Capacitance interface circuit

• US 8,237,489 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2010
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ite Tech (ITE Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ite Tech (ITE Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Cheng, Ping-Pao
• Primary Examiner(s): Wells, Kenneth B.
• Application Number:
  US12/846,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20100289555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 327/91, 327 94- 95, 327/337, 324/658, 324/679
• US Class Current: 327/337
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/24 by varying capacitance

Abstract

A capacitance interface circuit is provided. An external inductive capacitor is divided into a variable portion and an invariable portion. The capacitance of an internal adjustable capacitor is designed to be equal or close to the fixed capacitance of the external inductive capacitor. The internal adjustable capacitor is used for storing charges having a polarity opposite to that of the invariable portion of the external inductive capacitor in order to neutralize the effect of the invariable portion of the external inductive capacitor. Thus, a charge converter composed of a fully-differential amplifier and feedback capacitors needs only work on the variable portion of the external inductive capacitor, and accordingly the accuracy in subsequent data processing is increased.

Claims

1. A capacitance interface circuit, comprising:

a first switch, having a first terminal for receiving a positive reference voltage and a control terminal for receiving a first control signal;

a second switch, having a first terminal for receiving a negative reference voltage, a second terminal coupled to a second terminal of the first switch, and a control terminal for receiving a second control signal;

a first capacitor, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the second switch;

a third switch, having a first terminal for receiving the positive reference voltage and a control terminal for receiving the second control signal;

a fourth switch, having a first terminal for receiving the negative reference voltage, a second terminal coupled to a second terminal of the third switch, and a control terminal for receiving the first control signal;

a second capacitor, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the fourth switch;

a fifth switch, having a first terminal coupled to a second terminal of the first capacitor and a control terminal for receiving a third control signal;

a sixth switch, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first capacitor and a control terminal for receiving a fourth control signal;

a seventh switch, having a first terminal coupled to a second terminal of the second capacitor and a control terminal for receiving the third control signal;

an eighth switch, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the second capacitor and a control terminal for receiving the fourth control signal;

a fully-differential amplifier, having a positive input terminal coupled to second terminals of the fifth switch and the seventh switch, a negative input terminal coupled to second terminals of the sixth switch and the eighth switch, a common mode receiving terminal for receiving a common mode voltage, and a output voltage of the fully differential amplifier between a positive output terminal and a negative output terminal;

a first feedback capacitor, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the fifth switch and a second terminal coupled to a negative output terminal of the fully-differential amplifier;

a second feedback capacitor, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the sixth switch and a second terminal coupled to a positive output terminal of the fully-differential amplifier;

a ninth switch, having a first terminal for receiving the common mode voltage, a control terminal for receiving a fifth control signal, and a second terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first capacitor; and

a tenth switch, having a first terminal for receiving the common mode voltage, a control terminal for receiving the fifth control signal, and a second terminal coupled to the second terminal of the second capacitor,

wherein a capacitance of the second capacitor is randomly set to a first value and then the output voltage of the fully differential amplifier can be obtained based on a difference of the first value and a capacitance of the first capacitor,

and the capacitance of the second capacitor is modified according to the output voltage of the fully differential amplifier so as to make the output voltage of the fully differential amplifier substantially equal to zero.

2. The capacitance interface circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first control signal and the second control signal have a phase difference of 180°

, duty cycles of the first control signal and the second control signal are 50%, a cycle of the fifth control signal is half of a cycle of the second control signal, a cycle of the third control signal is the same as a cycle of the first control signal, a duty cycle of the third control signal is 25%, a cycle of the fourth control signal is the same as the cycle of the second control signal, and a duty cycle of the fourth control signal is 25%.

3. The capacitance interface circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor are respectively an external inductive capacitor of the capacitance interface circuit.

4. The capacitance interface circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first capacitor is a first external inductive capacitor of the capacitance interface circuit, the second capacitor is a first internal adjustable capacitor of the capacitance interface circuit, a capacitance of the first capacitor comprises a first fixed capacitance and a first variable capacitance, and a capacitance of the second capacitor is substantially equal to the first fixed capacitance.

5. A capacitance interface circuit, comprising:

a first switch, having a first terminal for receiving a positive reference voltage and a control terminal for receiving a first control signal;

a second switch, having a first terminal for receiving a negative reference voltage, a second terminal coupled to a second terminal of the first switch, and a control terminal for receiving a second control signal;

a first capacitor, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the second switch;

a third switch, having a first terminal for receiving the positive reference voltage and a control terminal for receiving the first control signal;

a fourth switch, having a first terminal for receiving the negative reference voltage, a second terminal coupled to a second terminal of the third switch, and a control terminal for receiving the second control signal;

a second capacitor, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the fourth switch;

a fifth switch, having a first terminal coupled to a second terminal of the first capacitor and a control terminal for receiving a third control signal;

a sixth switch, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first capacitor and a control terminal for receiving a fourth control signal;

a seventh switch, having a first terminal coupled to a second terminal of the second capacitor and a control terminal for receiving the third control signal;

an eighth switch, having a first terminal coupled to a second terminal of the second capacitor and a control terminal for receiving the fourth control signal;

a fully-differential amplifier, having a positive input terminal coupled to second terminals of the fifth switch and the eighth switch, a negative input terminal coupled to second terminals of the sixth switch and the seventh switch, and a common mode receiving terminal for receiving a common mode voltage, and a output voltage of the fully differential amplifier between a positive output terminal and a negative output terminal;

a first feedback capacitor, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the fifth switch and a second terminal coupled to a negative output terminal of the fully-differential amplifier;

a second feedback capacitor, having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the sixth switch and a second terminal coupled to a positive output terminal of the fully-differential amplifier;

a ninth switch, having a first terminal for receiving the common mode voltage, a control terminal for receiving a fifth control signal, and a second terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first capacitor; and

a tenth switch, having a first terminal for receiving the common mode voltage, a control terminal for receiving the fifth control signal, and a second terminal coupled to the second terminal of the second capacitor,

wherein a capacitance of the second capacitor is randomly set to a first value and then the output voltage of the fully differential amplifier can be obtained based on a difference of the first value and a capacitance of the first capacitor,

and the capacitance of the second capacitor is modified according to the output voltage of the fully differential amplifier so as to make the output voltage of the fully differential amplifier substantially equal to zero.

6. The capacitance interface circuit according to claim 5, wherein the first control signal and the second control signal have a phase difference of 180°

, duty cycles of the first control signal and the second control signal are 50%, a cycle of the fifth control signal is half of a cycle of the second control signal, a cycle of the third control signal is the same as a cycle of the first control signal, a duty cycle of the third control signal is 25%, a cycle of the fourth control signal is the same as the cycle of the second control signal, and a duty cycle of the fourth control signal is 25%.

7. The capacitance interface circuit according to claim 5, wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor are respectively an external inductive capacitor of the capacitance interface circuit.

8. The capacitance interface circuit according to claim 5, wherein the first capacitor is a first external inductive capacitor of the capacitance interface circuit, the second capacitor is a first internal adjustable capacitor of the capacitance interface circuit, a capacitance of the first capacitor comprises a first fixed capacitance and a first variable capacitance, and a capacitance of the second capacitor is substantially equal to the first fixed capacitance.