Thermal sensor and method
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a current sources circuit configured to generate a reference current and an adjustable current;
a temperature sensing circuit coupled to the current sources circuit, the temperature sensing circuit configured to measure a circuit temperature and to generate a temperature-indicating signal in response to the circuit temperature and the adjustable current;
a reference voltage circuit coupled the current sources circuit and configured to provide a reference signal in response to the reference current;
a trip generator circuit coupled to the temperature sensing circuit and the reference voltage circuit and configured to generate a trip point signal if a difference between the reference and the temperature-indicating signals indicates that a threshold circuit temperature has been reached or exceeded; and
a bias circuit coupled to the current sources circuit and configured to generate a bias signal, the bias circuit including a first circuit branch having a first node and a first diode in series, and a second circuit branch having a second node, a first branch resistor, and a second diode in series, the bias circuit and the current sources circuit forming a band-gap delta-Vbe loop including a bias generating comparator, and the bias generating comparator including a first input terminal coupled to the first node and a second input terminal coupled to the second node.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
In one embodiment, an apparatus is constituted with a temperature sensing circuit adapted to be coupled to a current sources circuit, and configured to measure a circuit temperature and to generate a temperature-indicating signal in response to the circuit temperature and an adjustable current output by the current sources circuit; a reference voltage circuit to be coupled the current sources circuit and configured to provide a reference signal in response to a reference current output by the current sources circuit; and a trip generator circuit coupled to the temperature sensing circuit and the reference voltage circuit and configured to generate a trip point signal if a difference between the reference and the temperature-indicating signals indicates that a threshold circuit temperature has been reached or exceeded.
22 Citations
25 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a current sources circuit configured to generate a reference current and an adjustable current; a temperature sensing circuit coupled to the current sources circuit, the temperature sensing circuit configured to measure a circuit temperature and to generate a temperature-indicating signal in response to the circuit temperature and the adjustable current; a reference voltage circuit coupled the current sources circuit and configured to provide a reference signal in response to the reference current; a trip generator circuit coupled to the temperature sensing circuit and the reference voltage circuit and configured to generate a trip point signal if a difference between the reference and the temperature-indicating signals indicates that a threshold circuit temperature has been reached or exceeded; and a bias circuit coupled to the current sources circuit and configured to generate a bias signal, the bias circuit including a first circuit branch having a first node and a first diode in series, and a second circuit branch having a second node, a first branch resistor, and a second diode in series, the bias circuit and the current sources circuit forming a band-gap delta-Vbe loop including a bias generating comparator, and the bias generating comparator including a first input terminal coupled to the first node and a second input terminal coupled to the second node. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An apparatus comprising:
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a temperature sensing circuit coupled to a current sources circuit configured to generate a reference current and an adjustable current, the temperature sensing circuit configured to measure a circuit temperature and to generate a temperature-indicating signal in response to the circuit temperature and the adjustable current; a reference voltage circuit coupled the current sources circuit and configured to provide a reference signal in response to the reference current; and a trip generator circuit coupled to the temperature sensing circuit and the reference voltage circuit and configured to generate a trip point signal if a difference between the reference and the temperature-indicating signals indicates that a threshold circuit temperature has been reduced or exceeded; wherein the temperature sensing circuit includes a circuit branch having a beginning node, an ending node, and a plurality of resistors and a diode coupled in series between the beginning node and the ending node;
the beginning node is coupled to the current sources circuit to receive the adjustable current; and
the temperature-indicating signal is a function of a selected number of the resistors and the adjustable current. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A method comprising:
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measuring a circuit temperature with a temperature sensing circuit, with a current sources circuit configured to generate a reference current and an adjustable current; generating a temperature-indicating signal with the temperature sensing circuit in response to the circuit temperature and the adjustable current; generating a reference signaling response to the reference current; generating a trip point signal with a trip generator circuit if a difference between the reference and the temperature-indicating signals indicates that a threshold circuit temperature has been reached or exceeded; generating the reference and adjustable currents with the current sources; and generating a bias signal with a bias circuit, including; generating a first voltage at a first node of the bias circuit with a first circuit branch of the bias circuit having the first node and a first diode in series; generating a second voltage at a second node of the bias circuit with a second circuit branch of the bias circuit having the second node, a first branch resistor, and a second diode in series; and comparing the first voltage and the second voltage with a comparator of the bias circuit so as to generate the bias signal. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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16. A method comprising:
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passing an adjustable current through a circuit branch of a temperature sensing circuit having a plurality of resistors and a diode coupled in series and a plurality of voltage nodes with adjacent voltage nodes separated by one of the resistors; selecting one of the voltage nodes to obtain a temperature-indicating signal; adjusting a slope of a transfer function by selecting another one of the voltage nodes to obtain a temperature-indicating signal and correspondingly adjusting the adjustable current; and prior to selecting one of the voltage nodes to obtain the temperature-indicating signal, determining the slope by selecting a pair of points from the transfer function and calculating the slope from the pair of points. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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18. A system comprising:
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a processor; a thermal sensor coupled the processor, the thermal sensor including; a bias circuit configured to provide a bias signal, the bias circuit including a first circuit branch having a first node and a first diode in series, and a second circuit branch having a second node, a first branch resistor, and a second diode in series; a current sources circuit coupled to the bias circuit and configured to generate a reference current and an adjustable current, the bias circuit and the current sources circuit forming a band-gap delta-Vbe loop including a bias generating comparator, the bias generating comparator includes a first input terminal coupled to the first node and a second input terminal coupled to the second node; a temperature sensing circuit coupled to the current sources circuit and configured to measure a circuit temperature and to generate a temperature-indicating signaling response to the circuit temperature and the adjustable current; a reference voltage circuit coupled the current sources circuit and configured to provide a reference signaling response to the reference current; and a trip generator circuit coupled to the temperature sensing circuit and the reference voltage circuit and configured red to generate an interrupt signal if a difference between the reference and the temperature-indicating signals indicates that a threshold circuit temperature has been reached or exceeded; a mass memory device; and a bus coupled to the processor and the mass storage device. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification