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US 5,400,025 AGranted
Temperature corrected integrating analog-to-digital converter
AssigneeHoneywell Inc.
InventorFrederick R. Pfeiffer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is an integrating analog-to-digital converter characterized as a function of the temperature. The characterizing information is processed in a manner to correct the digital information before the digital information is subsequently processed by other system processors.
Claims22
An integrating analog-to-digital converter for converting an analog input signal to a digital representation thereof, said integrating analog-to-digital converter comprising:
- analog means for generating an analog input signal;
- first temperature sensing means for providing an analog means temperature output signal representative of the temperature of said analog means;
- first storage means for storing first information descriptive of the temperature characteristic of said analog means so that a signal representative of said analog means may be corrected as a function of said analog means temperature output signal and said first information;
- circuit means responsive to said analog input signal for providing an output signal which changes between at least first and second levels having a frequency characteristic as a function of the integral of said analog input signal;
- at least a first counter means responsive to said circuit means output signal for counting said signal changes thereof changing from said first level to said second level, and providing a first counter means output representative of said count;
- second temperature sensing means for providing a circuit means temperature output signal representative of the temperature of a selected ambient temperature region in proximity to said circuit means;
- and
- second storage means for storing circuit second information descriptive of the temperature characteristic of said circuit means so as to be descriptive of the performance of said integrating analog-to-digital converter so that at least said first counter means may be corrected as a function of said circuit means temperature output signal and said second information.
5 more elements
An apparatus for obtaining acceleration information derived from sensed acceleration along a predetermined input axis, said apparatus comprising:
- an analog accelerometer for providing an analog output signal having sign and magnitude representative of the acceleration sensed by said analog accelerometer along the input axes thereof;
- an accelerometer temperature sensing means for providing an accelerometer temperature output signal representative of the temperature of said analog accelerometer;
- means for storing accelerometer information descriptive of the temperature characteristic of at least one selected quantity descriptive of the performance of said analog accelerometer;
- an integrating digital-to-analog converter for converting said accelerometer analog output signal to a digital representation thereof, said integrating analog-to-digital converter including,
- an integrator-digitizer having an input means responsive to said accelerometer analog output signal, and having at least one output signal for providing a selected signal change between first and second levels having a frequency characteristic as a function of the integral of said accelerometer analog output signal,
- integrator-digitizer temperature sensing means for providing an integrator-digitizer temperature output signal representative of a selected ambient temperature region in proximity to one or more analog circuit components of said integrator-digitizer means;
- means for storing integrator-digitizer information representative of the temperature characteristic of at least one selected quantity descriptive of the performance of said integrator-digitizer at least first output signal, and
- at least a first counter means for providing a first counter output representative of an accumulative count of said selected signal change of said integrator digitizer output signal;
- and
- signal processor and control means responsive to (i) said first counter means output signal, (ii) said accelerometer temperature output signal, (iii) said integrator-digitizer temperature output signal, (iv) said accelerometer information, and(v) said integrator-digitizer information for generating acceleration information sensed by said accelerometer as a function of said first counter means output signal corrected by a first scalar quantity which is a function of said integrator-digitizer temperature output signal and said integrator-digitizer information, and by an accelerometer scalar quantity which is a function of said accelerometer temperature output signal and said accelerometer information.
7 more elements
An Analog-to-digital converter for converting an analog signal from an analog sensing device to a digital signal, the converter comprising:
- circuit card means, including:
- analog circuit components which serve, in part, as an integrator-digitizer circuit for providing an output signal defined by a selected signal change between at least first and second levels having a frequency
- characteristic as a function of said analog signal;
- and
- a temperature sensing means for providing a first circuit card temperature output signal representative of the temperature of said analog sensing device and a second circuit card temperature output signal representative of the temperature of a selected region of said circuit card;
- means for storing circuit card information descriptive of the temperature characteristics of said analog sensing device and of at least one selected quantity descriptive of the performance of said integrator-digitizer;
- at least a first counter means for providing a first counter output representative of an accumulation over a selected time period of said signal changes of said first and second circuit card temperature output signals;
- and
- correction means independently responsive to said first and second circuit card temperature output signals for separately correcting said first counter output.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.