Semiconductor device, electronic control system, and automobile

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10067153-B2
Application number	US-201615137216-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2016
Priority date	Oct 26, 2015
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

A semiconductor device according to the present invention includes plural temperature sensors; a switching circuit that switches between detection signals from the temperature sensors at a predetermined frequency; an ADC that receives the output of the switching circuit and outputs a converted signal; a correction information extracting circuit that generates a temperature mean value; and an abnormality information extracting circuit that generates a temperature difference value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A semiconductor device comprising:
a plurality of temperature sensors that output a plurality of detection signals corresponding to a temperature of the semiconductor device;
a switching circuit that switches between outputting each of the detection signals from the temperature sensors at a predetermined frequency;
an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) which receives an output of the switching circuit and outputs a converted signal;
a correction information extracting circuit that extracts a first frequency component from the converted signal and outputs a temperature mean value of the detection signals corresponding to the first frequency component; and
an abnormality information extracting circuit that extracts a second frequency component from the converted signal and outputs a temperature difference value of the detection signals corresponding to the second frequency component.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the correction information extracting circuit attenuates the second frequency component from the converted signal and extracts the first frequency component from the converted signal, and
wherein the abnormality information extracting circuit removes the first frequency component from the converted signal and extracts the second frequency component from the converted signal.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the correction information extracting circuit includes:
a first decimation filter that attenuates the second frequency component at the predetermined frequency from the converted signal, and
a low-pass filter that removes noise from an output signal of the first decimation filter.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the abnormality information extracting circuit includes:
a second decimation filter that attenuates a third frequency component, which is at least twice as high as the predetermined frequency, from the converted signal;
a band-pass filter that removes noise and the first frequency component from an output signal of the second decimation filter, and
a difference calculating circuit that calculates the temperature difference value between the detection signals of the temperature sensors from an output signal of the band-pass filter.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the semiconductor device is coupled to an external sensor, and
the external sensor is an angular velocity sensor or an acceleration sensor in an electronic control unit including the semiconductor device, and
the electronic control unit corrects temperature characteristics of the external sensor based on the temperature mean value.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the ADC is a delta sigma ADC.

7. An electronic control system comprising an external sensor and a semiconductor device,
the semiconductor device including:
a plurality of temperature sensors that output a plurality of detection signals corresponding to a temperature of the semiconductor device;
a switching circuit that switches between outputting each of the detection signals from the temperature sensors at a predetermined frequency;
an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) which receives an output of the switching circuit and outputs a converted signal;
a correction information extracting circuit that extracts a first frequency component from the converted signal and outputs a temperature mean value of the detection signals corresponding to the first frequency component; and
an abnormality information extracting circuit that extracts a second frequency component from the converted signal and outputs a temperature difference value of the detection signals corresponding to the second frequency component.

8. The electronic control system according to claim 7 ,
wherein the correction information extracting circuit attenuates the second frequency component from the converted signal and extracts the first frequency component, and
the abnormality information extracting circuit removes the first frequency component from the converted signal and extracts the second frequency component from the converted signal.

9. The electronic control system according to claim 8 ,
wherein the correction information extracting circuit includes:
a first decimation filter that attenuates the second frequency component at the predetermined frequency from the converted signal, and
a low-pass filter that removes noise from an output signal of the first decimation filter.

10. The electronic control system according to claim 8 ,
wherein the abnormality information extracting circuit includes:
a second decimation filter that attenuates a third frequency component, which is at least twice as high as the predetermined frequency, from the converted signal;
a band-pass filter that removes noise and the first frequency component from an output signal of the second decimation filter, and
a difference calculating circuit that calculates the temperature difference value between the detection signals of the temperature sensors from an output signal of the band-pass filter.

11. The electronic control system according to claim 7 ,
wherein the ADC is a delta sigma ADC.

12. The electronic control system according to claim 7 ,
wherein the external sensor includes at least an angular velocity sensor that detects an angular velocity of an automobile having the electronic control system or an acceleration sensor that detects an acceleration of the automobile.

13. The electronic control system according to claim 7 ,
wherein the semiconductor device further includes:
a correcting circuit that corrects the output signal of the external sensor using the temperature mean value, and
an abnormality detecting circuit that detects an abnormality of the temperature sensors using the temperature difference value.

14. The electronic control system according to claim 13 ,
wherein the abnormality detecting circuit detects abnormalities of the temperature sensors when the temperature difference value exceeds a predetermined value.

15. The electronic control system according to claim 13 , further comprising:
a processor that performs a predetermined operation according to an output of the correcting circuit or an output of the abnormality detecting circuit.

16. An automobile comprising:
an electronic control system including an external sensor and a semiconductor device separate from the external sensor,
wherein the semiconductor device includes:
a plurality of temperature sensors that output a plurality of detection signals corresponding to a temperature of the semiconductor device;
a switching circuit that switches between outputting each of the detection signals from the temperature sensors at a predetermined frequency;
a delta sigma analog-to-digital converter (ADC) which receives an output of the switching circuit and outputs a converted signal;
a correction information extracting circuit that extracts a first frequency component from the converted signal based on an output of the switching circuit, and outputs a temperature mean value of the detection signals corresponding to the first frequency component;
an abnormality information extracting circuit that extracts a second frequency component from the converted signal and outputs a temperature difference value of the detection signals corresponding to the second frequency component.

17. The automobile according to claim 16 ,
wherein the electronic control system is configured to correct an output signal of the external sen

Assignees

• Renesas Electronics Corp

Inventors

• Kasuya Nobufumi

Classifications

• G01P15/123

  by piezo-resistive elements, e.g. semiconductor strain gauges · CPC title

• G01P15/125

  by capacitive pick-up · CPC title

• G01C19/5614

  Signal processing · CPC title

• G01P1/006 Primary

  used for thermal compensation · CPC title

• B60R21/01

  Electrical circuits for triggering {passive} safety arrangements, {e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners,} in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents {(electrical circuits for transmission of signals between steering wheel and the vehicle itself B60R16/027; for electrically actuating belt retractor locking means B60R22/343)} · CPC title