Supply Voltage Configurable Sensor IC
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sensor integrated circuits are designed for specific nominal supply voltage levels, requiring multiple devices for different voltage ranges, and often have limited operational ranges, making them inflexible and costly for applications with varying supply voltages.
Innovation Solution
A self-configurable sensor that detects the supply voltage range and adjusts its gain and/or offset settings, allowing a single device to operate across a wide range of voltages by using a supply voltage detector, memory for storing settings, and signal processing paths with adjustable gain and offset.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sensor ICs are designed for a predetermined nominal supply voltage level, then the sensor can operate accurately within a limited voltage range, but customers must purchase different sensor ICs for different supply voltages
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor IC dynamically adjusts its gain and offset settings based on the detected supply voltage level. A supply voltage detector monitors the actual voltage and controls signal processing circuits to modify gain and offset, enabling the sensor to adapt to different voltage ranges (e.g., 3.0-3.6V, 4.5-5.5V, 6.0-6.6V) while maintaining accurate output measurements
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor changes its operational parameters (gain and offset) based on the supply voltage level. By detecting which voltage range the supply falls within and accordingly adjusting the gain and offset settings, the sensor maintains measurement precision across varying voltage conditions without requiring different hardware devices
2Measurement precision
If sensor ICs are designed for specific nominal supply voltage levels, then each device is optimized for its designated voltage, but the device complexity increases due to needing multiple sensor types
Solution Approach 1:
A single sensor IC is designed to perform multiple voltage adaptation functions. The integrated circuit incorporates a supply voltage detector, memory for storing multiple gain/offset settings, and signal processing circuits that can switch between different configurations, making one device universally compatible with multiple supply voltage levels instead of requiring separate optimized devices for each voltage
3Adaptability or versatility
If ratiometric sensors are used where output voltage varies proportionally with supply voltage, then the sensor can operate over a wider voltage range, but the operational accuracy is limited to within +/−10% of nominal supply voltage
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor implements feedback through a supply voltage detector that continuously monitors the actual supply voltage level. Based on this feedback, the system automatically selects and applies the appropriate gain and offset settings from memory, ensuring that the output signal accurately represents the sensed parameter across the full supply voltage range rather than being limited to a narrow ±10% window around a nominal voltage
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor includes a sensing element configured to generate a sensing element output signal indicative of a sensed parameter and a signal path responsive to the sensing element output signal and having at least one of an adjustable gain or an adjustable offset, wherein the signal path is configured to generate a sensor output signal indicative of the sensed parameter. A supply voltage detector is configured to generate a supply voltage signal indicative of which of a plurality of voltage ranges a supply voltage of the sensor falls within and at least one of the adjustable gain or the adjustable offset is adjustable in response to the supply voltage signal.