Low power high resolution oscillator based voltage sensor
First Claim
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1. A voltage sensor, comprising:
- a voltage-controlled oscillator coupled to a voltage being sensed;
a plurality of transition detectors, wherein each of the transition detectors is coupled to a different location on the oscillator, and wherein each of the transition detectors is configured to count a number of transitions at the respective location over a time period; and
an adder configured to add the numbers of transitions from the transition detectors to generate an output value that is approximately proportional to the voltage.
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Abstract
Systems and methods for sensing voltage on a chip are described herein. In one embodiment, a voltage sensor comprises a voltage-controlled oscillator coupled to a voltage being sensed, and a plurality of transition detectors, wherein each of the transition detectors is coupled to a different location on the oscillator, and wherein each of the transition detectors is configured to count a number of transitions at the respective location over a time period. The voltage sensor also comprises an adder configured to add the numbers of transitions from the transition detectors to generate an output value that is approximately proportional to the voltage.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A voltage sensor, comprising:
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a voltage-controlled oscillator coupled to a voltage being sensed; a plurality of transition detectors, wherein each of the transition detectors is coupled to a different location on the oscillator, and wherein each of the transition detectors is configured to count a number of transitions at the respective location over a time period; and an adder configured to add the numbers of transitions from the transition detectors to generate an output value that is approximately proportional to the voltage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for sensing a voltage, comprising:
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inputting the voltage to a voltage-controlled oscillator; counting a number of transitions at each one of a plurality of different locations on the oscillator over a time period; and adding the numbers of transitions for the different locations to generate an output value that is approximately proportional to the voltage. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An apparatus for sensing a voltage, comprising:
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means for inputting the voltage to a voltage-controlled oscillator; means for counting a number of transitions at each one of a plurality of different locations on the oscillator over a time period; and means for adding the numbers of transitions for the different locations to generate an output value that is approximately proportional to the voltage. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A system, comprising:
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a voltage sensor, the voltage sensor comprising; a voltage-controlled oscillator coupled to a voltage being sensed; a plurality of transition detectors, wherein each of the transition detectors is coupled to a different location on the oscillator, and wherein each of the transition detectors is configured to count a number of transitions at the respective location over a time period; and an adder configured to add the numbers of transitions from the transition detectors to generate an output value that is approximately proportional to the voltage; and a voltage management device configured to estimate the voltage based on the output value, and to adjust an operating frequency of a circuit based on the estimated voltage. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification