Circuit and method for determining potentiometer wiper resistance

• US 7,550,981 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2006
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Merry, Mark F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Vincent Q
• Application Number:
  US11/502,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20080100303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 324/525, 324/714, 73/18.8
• US Class Current: 324/714
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/165 by relative movement of a point of contact or actuation and a resistive track
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/205 Measuring contact resistance of connections, e.g. of earth connections
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2829 Testing of circuits in sensor or actuator systems testing of apparatus for measuring electric or magnetic variables G01R35/00; testing of indicating or recording apparatus G01D; in airbag systems B60R21/0173; checking gas analysers G01N33/007; monitoring or fail-safe circuits for electromagnets H01F7/1844

Abstract

A circuit and method for determining the wiper resistance of a potentiometer that includes the step of electrically coupling a sense resistor having a substantially constant sense resistance to the potentiometer third terminal. The potentiometer is electrically energized, and a potentiometer voltage, which is a voltage potential between the potentiometer first and second terminals, is determined. The wiper position is determined based at least in part on the determined potentiometer voltage. The sense resistor is electrically coupled to a potential that causes a wiper current to flow through the wiper and sense resistor. A magnitude of the wiper current is determined, and the wiper resistance is determined based at least in part on the potentiometer resistance, the determined potentiometer position, the determined wiper current magnitude, and the sense resistance.

Claims

1. A method of determining wiper resistance of a potentiometer including a first terminal, a second terminal, a third terminal, a resistive element having a potentiometer resistance electrically coupled between the first and second terminals, and a wiper electrically coupled between the resistive element and the third terminal and movable to a wiper position between the first and second terminals, the method comprising the steps of:

electrically energizing the potentiometer;

electrically coupling a sense resistor to the potentiometer third terminal, the sense resistor having a substantially constant sense resistance;

determining a potentiometer voltage, the potentiometer voltage being a voltage potential between the potentiometer first and second terminals;

determining the wiper position based at least in part on the determined potentiometer voltage;

electrically coupling the sense resistor to a potential that causes a wiper current to flow through the wiper and sense resistor;

determining a magnitude of the wiper current; and

determining the wiper resistance based at least in part on the potentiometer resistance, the determined potentiometer position, the determined wiper current magnitude, and the sense resistance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the wiper position comprises:

substantially preventing current flow through the sense resistor;

determining a no-load wiper voltage at the potentiometer third terminal; and

calculating the wiper position by dividing the determined no-load wiper voltage by the determined potentiometer voltage.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the magnitude of the wiper current comprises:

determining a wiper voltage at the potentiometer third terminal when the wiper current flows through the wiper and sense resistor; and

calculating the wiper current magnitude from the determined wiper voltage and the sense resistance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the potentiometer resistance includes a first resistance between the first terminal and the wiper, and a second resistance between the second terminal and the wiper, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining the second resistance from the potentiometer resistance and the determined wiper position; and

determining the first resistance from the potentiometer resistance and the determined second resistance.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the wiper resistance is determined from the potentiometer resistance, the determined first resistance, the determined second resistance, the determined wiper current magnitude, and the sense resistance.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

electrically energizing the potentiometer from a voltage source having a reference voltage magnitude, and via a current limiting resistor having a resistance value and a bias resistor having a resistance value, the current limiting resistor coupled between the voltage source and the potentiometer first terminal, the bias resistor coupled between the potentiometer second terminal and a reference potential,

wherein the wiper resistance is determined in accordance with the following equation;

$R_w=\frac{V_{\mathrm{ref}}<br><br>R_b-I_w<br><br>R_a<br><br>R_b}{I_w<br><br>R_{\mathrm{pot}}}-R_{\mathrm{sense}},$

where;

V_ref=the reference voltage magnitude,

I_w=the wiper current flow,

R_a=the first resistance plus the resistance value of the current limiting resistor,

R_b=the second resistance plus the resistance of the bias resistor,

R_pot=the potentiometer resistance,

R_sense=the sense resistance, and

R_w=the wiper resistance.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the potentiometer voltage comprises determining a voltage magnitude at least at the potentiometer first terminal.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of determining the potentiometer voltage further comprises determining a voltage magnitude at the potentiometer second terminal.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the potentiometer resistance.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining a voltage magnitude at least at the potentiometer first terminal; and

determining the potentiometer resistance based at least in part on the determined voltage magnitude at the potentiometer first terminal.

11. A potentiometer wiper resistance measurement circuit, comprising:

a potentiometer including a first terminal, a second terminal, a third terminal, a resistive element having a potentiometer resistance electrically coupled between the first and second terminals, and a wiper electrically coupled between the resistive element and the third terminal and movable to a wiper position between the first and second terminals;

a sense resistor having a substantially constant sense resistance and including a first terminal and a second terminal, the sense resistor first terminal coupled to the potentiometer third terminal;

a power source electrically coupled to the potentiometer and configured to supply a current thereto that results in a voltage drop between the potentiometer first and second terminals; and

an output circuit having a plurality of input terminals and an output terminal, separate ones of the output circuit input terminals coupled to at least the potentiometer first terminal, the potentiometer second terminal, and the sense resistor second terminal, the output circuit operable to selectively couple (i) the potentiometer first terminal to the output terminal, (ii) the potentiometer third terminal to the output terminal, and (iii) the sense resistor second terminal to a reference potential.

12. The circuit of claim 11, wherein the output circuit includes:

a first multiplexer having a plurality of input terminals and an output terminal, a first of the input terminals coupled to the potentiometer first terminal, a second of the input terminals coupled to the potentiometer third terminal;

a second multiplexer having a plurality of input terminals and an output terminal, a first of the input terminals coupled to the sense resistor second terminal;

a third multiplexer having a plurality of input terminals and an output terminal, a first of the input terminals coupled to the reference potential, the output terminal coupled to the second multiplexer output terminal; and

a fourth multiplexer having a plurality of input terminals and an output terminal, a first of the input terminals coupled to the first multiplexer output terminal, a second of the input terminals coupled to the second multiplexer output terminal.

13. The circuit of claim 12, wherein the first of the third multiplexer input terminals is further coupled to the potentiometer second terminal.

14. The circuit of claim 12, wherein a second of the third multiplexer input terminals is coupled to the potentiometer second terminal.

15. The circuit of claim 12, further comprising:

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) coupled to the fourth multiplexer output terminal.

16. The circuit of claim 15, further comprising:

an amplifier coupled between the ADC and the fourth multiplexer output terminal.

17. The circuit of claim 11, further comprising:

a processor coupled to receive signals supplied from the output circuit output terminal and selectively operable, upon receipt thereof, to determine the potentiometer wiper resistance.

18. The circuit of claim 17, further comprising:

a processor coupled to receive signals supplied from the fourth multiplexer output terminal and selectively operable, upon receipt thereof, to determine the potentiometer wiper resistance.

19. A potentiometer wiper resistance measurement circuit, comprising:

a potentiometer including a first terminal, a second terminal, a third terminal, a resistive element having a potentiometer resistance electrically coupled between the first and second terminals, and a wiper electrically coupled between the resistive element and the third terminal and movable to a wiper position between the first and second terminals;

a sense resistor having a substantially constant sense resistance and including a first terminal and a second terminal, the sense resistor first terminal coupled to the potentiometer third terminal;

a power source electrically coupled to the potentiometer and configured to supply a current thereto that results in a voltage drop between the potentiometer first and second terminals;

a first multiplexer having a plurality of input terminals and an output terminal, a first of the input terminals coupled to the potentiometer first terminal, a second of the input terminals coupled to the potentiometer third terminal;

a second multiplexer having a plurality of input terminals and an output terminal, a first of the input terminals coupled to the sense resistor second terminal;

a third multiplexer having a plurality of input terminals and an output terminal, a first of the input terminals coupled to the reference potential, the output terminal coupled to the second multiplexer output terminal; and

a fourth multiplexer having a plurality of input terminals and an output terminal, a first of the input terminals coupled to the first multiplexer output terminal, a second of the input terminals coupled to the second multiplexer output terminal.

20. The circuit of claim 19, wherein a second of the third multiplexer input terminals is coupled to the potentiometer second terminal.