Sensor including dual range, application specific integrated chip (ASIC)
First Claim
1. A dual range sensor comprising:
- a sensing element for sensing a sensed parameter, the sensing element providing an analog output signal that is related to a current sensed parameter value;
an analog-to-digital converter coupled to the sensing element, the analog-to-digital converter converting the analog output signal of the sensing element to a digital value; and
a processing element coupled to the analog-to-digital converter, the processing element comparing the digital value to a transition value and, if the digital value reported by the analog-to-digital converter is less than the transition value, the processing element provides a digital output signal that relates to the digital value and corresponds to a first range of the sensed parameter at a first resolution, and if the digital value reported by the analog-to-digital converter is greater than the transition value, the processing element provides a digital output signal that relates to the digital value and corresponds to a second range of the sensed parameter at a second resolution, wherein the first range of the sensed parameter is not the same as the second range.
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Abstract
A sensor incorporates a dual range ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) for accurately sensing and measuring sensor input over extensive range along with an improved resolution. The sensor can incorporate an ASIC utilizing signals from a MEMS-based piezoresistive Wheatstone bridge. Signals can also come from capacitive pressure measurement sources. The signals can be converted to digital bit counts where calibration coefficients can be implemented to achieve high precision. The calibration coefficients corresponding to bit counts can be compared with transition points that are recorded into ASIC for effectively distinguishing different sensor ranges. The transition points can be stored in an EEPROM fabricated to suit ASIC applications.
26 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A dual range sensor comprising:
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a sensing element for sensing a sensed parameter, the sensing element providing an analog output signal that is related to a current sensed parameter value; an analog-to-digital converter coupled to the sensing element, the analog-to-digital converter converting the analog output signal of the sensing element to a digital value; and a processing element coupled to the analog-to-digital converter, the processing element comparing the digital value to a transition value and, if the digital value reported by the analog-to-digital converter is less than the transition value, the processing element provides a digital output signal that relates to the digital value and corresponds to a first range of the sensed parameter at a first resolution, and if the digital value reported by the analog-to-digital converter is greater than the transition value, the processing element provides a digital output signal that relates to the digital value and corresponds to a second range of the sensed parameter at a second resolution, wherein the first range of the sensed parameter is not the same as the second range. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of sensing a sensed parameter in a dual range manner, the method comprising:
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sensing a sensed parameter using a sensing element; outputting an analog signal from the sensing element that is related to a current sensed parameter value; converting the analog signal to a digital value with an analog-to-digital converter, the digital value represented as a number of digital bits; comparing the digital value to a transition value; providing a digital output signal that relates to the digital value and corresponds to a first range of the sensed parameter at a first resolution when the digital value reported by the analog-to-digital converter is less than the transition value; and providing a digital output signal that relates to the digital value and corresponds to a second range of the sensed parameter at a second resolution when the digital value reported by the analog-to-digital converter is greater than the transition value, wherein the first range of the sensed parameter is not the same as the second range. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of sensing a pressure with a dual range sensor, the method comprising:
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sensing a pressure with a pressure sensing element, the sensing element providing a analog output signal corresponding to the sensed pressure; and generating a digital output signal corresponding to the sensed pressure, wherein the digital output signal has a first resolution when the analog output signal falls within a first range of values, and has a second resolution when the analog output signal falls within a second range of values, wherein the first resolution is different from the second resolution. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification