Apparatus for digital temperature measurement in an integrated circuit

• US 6,874,933 B1
• Filed: 10/15/2002
• Issued: 04/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chan, Wai Cheong
• Primary Examiner(s): Gutierrez, Diego
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRUCHNIC, STANLEY J
• Application Number:
  US10/272,354
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 374/163, 374/170, 374/171, 374/178, 374/1, 377/25, 331/66
• US Class Current: 374/171
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/028 arrangements for numerical indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/01 using semiconducting elements having PN junctions G01K7/02, G01K7/16, G01K7/30 take precedence

Abstract

A circuit for measuring temperature with all digital components in an integrated circuit. During manufacture, the number of clock period cycles during a known period of time at a predetermined temperature is stored in non-volatile memory. Later, during use of the integrated circuit, a clock circuit is activated and each cycle of its period is counted during a known length of time. Using the previously saved number of clock circuit cycles at a predetermined temperature and a current count of clock cycles for another known length of time, the current period of the clock circuit can be calculated and used to determine the current temperature.

Claims

1. An apparatus integral of an integrated circuit for measuring temperature of the integrated circuit, said apparatus comprising:

(a) a clock circuit that includes at least one Flip Flop that outputs a signal having a delay that determines a period of the signal that is temperature dependent on the operation of the integrated circuit;

(b) a storage component that stores a count of each period of a signal corresponding to a predetermined temperature over a predetermined length of time;

(c) a generator that enables each period of the signal outputted by the clock circuit to be counted during operation of the integrated circuit over a first length of time; and

(d) a register that outputs a count of each period of the clock circuit output signal that occurred during the first length of time, wherein the current temperature on the integrated circuit is determined based on the stored count of the period of the signal corresponding to the predetermined temperature and the outputted count of each said period of a first length of time.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the generator is operably coupled to a reference signal having a period that is temperature independent;

wherein the reference signal is employed to determine the first length of time.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the generator causes the register to clear an output representing the count of each period of the clock circuit'"'"'s signal during a first length of time, and wherein at the end of a second length of time that is substantially equivalent to the first length of time, the generator causes the register to load and output a current count of each period of the clock circuit signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a counter to count each period of the clock circuit.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage component includes at least one of a non-volatile memory and a trimmed register.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each period of the clock circuit signal is outputted by a logic component, including at least one of a Flip Flop and Latch.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the register includes volatile memory.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the clock circuit operates as a ring oscillator for the integrated circuit.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a processor for processing a linear equation that determines the current temperature based in part on the determined period of the clock circuit at the current temperature.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a component that manages the power consumption of the integrated circuit based in part on the determined current temperature.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a larger count of each period of the clock circuit signal for the first length of time improves accuracy in determining the current temperature than a smaller count of each period of the clock signal for the first length of time.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage component stores the count of each period of the signal at the predetermined temperature over the predetermined length of time during characterization of the integrated circuit.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first length of time occurs during operation of the integrated circuit.

14. An apparatus integral of an integrated circuit for digitally measuring temperature of the integrated circuit, said apparatus comprising:

(a) a storage component that stores a count of a period of a temperature dependent signal corresponding to a predetermined temperature;

(b) a counter that enables a period of a signal that varies as a function of the temperature of the integrated circuit to be counted during operation of the integrated circuit over a first length of time;

(c) a register that outputs a count of each period of the signal that occurred during a said first length of time; and

(d) a processor that determines the current temperature of the integrated circuit based on the stored count of the period of the signal at the predetermined temperature and the outputted count of each period during the first length of time.

15. An apparatus integral of an integrated circuit for measuring temperature of the integrated circuit, said apparatus comprising:

(a) means for outputting a signal, wherein the means includes at least one Flip Flop having a delay that determines a period of the outputted signal that is temperature dependent on the operation of the integrated circuit;

(b) means for storing a count of each period of a signal corresponding to a predetermined temperature over a predetermined length of time;

(c) means for enabling each period of the temperature dependent signal to be counted during operation of the integrated circuit over a first length of time; and

(d) means for outputting a count for each period of the temperature dependent signal that occurred during the first length of time, wherein the current temperature is determined based on the stored count of each period of the signal at the predetermined temperature and the outputted count of each period during the first length of time.