Remote Differential Voltage Sensing Circuit Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional remote differential voltage sensing circuits consume excessive silicon area and power, and suffer from significant voltage offset errors due to the use of multiple amplifiers and poor matching requirements.
Innovation Solution
A remote differential voltage sensing circuit design utilizing five metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) or bipolar junction transistors, operating in sub-threshold regions with transconductance stages to minimize power consumption and reduce voltage offset, achieving efficient differential signal sensing with reduced silicon area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional remote differential voltage sensing circuit with two amplifiers is used, then voltage sensing accuracy is improved, but power consumption increases and silicon area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines two separate amplifier circuits into a single differential amplifier structure. The first and second amplifiers in the conventional circuit are merged into one differential amplifier that performs both sensing functions simultaneously, reducing power consumption while maintaining voltage sensing accuracy through differential operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The differential amplifier is designed to perform multiple functions: it senses both the voltage at the first node and the voltage at the second node simultaneously, and computes their difference. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate amplifiers, reducing overall power consumption while maintaining measurement precision.
2Measurement precision
If conventional remote differential voltage sensing circuit with two amplifiers is used, then voltage sensing accuracy is improved, but silicon area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges two separate amplifier circuits into a single differential amplifier structure, significantly reducing the silicon area required. The combined differential amplifier occupies less space than two independent amplifiers while maintaining the same voltage sensing accuracy through its differential configuration.
3Measurement precision
If conventional remote differential voltage sensing circuit with two amplifiers is used, then voltage sensing capability is achieved, but voltage offset error increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines two amplifiers with their respective offset errors into a single differential amplifier. The differential configuration inherently rejects common-mode offset errors, and the matching between the differential pair transistors ensures that offset errors are minimized. The total voltage offset error is reduced because the differential structure cancels out matched errors while maintaining sensing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters by using matched transistor pairs in the differential amplifier with specific width-to-length ratios. This parameter matching ensures that offset errors are minimized and the voltage sensing capability is maintained with improved reliability.
4Use of energy by moving object
If parallel transconductance stages are used, then power consumption is reduced, but matching requirements become more stringent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses matched transistor pairs with specific width-to-length ratios to achieve the required matching. By carefully selecting and matching these geometric parameters during design, the circuit achieves low power consumption through efficient transconductance operation while meeting the stringent matching requirements through parameter control.
5Use of energy by moving object
If parallel transconductance stages are used, then power consumption is reduced, but common mode range limitation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the biasing parameters and transistor dimensions to extend the common-mode input range. By adjusting the tail current and the width-to-length ratios of the differential pair transistors, the circuit achieves low power consumption while maintaining a wider common-mode voltage range, improving adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
A remote differential voltage sensing circuit having a voltage input (Vin) and a voltage output (Vout), comprises a dual differential input stage including a common-source or common-collector differential input stage in parallel with a common-gate or common-base differential input stage. The common-source or collector differential input stage has differential inputs, one coupled to the voltage input (Vin) and the other coupled to the voltage output (Vout). The common-gate or common-base differential input stage has differential inputs, one coupled to a local ground (Agnd) and the other coupled to a remote ground (Rgnd). An output stage is driven by an output of the dual differential input stage and produces an output voltage at the voltage output (Vout). A compensation network is coupled between the voltage output (Vout) and the output of the dual differential input stage.