Frequency ratio digitizing temperature sensor with linearity correction

• US 7,331,708 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2006
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wan, Jun, Blom, Eric D., Urie, Stuart H.
• Primary Examiner(s): VERBITSKY, GAIL KAPLAN
• Application Number:
  US11/361,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20070195856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 374/171
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/01 using semiconducting elements having PN junctions G01K7/02, G01K7/16, G01K7/30 take precedence

Abstract

A frequency ratio digitizing temperature sensor for generating a linearity-corrected temperature output signal includes an input generation circuit receiving a PTAT current and a CTAT current and a frequency ratio ADC including data and reference oscillators. The input generation circuit generates a first current from the weighted sum of the PTAT current and the CTAT current and also generates a first corrected current being the sum of the first current and a first portion of the PTAT current. The input generation circuit provides a first output current indicative of the PTAT current and a first output voltage generated by applying the first corrected current to a first resistor for use with the data oscillator and provides a second output current being the first corrected current and a second output voltage generated by applying the first current to a second resistor for use with the reference oscillator of the ADC.

Claims

1. A frequency ratio digitizing temperature sensor comprising:

a temperature sensing circuit providing a current proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT current) and a second current complementary to absolute temperature (CTAT current);

an input generation circuit coupled to the temperature sensing circuit to receive the PTAT current and the CTAT current, the input generation circuit generating a first current from the weighted sum of the PTAT current and the CTAT current, the first current being first order temperature independent, the input generation circuit further generating a first corrected current being the sum of the first current and a first portion of the PTAT current, the input generation circuit providing a first output current indicative of the PTAT current, a first output voltage generated by applying the first corrected current to a first resistor, a second output current indicative of the first corrected current, and a second output voltage generated by applying the first current to a second resistor; and

a frequency ratio analog-to-digital converter including a data oscillator receiving the first output current and the first output voltage and a reference oscillator receiving the second output current and the second output voltage, the frequency ratio analog-to-digital converter generating a linearity-corrected temperature output signal.

2. The frequency ratio digitizing temperature sensor of claim 1, wherein the frequency ratio analog-to-digital converter comprises:

a first current-to-frequency converter as the data oscillator receiving the first output current and the first output voltage from the input generation circuit and providing a first frequency output signal indicative of the PTAT current;

a second current-to-frequency converter as the reference oscillator receiving the second output current and the second output voltage from the input generation circuit and providing a second frequency output signal being a reference frequency;

a first counter circuit receiving the first frequency output signal and generating a first digital count value indicative of the number of clock cycles of the first frequency output signal over a conversion period;

a second counter circuit receiving the second frequency output signal and generating a second digital count value indicative of the number of clock cycles of the second frequency output signal, wherein the conversion period is defined by a predetermined number of the clock cycles of the second frequency output signal; and

a subtract circuit subtracting the second digital count value from the first digital count value, the subtract circuit providing the temperature output signal.

3. The frequency ratio digitizing temperature sensor of claim 1, wherein the first output current is a duplicate copy of the PTAT current and the first corrected current or a duplicate copy of the first corrected current is applied to the first resistor for generating the first output voltage.

4. The frequency ratio digitizing temperature sensor of claim 3, wherein the first corrected current or a duplicate copy of the first corrected current is applied as the second output current.

5. The frequency ratio digitizing temperature sensor of claim 1, wherein the input generation circuit further comprises:

a first summing circuit coupled to sum a second portion of the PTAT current and a third portion of the CTAT current to generate the first current, the first current having a nonlinear characteristic over temperature; and

a second summing circuit coupled to sum the first current and the first portion of the PTAT current to generate the first corrected current, the first portion being a small fraction of the PTAT current.

6. The frequency ratio digitizing temperature sensor of claim 5, wherein the input generation circuit further comprises a first buffer receiving the PTAT current and applying a first correction factor to the PTAT current to generate the first portion of the PTAT current.

7. The frequency ratio digitizing temperature sensor of claim 6, wherein the first correction factor has a value less than 0.15.

8. The frequency ratio digitizing temperature sensor of claim 6, wherein the input generation circuit further comprises a second buffer receiving the first current and applying a second correction factor being one minus the first correction factor to the first current to generate a normalized first current, the second buffer providing the normalized first current to the second summing circuit to be summed with the first portion of the PTAT current.

9. The frequency ratio digitizing temperature sensor of claim 1, wherein the input generation circuit further generates a second corrected current being the sum of the first current and a fourth portion of the PTAT current, the fourth portion being different than the first portion, the input generation circuit generating the second output voltage by applying the second corrected current to the second resistor.

10. The frequency ratio digitizing temperature sensor of claim 9, wherein the input generation circuit further comprises:

a first summing circuit coupled to sum a second portion of the PTAT current and a third portion of the CTAT current to generate the first current, the first current having a nonlinear characteristic over temperature;

a second summing circuit coupled to sum the first current and the first portion of the PTAT current to generate the first corrected current, the first portion being a small fraction of the PTAT current; and

a third summing-circuit coupled to sum the first current and the fourth portion of the PTAT current to generate the second corrected current, the fourth portion being a small fraction of the PTAT current and being different than the first portion.

11. The frequency ratio digitizing temperature sensor of claim 10, wherein the input generation circuit further comprises:

a first buffer receiving the PTAT current and applying a first correction factor to the PTAT current to generate the first portion of the PTAT current; and

a second buffer receiving the PTAT current and applying a second correction factor to the PTAT current to generate the fourth portion of the PTAT current.

12. The frequency ratio digitizing temperature sensor of claim 11, wherein the input generation circuit further comprises:

a third buffer receiving the first current and applying a third correction factor being one minus the first correction factor to the first current to generate a first normalized first current, the third buffer providing the first normalized first current to the second summing circuit to be summed with the first portion of the PTAT current; and

a fourth buffer receiving the first current and applying a fourth correction factor being one minus the second correction factor to the first current to generate a second normalized first current, the fourth buffer providing the second normalized first current to the third summing circuit to be summed with the fourth portion of the PTAT current.

13. A method of generating a linearity-corrected temperature output signal comprising:

providing a current proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT current) and a second current complementary to absolute temperature (CTAT current);

generating a first current from the weighted sum of the PTAT current and the CTAT current, the first current being first order temperature independent;

generating a first corrected current being the sum of the first current and a first portion of the PTAT current;

generating a first output current indicative of the PTAT current;

generating a first output voltage by applying the first corrected current to a first resistor;

generating a second output current indicative of the first corrected current;

generating a second output voltage by applying the first current to a second resistor; and

coupling the first output current and the first output voltage to a data oscillator of a frequency ratio analog-to-digital converter and coupling the second-output current and the second output voltage to a reference oscillator of the frequency ratio analog-to-digital converter to generate a linearity-corrected temperature output signal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein coupling the first and second output current and the first and second output voltages to a frequency ratio analog-to-digital converter to generate a linearity-corrected temperature output signal comprises:

applying the first output current and the first output voltage to a first current-to-frequency converter to generate a first frequency output signal indicative of the PTAT current;

applying the second output current and the second output voltage to a second current-to-frequency converter to generate a second frequency output signal being a reference frequency;

counting the number of clock cycles of the first frequency output signal over a conversion period and providing a first digital count value;

counting the number of clock cycles of the second frequency output signal and providing a second digital count value, wherein the conversion period is defined by a predetermined number of the clock cycles of the second frequency output signal; and

subtracting the second digital count value from the first digital count value to generate the temperature output signal.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

generating a second corrected current being the sum of the first current and a fourth portion of the PTAT current, the fourth portion being different than the first portion,

wherein generating the second output voltage comprises generating the second output voltage by applying the second corrected current to the second resistor.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the first output current is a duplicate copy of the PTAT current and the first corrected current or a duplicate copy of the first corrected current is applied to the first resistor for generating the first output voltage.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first corrected current or a duplicate copy of the first corrected current is applied as the second output current.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein generating a first current from the weighted sum of the PTAT current and the CTAT current, the first current being first order temperature independent comprises:

summing a second portion of the PTAT current and a third portion of the CTAT current to generate the first current, the first current having a nonlinear characteristic over temperature.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein generating a first corrected current being the sum of the first current and a first portion of the PTAT current comprises:

applying a first correction factor to the PTAT current to generate the first portion of the PTAT current, the first portion being a small fraction of the PTAT current; and

summing the first current and the first portion of the PTAT current to generate the first corrected current.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first correction factor has a value less than 0.15.