# US 2019/0317547 A1 · Digital Sensor with Embedded Reference Clock

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- Number: US 2019/0317547 A1
- Document ID: US20190317547A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/953,019
- Filed: 2018-04-13
- Published: 2019-10-17
- Earliest claimed: 2018-04-13
- Assignees: Apple Inc.
- Applicants: Apple Inc.
- Inventors: Jafar Savoj; Amr A. Hafez; Ramy A. Ahmed
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190317547A1

## CPC

- G06F 1/10: Distribution of clock signals {, e.g. skew}
- G11C 7/04: with means for avoiding disturbances due to temperature effects
- G01K 7/01: using semiconducting elements having PN junctions (G01K7/02, G01K7/16, G01K7/30 take precedence)
- G01K 7/32: using change of resonant frequency of a crystal
- G01K 13/00: Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes
- G01R 19/165: Indicating that current or voltage is either above or below a predetermined value or within or outside a predetermined range of values
- G01R 31/2872: {related to electrical or environmental aspects, e.g. temperature, humidity, vibration, nuclear radiation}
- G01R 31/2884: {using dedicated test connectors, test elements or test circuits on the IC under test (G01R31/2855 takes precedence)}
- G06F 1/04: Generating or distributing clock signals or signals derived directly therefrom
- G11C 19/28: using semiconductor elements (G11C19/14, G11C19/36 take precedence)
- H03K 3/0315: {Ring oscillators}
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)
- G01K: MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (radiation pyrometry G01J5/00)
- G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12)
- 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 sensor circuit and integrated circuit having the same is disclosed. In one embodiment, a sensor circuit includes first and second ring oscillators having different circuit topologies. A first counter is coupled to receive an output signal from the first ring oscillator, while a second counter is coupled to receive an output signal from the second ring oscillator. The sensor circuit further includes a local clock circuit that provides a clock signal to the first and second counters. Furthermore, the local clock circuit is coupled to provide the clock signal exclusively to circuitry within the sensor circuit, the circuitry including the first and second counters.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A circuit comprising:
a sensor circuit configured to sense a local voltage and a local temperature, wherein the sensor circuit includes:
a first ring oscillator having a first circuit topology;
a first counter coupled to receive a first output signal from the first ring oscillator, wherein the first counter is configured to determine a frequency of the first output signal;
a second ring oscillator having a second circuit topology different from the first circuit topology;
a second counter coupled to receive a second output signal from the second ring oscillator, wherein the second counter is configured to determine a frequency of the second output signal;
a local clock circuit configured to provide a clock signal exclusively to circuitry within the sensor circuit including the first and second counters; and
a shift register coupled to receive the clock signal from the local clock circuit, and further coupled to receive a first count value from the first counter and a second count value from the second counter.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The circuit as recited in claim 1, wherein the first count value corresponds to a frequency of the first output signal and the second count value corresponds to a frequency of the second output signal.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The circuit as recited in claim 1, wherein the shift register is coupled to a bus, wherein the sensor circuit is configured to convey information indicative of the frequency of the first output signal and the frequency of the second output signal to a control circuit via the bus.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The circuit as recited in claim 1, wherein the local clock circuit includes a third ring oscillator.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The circuit as recited in claim 1, wherein a frequency of the first output signal has a relationship to a voltage received by the sensor circuit that is different than that of the second output signal, and wherein a frequency of the first output signal has a relationship to a temperature received by the sensor circuit that is different than that of the second output signal.

### Claim 6

(canceled)

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The circuit as recited in claim 1, wherein the first ring oscillator is implemented using a plurality of series-coupled inverters, and wherein the second ring oscillator is implemented using a plurality of series-coupled NAND gates.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The circuit as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the first and second ring oscillators are characterized by first and second polynomials, respectively, wherein, during operation of an integrated circuit in which the sensor circuit is implemented, a voltage and a temperature sensed by the sensor circuit is determined by solving for a voltage and temperature using respective frequencies of the first and second output signals and the first and second polynomials.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The circuit as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor circuit is implemented within a functional circuit block of an integrated circuit, wherein each of the first and second ring oscillators are coupled to receive a supply voltage that is received by circuitry of the functional circuit block.

### Claim 10

A method comprising:
a first ring oscillator of a sensor circuit producing a first output signal;
a second ring oscillator of the sensor circuit producing a second output signal;
receiving, at first and second counters, a clock signal from a local clock circuit implemented in the sensor circuit;
determining a frequency of the first output signal using the first counter coupled to receive the first output signal; and
determining a frequency of the second output signal using the second counter coupled to receive the second output signal;
wherein the method further comprises determining voltage and temperature values based on respective frequencies of the first and second output signals;
wherein the method further comprises the local clock circuit providing the clock signal exclusively to circuitry implemented in the sensor circuit, the circuitry including the first and second counters.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the sensor circuit is implemented in a functional circuit block of an integrated circuit, wherein the method further comprises:
the functional circuit block receiving a supply voltage; and
the sensor circuit receiving the supply voltage.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising a shift register receiving a first count value from the first counter and a second count value from the second counter, the first and second count values being indicative of frequencies of the first and second output signals, respectively, wherein the method further comprises the shift register receiving the clock signal from the local clock circuit and conveying the first and second count values to a control circuit via a bus coupled to the shift register.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the local clock circuit includes a third ring oscillator.

### Claim 14

An integrated circuit comprising:
a plurality of functional circuit blocks each including functional circuitry; and
a plurality of sensors, wherein each of the plurality of functional circuit blocks includes at least one of the plurality of sensors implemented therein, and wherein each of the plurality of sensors includes:
a first ring oscillator having a first circuit topology;
a first counter coupled to receive a first output signal from the first ring oscillator;
a second ring oscillator having a second circuit topology different from the first circuit topology;
a second counter coupled to receive a second output signal from the second ring oscillator;
a local clock circuit configured to provide a clock signal exclusively to circuitry within its respective one of the plurality of sensors, the circuitry including the first and second counters;
a shift register coupled to receive a first count value from the first counter and a second count value from the second counter, wherein the shift register is coupled to receive the clock signal from the local clock circuit.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The integrated circuit as recited in claim 14, wherein the first count value corresponds to a frequency of the first output signal and the second count value corresponds to a frequency of the second output signal, and wherein the integrated circuit further includes a control circuit and a bus coupled to both the control circuit and the shift register, wherein the sensor circuit is configured to convey information indicative of the frequency of the first output signal and the frequency of the second output signal from the shift register to the control circuit via the bus.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The integrated circuit as recited in claim 14, wherein the local clock circuit in each of the plurality of sensors includes a third ring oscillator.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The integrated circuit as recited in claim 14, wherein a frequency of the first output signal has a relationship to a voltage received by the sensor circuit that is different than a frequency of the second output signal, and wherein the frequency of the second output signal has a relationship to temperature of the sensor circuit that is different than the frequency of the first output signal.

### Claim 18 (depends on 14)

The integrated circuit as recited in claim 14, wherein the first ring oscillator is implemented using a plurality of series-coupled inverters, and wherein the second ring oscillator is implemented using a plurality of series-coupled NAND gates.

### Claim 19 (depends on 14)

The integrated circuit as recited in claim 14, wherein each of the first and second ring oscillators in each of the plurality of sensors are characterized by corresponding first and second polynomials, respectively, and wherein, during operation of the integrated circuit, a voltage and a temperature sensed by each of the plurality of sensors is determined by a control circuit solving for a voltage and temperature using respective frequencies of the first and second output signals and the first and second polynomials.

### Claim 20 (depends on 14)

The integrated circuit as recited in claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of sensors is coupled to receive a supply voltage that is provided to each of the circuits in the one of the plurality of functional circuit blocks in which it is implemented.