Level-Shifted Voltage Difference Circuit for Fluctuating Supply Rails
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional voltage difference measurement circuits in chips are unable to accurately measure the voltage difference between supply and ground voltages due to fluctuations, leading to misjudgments and increased costs when additional power supplies or attenuators are used to compensate for these fluctuations.
Innovation Solution
A voltage difference measurement circuit comprising a level shifting circuit, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and a calculation circuit that adjusts the supply and ground voltages to ensure they remain within the operating range of the ADC, allowing for accurate digital conversion and calculation of the voltage difference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional measurement circuit is used to measure supply voltage and ground voltage, then the measurement circuit can operate within its working range, but it cannot accurately measure the voltage difference when voltage fluctuations occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a level shifting circuit as an intermediary component between the voltage fluctuation source and the measurement circuit. This level shifting circuit transforms the fluctuating voltage signals into stable reference levels, allowing the measurement circuit to accurately measure voltage differences without being affected by external voltage fluctuations. The level shifting circuit acts as a mediator that isolates the measurement system from environmental disturbances.
2Measurement precision
If higher supply voltage and negative voltage are provided for the measurement circuit to compensate for voltage fluctuations, then the measurement accuracy can be improved, but chip costs significantly increase
Solution Approach 1:
The level shifting circuit is designed to automatically adjust and shift voltage levels based on the actual voltage fluctuations, without requiring external higher supply voltages or negative voltages. The circuit uses itself to compensate for voltage variations, eliminating the need for additional power supply circuits and reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.
3Measurement precision
If attenuator is used to attenuate supply voltage before measurement, then the voltage can be within measurement range, but circuit complexity and cost increase due to multiplier compensation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the voltage level shifting function from the measurement circuit and implements it as a separate preliminary processing stage. By taking out the level shifting operation before the measurement circuit, the actual measurement can be performed on stabilized voltage levels without requiring complex attenuation and compensation mechanisms within the measurement circuit itself.
4Measurement precision
If attenuator is used to attenuate supply voltage, then voltage can be within measurement range, but voltage fluctuation problem cannot be solved
Solution Approach 1:
The level shifting circuit performs preliminary voltage level adjustment before the voltage signals are fed into the measurement circuit. This preliminary action stabilizes the voltage levels and eliminates fluctuations prior to measurement, ensuring that the measurement circuit always operates within its optimal range regardless of external voltage variations.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a voltage difference measurement circuit comprising a level shifting circuit, an ADC and a calculation circuit. In the operations of the voltage difference measurement circuit, the level shifting circuit adjusts levels of a supply voltage and a ground voltage to generate an adjusted supply voltage and an adjusted ground voltage, respectively. The ADC performs an analog-to-digital converting operation upon the adjusted supply voltage and the adjusted ground voltage to generate a first digital value and a second digital value, respectively. The calculation circuit calculates a voltage difference between the supply voltage and the ground voltage according to the first digital value and the second digital value.