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US 7,029,171 B2Granted
Integrated digital temperature sensor
AssigneeSTMicroelectronics S.r.l.
InventorsDavide Tesi, Ugo Zampieri
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A digital integrated circuit temperature sensor including an analog-to-digital converter providing a binary word representative of a temperature internal to the integrated circuit, and a circuit for providing an analog voltage representative of the circuit temperature and for generating a reference voltage for the analog-to-digital converter. The present invention especially applies to the testing of integrated circuits and to the control of their frequency and/or of their operating temperature according to their internal temperature.
Claims5
A digital integrated circuit temperature sensor comprising:
- an analog-to-digital converter providing a binary word representative of a temperature internal to the integrated circuit;
- a generating circuit for providing an analog voltage representative of the circuit temperature and for generating a reference voltage for the analog-to-digital converter;
- and
- a calibration circuit providing respective high and low conversion thresholds to the converter, the low voltage corresponding to said reference voltage, said calibration circuit comprising:
- a first operational amplifier having a non-inverting input receiving said reference voltage and having its output providing said high conversion threshold, the non-inverting input of the first amplifier being connected to the junction point of two variable resistive elements series-connected between the output terminal of the first amplifier and a supply reference potential;
- and
- a second operational amplifier having an inverting input terminal receiving the analog voltage depending on temperature and having a non-inverting input connected to the midpoint of two resistive elements series-connected between the output terminal of said second operational amplifier and said supply reference potential, the second operational amplifier providing an amplified voltage to be converted by said analog-to-digital converter.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.