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US 6,320,451 B1Granted
Static power digital potentiometer
AssigneeDallas Semiconductor Corporation
InventorsArthur D. Harvey, Frank Duffey
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved method and system for providing power to digital potentiometers is provided by applying the static electric field of an adjacent modified, non-volatile memory cell to the wiper mechanism. During periods of power removal to the circuitry as a whole, the potentiometer maintains the selected resistance via this static power supply.
Claims18
A digital potentiometer system comprising:
- an array of resistors having a number of resistors;
- an array of transistors wherein the number of transistors in the array are equal in number to the said number of resistors in said array of resistors, wherein each transistor in said array of transistors is connected on a first end to a resistor in said array of resistors and on a second end to an output line;
- and
- a plurality of floating gates wherein at least one is adjacent to each of said transistors in said array of transistors;
- wherein static power is provided to said digital potentiometer by placing an activating electrical charge on at least one of said floating gates so as to activate the transistor which is adjacent to said floating gate, so as to form a conductive channel from an individual resistor in said array of resistors connected to an individual transistor, through said individual transistor, and into the output line.
2 more elements
A system employing a digital potentiometer, said digital potentiometer comprising:
- an array of resistors;
- an array of transistors, wherein each transistor in said array of transistors is connected on a first end to a resistor in said array of resistors and on a second end to an output line;
- and
- a floating gate adjacent to each said transistor;
- wherein static power is provided to said digital potentiometer by placing an activating electrical charge on a floating gate to activate the transistor adjacent to said floating gate so as to form a conductive channel from an individual resistor in said array of resistors connected to an individual transistor, through said individual transistor, and into the output line.
2 more elements
A method for providing static power to a digital potentiometer comprising the steps of:
- connecting an array of transistors to an array of resistors and an output line, wherein each transistor in said array of transistors is connected on a first end to a resistor in said array of resistors and on a second end to said output line;
- placing a floating gate adjacent to each said transistor;
- and
- placing an activating electrical charge on a floating gate, whereby said electrical charge activates the transistor adjacent to said floating gate to form a conductive channel from the resistor in said array of resistors connected to said transistor, through the transistor, and into said output line.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.