# US 12,007,290 B2 · Method and apparatus for providing for a time domain based temperature determination > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,007,290 B2 - Document ID: US12007290B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/185,668 - Filed: 2021-02-25 - Published: 2021-09-02 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2020-02-27 - Assignees: Nokia Technologies Oy - Applicants: Nokia Technologies Oy - Inventors: Marijan Herceg - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12007290B2 ## CPC - G01K 7/16: using resistive elements - G01K 7/32: using change of resonant frequency of a crystal - G01K 15/005: {Calibration} - H03L 7/0816: {the controlled phase shifter and the frequency- or phase-detection arrangement being connected to a common input} - H03K 3/0315: {Ring oscillators} - H03K 7/08: Duration or width modulation {; Duty cycle modulation} - G01K: MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (radiation pyrometry G01J5/00) - H03L: AUTOMATIC CONTROL, STARTING, SYNCHRONISATION OR STABILISATION OF GENERATORS OF ELECTRONIC OSCILLATIONS OR PULSES (generation of oscillations H03B) - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) ## Abstract A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided to reliably determine a temperature, such as in the time domain. In this regard, an apparatus includes a delay line having a temperature dependent measurement invertor configured to stretch a clock pulse that was generated by an oscillating circuit during circulation of the clock pulse through the delay line. The amount by which the clock pulse is stretched during a cycle about the delay line is dependent upon temperature. The apparatus also includes detection circuitry configured to detect an instance in which clock pulse has been stretched so as to equal or exceed a period of the clock pulse. The apparatus further includes processing circuitry configured to determine the temperature based at least in part upon a number of cycles completed to stretch the clock pulse so as to equal or exceed the period of the clock pulse. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus comprising: a delay line comprising a temperature dependent measurement inverter configured to stretch a clock pulse that was generated by an oscillating circuit during circulation of the clock pulse through the delay line, wherein an amount by which the clock pulse is stretched during a cycle about the delay line is dependent upon temperature; detection circuitry configured to detect an instance in which the clock pulse has been stretched so as to equal or exceed a period of the clock pulse; and processing circuitry configured to determine the temperature based at least in part upon a number of cycles completed to stretch the clock pulse so as to equal or exceed the period of the clock pulse. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the temperature dependent measurement inverter is configured to have a different response time to transition from a high output to a low output than to transition from the low output to the high output. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the temperature dependent measurement inverter comprises a temperature dependent resistive element having a resistance value that is dependent upon temperature. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the temperature dependent measurement inverter comprises voltage to current conversion circuitry configured to receive and be responsive to an input signal having a temperature dependent voltage. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the temperature dependent measurement inverter is configured to stretch the clock pulse during a respective cycle by an amount based upon a difference between the response time of the temperature dependent measurement inverter to transition from the high output to the low output and the response time of the temperature dependent measurement inverter to transition from the low output to the high output. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising: a switch configured to switchably connect the temperature dependent measurement inverter to the oscillating circuit to form the delay line; and counter circuitry configured to maintain a count of the number of cycles about the delay line since the temperature dependent measurement inverter has been switchably connected to the oscillating circuit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the switch is also configured to switchably disconnect the temperature dependent measurement inverter from the oscillating circuit in response to detection by the detection circuitry that the clock pulse has been stretched so as to equal or exceed a period of the clock pulse. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the delay line is further configured to repeatedly stretch the clock pulse during a plurality of cycles thereabout. ### Claim 9 A method comprising: during circulation through a delay line, stretching a clock pulse that was generated by an oscillating circuit, wherein an amount by which the clock pulse is stretched during a cycle about the delay line is dependent upon temperature; detecting an instance in which the clock pulse has been stretched so as to equal or exceed a period of the clock pulse; and determining the temperature based at least in part upon a number of cycles completed to stretch the clock pulse so as to equal or exceed the period of the clock pulse. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A method according to claim 9 further comprising switchably connecting a temperature dependent measurement inverter to the oscillating circuit to form the delay line in order to stretch the clock pulse by the amount that is dependent upon the temperature. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A method according to claim 10 wherein the temperature dependent measurement inverter has a different response time to transition from a high output to a low output than to transition from the low output to the high output. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A method according to claim 11 wherein stretching the clock pulse comprises stretching the clock pulse during a respective cycle by an amount based upon a difference between the response time of the temperature dependent measurement inverter to transition from the high output to the low output and the response time of the temperature dependent measurement inverter to transition from the low output to the high output. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) A method according to claim 10 further comprising maintaining a count of the number of cycles about the delay line since the temperature dependent measurement inverter has been switchably connected to the oscillating circuit. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) A method according to claim 10 further comprising switchably disconnecting the temperature dependent measurement inverter from the oscillating circuit in response to detecting the instance in which the clock pulse has been stretched so as to equal or exceed the period of the clock pulse. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) A method according to claim 9 wherein stretching the clock pulse comprises repeatedly stretching the clock pulse during a plurality of cycles about the delay line. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) A method according to claim 9 wherein the period of the clock pulse is defined by a time delay introduced by circulation of the clock pulse through the delay line. ### Claim 17 A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer instructions stored thereon and configured, upon execution, to: receive an indication representative of a count of a number of cycles about a delay line that were completed to stretch a clock pulse that was generated by an oscillating circuit so as to equal or exceed a period of the clock pulse, wherein an amount by which the clock pulse is stretched during a cycle about the delay line is dependent upon temperature; and determine the temperature based at least in part upon the number of cycles completed to stretch the clock pulse so as to equal or exceed the period of the clock pulse. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) A computer program product according to claim 17 wherein the computer instructions configured to determine the temperature comprise computer instructions configured to determine the temperature in a manner that has an indirect relationship to the number of cycles completed to stretch the clock pulse so as to equal or exceed the period of the clock pulse. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) A computer program product according to claim 17 wherein the computer instructions configured to determine the temperature comprise computer instructions configured to determine the temperature based at least in part upon a difference between a time delay created by the delay line and a width in time of the clock pulse initially generated by the oscillating circuit. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) A computer program product according to claim 17 wherein the computer instructions configured to determine the temperature comprise computer instructions configured to determine the temperature based upon a predefined relationship between the number of cycles and the temperature.