said second differential signal, such that said first and second differential signals comprise a differential output,a multiplex circuit for periodically switching select portions of said first and second passive switching elements and said first and second active elements between said first and second differential legs to compensate for said differences between said first and second passive switching elements and said first and second active elements in said first and second differential legs, anda pulse generation system for generating a first differential pulse stream having a pulse rate that is a function of said first differential signal and a second differential pulse stream having a pulse rate that is a function of said second differential signal and a summing circuit for summing said first and second differential pulse streams to provide said primary pulse stream.

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