Apparatus for a temperature compensation of a catheter tip pressure transducer

• US 5,866,821 A
• Filed: 02/08/1993
• Issued: 02/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Argon Medical Devices
• Original Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Inventors: Raynes, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): FELBER, JOSEPH LEON
• Application Number:
  US08/015,077
• Time in Patent Office: 2,185 Days
• Field of Search: 73/708, 73/721, 73/727, 73/720, 73/726, 338/4, 338/42, 128/672, 128/675
• US Class Current: 73/708
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/2281 for temperature variations
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/065 with temperature compensating means non electric temperature compensating means G01L19/04

Abstract

A compensation circuit for a resistance bridge corrects errors in the response of signal outputs thereof and has a voltage controlled current source across a power input and a ground reference providing a bridge excitation output current proportional to a fixed circuit reference voltage. A single resistor adjusts positive or negative values of the fixed part of the offset errors in the signal outputs response. Another resistor adjusts positive or negative slope of the temperature dependent part of the offset errors in the signal outputs response. A method compensates the offset errors with steps of energizing the bridge and measuring the output and resistance at two temperatures and at two pressures. The measurements are used to find correction resistances for variations in bridge offset, temperature and pressure response.

Claims

1. A compensation circuit for a resistance bridge with a pair of arms, wherein each arm includes a pair of resistors, one of which increases with strain, and another of which decreases with strain, comprising:

a) a power input, a ground reference, a positive signal output and a negative signal output of the resistance bridge providing a response across the signal outputs as a function of pressure applied to the resistance bridge and an electrical signal applied to the power input, the response including both temperature dependent errors and fixed offset errors;

b) a voltage controlled current source connected across the power input and the ground reference, the voltage controlled current source having a bridge excitation output current directly proportional to a fixed circuit reference voltage;

c) a buffer amplifier having a buffer input connected to the power input, the buffer amplifier configured as a voltage follower generating a buffer output voltage proportional to the power input voltage;

d) an instrumentation amplifier with a positive terminal and a negative terminal connected to the positive signal output and negative signal output respectively to generate an initial output proportional to the response of the signal outputs;

e) a correction signal generating means having a correction part which consists of a single resistor for correction of temperature dependent errors and a single resistor for correction of fixed offset errors connected in series between the output of said buffer amplifier and said ground reference, said correction part generating an initial offset current at the connection of said single resistor for correction of temperature dependent errors and said single resistor for correction of fixed offset errors, said correction signal generating means having means for inversely amplifying the initial offset current, said correction signal generating means generating a correction signal on the basis of said inversely amplified initial offset current and said buffer output voltage, wherein the value of said resistor for correction of temperature dependent errors is adjusted so as to compensate for said temperature dependent errors, and the value of said resistor for correction of fixed offset errors is adjusted so as to compensate for said fixed offset errors; and

f) a reference input of the instrumentation amplifier connected for receiving the correction signal to modify the initial output in response to the correction signal.

2. The compensation circuit of claim 1 wherein said correction signal generating means generates a fixed offset error correction part of said correction signal on the basis of said fixed circuit reference voltage in addition to said inversely amplified initial offset current and said buffer output voltage.

3. The compensation circuit of claim 2 wherein a programmable gain amplifier receives the initial output from the instrumentation amplifier and provides a compensated output which is independent of variations in the resistance bridge response to applied pressure.

4. The compensation circuit of claim 3 further comprising a gain resistor used to adjust the gain of the programmable gain amplifier to compensate for variations in the resistance bridge response to applied pressure.

5. The compensation circuit of claim 1 further comprising an offset reference generator to receive the fixed circuit reference voltage for generating a reference offset voltage.

6. A compensation circuit for a resistance bridge comprising:

a) a bridge comprising a power input for receiving an electrical excitation signal, a ground reference, a pressure sensitive resistance, a bridge output for providing a bridge response as a function of pressure applied to the bridge and the electrical excitation signal, wherein the bridge pressure sensitive resistance has an input resistance and the bridge response includes both temperature dependent errors and fixed offset errors;

b) an amplifying means connected to the bridge output to generate an initial output proportional to the bridge response;

c) a correction signal generating means having a compensation network which consists of a single resistor for correction of temperature dependent errors and a single resistor for correction of fixed offset errors connected in series between the initial output of said amplifying means and said ground reference, said compensation network generating an initial offset signal at the connection of said single resistor for correction of temperature dependent errors and said single resistor for correction of fixed offset errors, said correction signal generating means having means for inversely amplifying the initial offset signal, said correction signal generating means generating a correction signal on the basis of said inversely amplified initial offset signal and said offset correction input signal, wherein the value of said resistor for correction of temperature dependent errors is adjusted so as to compensate for said temperature dependent errors, and the value of said resistor for correction of fixed offset errors is adjusted so as to compensate for said fixed offset errors; and

d) said amplifying means further comprising a reference input means for receiving the correction signal to modify the initial output in response to the correction signal thereby counteracting the fixed offset and temperature errors.

7. The compensation circuit of claim 6 further comprising:

a programmable gain amplifier for receiving the initial output from the amplifying means and providing a compensated output which is independent of variations in the bridge response to applied pressure, and

a gain resistor used to adjust the gain of the programmable gain amplifier to compensate for variations in the bridge response to applied pressure.

8. A method for compensating both positive slope and negative slope temperature errors and fixed offset errors of the bridge in a compensation circuit of claim 7, said method having the following steps:

a) Energize the bridge with a well regulated constant current source, connected across the power input and the ground reference;

b) Measure the offset and resistance of the bridge after bringing the bridge to a first temperature T1 and at zero pressure, and allowing the system to equilibrate;

c) Measure the response of the bridge at the first temperature T1, after applying a pressure P1 across the bridge, to determine the unit change in the output of the bridge with pressure;

d) Measure the offset and resistance of the bridge after bringing the bridge to a second temperature T2 and at zero pressure, and allowing the system to equilibrate;

e) Determine the unit change in the output and resistance of the bridge with temperature;

f) Use the determinations and measurements of steps b through e to calculate the values for said single resistor for correction of temperature dependent errors, said single resistor for correction of fixed offset errors and said gain resistor; and

g) Use the calculated values from step f to select and include said single resistor for correction of temperature dependent errors, said single resistor for correction of fixed offset errors and said gain resistor to correct the temperature dependent errors, fixed offset errors and variations in resistance bridge response to applied pressure at the resistance bridge outputs.

9. A method for compensating both positive slope and negative slope temperature errors and fixed offset errors of the bridge in a compensation circuit of claim 6, said method having the following steps:

a) Energize the bridge with a regulated constant current source, connected across the power input and the ground reference;

b) Measure the offset and resistance of the bridge after bringing the bridge to a first temperature T1 and at zero pressure, and allowing the system to equilibrate;

c) Measure the response of the bridge at the first temperature T1, after applying a pressure P1 across the bridge, to determine the unit change in the output of the resistance bridge with pressure;

d) Measure the offset and resistance of the bridge after bringing the bridge to a second temperature T2 and at zero pressure, and allowing the system to equilibrate;

e) Determine the unit change in the output and resistance of the with temperature;

f) Use the determinations and measurements of steps b through e to calculate the values for said single resistor for correction of temperature dependent errors and said single resistor for correction of fixed offset errors; and

g) Use the calculated values from step f to select and include said single resistor for correction of temperature dependent errors and said single resistor for correction of fixed offset errors to correct the temperature dependent errors and fixed offset errors in bridge response to applied pressure at the bridge outputs.