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US 2020/0271701 A1Published application
Apparatus and method for current measurement
AssigneeAnalog Devices, Inc.
InventorJunhua Shen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeAnalog Devices, Inc.
InventorJunhua Shen
Estimating the term…
A current measurement circuit may use a probabilistic technique to determine a current from a circuit block. In one embodiment, the circuit includes a comparator circuit, a first current sensing element (such as a first resistor), and a control circuit. The first current sensing element is coupled to the comparator circuit to establish a first comparator input signal representative of the current at an input of the comparator circuit. The control circuit is coupled to the comparator circuit to obtain a first plurality of comparator output decisions corresponding to the first current sensing element for a specified count, determine a first proportion of comparator output decisions meeting a specified criterion, and determine a voltage value of the first comparator input signal from the first proportion. The control circuit is configured to determine a current value using the voltage value of the first comparator input signal and an impedance value of the first current sensing element. The current measurement circuit is relatively low-cost and easy to implement, without requiring a precision reference voltage, current, and/or high-cost analog-to-digital converters (ADCs).
A method of measuring a current of a circuit block using a probabilistic technique and a comparator circuit, the method comprising:
A current measurement circuit arranged to use a probabilistic technique to determine a current, the current measurement circuit comprising:
A current measurement circuit arranged to use a probabilistic technique to determine a current, the current measurement circuit comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.