Thermal sensor circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10103624-B2
Application number	US-201715634528-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2017
Priority date	Jun 29, 2016
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

A thermal sensor circuit comprises a conversion circuit which is one of a buck DC-DC converter circuit and a boost DC-DC converter circuit, wherein the conversion circuit comprises an inductor and an output terminal. A thermal sensor senses a thermal variation correlated to a capacitance variation of the thermal sensor. The capacitance variation induces an internal parasitic capacitance variation of the inductor which is connected in parallel to the thermal sensor and results a variation of an energy stored in the inductor. Hence a variation of a converted circuit signal outputting by the output terminal is caused, wherein the variation of the converted circuit signal is correlated to the thermal variation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal sensor circuit comprising:
a conversion circuit, wherein said conversion circuit is one selected from the group consisting of a buck DC-DC converter circuit and a boost DC-DC converter circuit, wherein said conversion circuit comprises:
an inductor, wherein said inductor is connected in parallel to a thermal sensor; and
an output terminal of said conversion circuit for outputting a converted circuit signal;

wherein said thermal sensor senses a thermal variation correlated to a capacitance variation of said thermal sensor, wherein said capacitance variation of said thermal sensor induces a variation of an internal parasitic capacitance of said inductor causing a variation of an energy stored in said inductor, thereby said variation of said energy stored in said inductor causes a variation of said converted circuit signal, hence said variation of said converted circuit signal is correlated to said thermal variation.

2. The thermal sensor circuit according to claim 1 , wherein said conversion circuit is a buck DC-DC converter circuit, wherein said conversion circuit further comprises:
a DC source;
a switching transistor;
a pulse generator;
a diode; and
a capacitor;
wherein a first terminal of said switching transistor is connected to said DC source, wherein a second terminal of said switching transistor is connected to a first terminal of said inductor and a cathode terminal of said diode, wherein a third terminal of said switching transistor is connected to said pulse generator, wherein a second terminal of said inductor is connected to said output terminal of said conversion circuit and a first terminal of said capacitor, wherein an anode terminal of said diode and a second terminal of said capacitor are grounded.

3. The thermal sensor circuit according to claim 1 , wherein said conversion circuit is a boost DC-DC converter circuit, wherein said conversion circuit further comprises:
a DC source;
a switching transistor;
a pulse generator;
a diode; and
a capacitor;
wherein a first terminal of said inductor is connected to said DC source, wherein a second terminal of said inductor is connected to a first terminal of said switching transistor and an anode terminal of said diode, wherein a cathode terminal of said diode is connected to said output terminal of said conversion circuit and a first terminal of said capacitor, wherein a second terminal of said switching transistor and a second terminal of said capacitor are grounded, wherein a third terminal of said switching transistor is connected to said pulse generator.

4. The thermal sensor circuit according to claim 1 , wherein said thermal sensor is a thermal sensing acoustic wave resonator which is one selected from the group consisting of a bulk acoustic wave resonator, a thin film bulk acoustic wave resonator and a surface acoustic wave resonator.

5. The thermal sensor circuit according to claim 4 , wherein said thermal sensing acoustic wave resonator is formed on a substrate, wherein the material of said substrate is one material selected from the group consisting of glass, LiTaO 3 , LiNbO 3 , quartz, Si, GaAs, GaP, sapphire, Al 2 O 3 , InP, SiC, diamond, GaN and AlN.

6. The thermal sensor circuit according to claim 1 , further comprising a bias adjustment circuit, wherein said conversion circuit and said bias adjustment circuit form an active adjustment circuit, wherein an input terminal of said bias adjustment circuit is connected to said output terminal of said conversion circuit, wherein said bias adjustment circuit adjusts said converted circuit signal received from said output terminal of said conversion circuit and outputs an active thermal compensating signal through an output terminal of said active adjustment circuit.

7. A thermal sensor circuit comprising:
a conversion circuit, wherein said conversion circuit comprises:
a DC source;
a switching transistor;
a pulse generator;
an inductor;
a capacitor; and
an output terminal of said conversion circuit for outputting a converted circuit signal;

wherein a first terminal of said switching transistor is connected to said DC source, wherein a second terminal of said switching transistor is connected to a cathode terminal of a thermal sensitive diode sensor and a first terminal of said inductor, wherein a third terminal of said switching transistor is connected to said pulse generator, wherein a second terminal of said inductor is connected to said output terminal of said conversion circuit and a first terminal of said capacitor, wherein an anode terminal of said thermal sensitive diode sensor and a second terminal of said capacitor are grounded;
wherein said thermal sensitive diode sensor senses a thermal variation correlated to a variation of a forward voltage of said thermal sensitive diode sensor, wherein said variation of said forward voltage of said thermal sensitive diode sensor causes a variation of said converted circuit signal, hence said variation of said converted circuit signal is correlated to said thermal variation.

8. The thermal sensor circuit according to claim 7 , further comprising a bias adjustment circuit, wherein said conversion circuit and said bias adjustment circuit form an active adjustment circuit, wherein an input terminal of said bias adjustment circuit is connected to said output terminal of said conversion circuit, wherein said bias adjustment circuit adjusts said converted circuit signal received from said output terminal of said conversion circuit and outputs an active thermal compensating signal through an output terminal of said active adjustment circuit.

9. A thermal sensor circuit comprising:
a conversion circuit, wherein said conversion circuit comprises:
a DC source;
a switching transistor;
a pulse generator;
an inductor;
a capacitor; and
an output terminal of said conversion circuit for outputting a converted circuit signal;

wherein a first terminal of said inductor is connected to said DC source, wherein a second terminal of said inductor is connected to an anode terminal of a thermal sensitive diode sensor and a second terminal of said switching transistor, wherein a third terminal of said switching transistor is connected to said pulse generator, wherein a cathode terminal of said thermal sensitive diode sensor is connected to said output terminal of said conversion circuit and a first terminal of said capacitor, wherein a first terminal of said switching transistor and a second terminal of said capacitor are grounded;
wherein said thermal sensitive diode sensor senses a thermal variation correlated to a variation of a forward voltage of said thermal sensitive diode sensor, wherein said variation of said forward voltage of said thermal sensitive diode sensor causes a variation of said converted circuit signal, hence said variation of said converted circuit signal is correlated to said thermal variation.

10. The thermal sensor circuit according to claim 9 , further comprising a bias adjustment circuit, wherein said conversion circuit and said bias adjustment circuit form an active adjustment circuit, wherein an input terminal of said bias adjustment circuit is connected to said output terminal of said conversion circuit, wherein said bias adjustment circuit adjusts said converted circuit signal received from said output terminal of said conversion circuit and outputs an active thermal compensating signal through an output terminal of said active adjustment circuit.

Assignees

• Win Semiconductors Corp

Inventors

• Lin Re Ching
• Huang Fan Hsiu
• Chou Tung-Yao
• Lin Cheng Kuo
• Tsai Shu Hsiao
• Chiang Chih-Feng

Classifications

• G01K7/34

  using capacitative elements (capacitors per se H01G) · CPC title

• G01K11/26

  of resonant frequencies · CPC title

• G01K7/01

  using semiconducting elements having PN junctions (G01K7/02, G01K7/16, G01K7/30 take precedence) · CPC title

• H02M3/156 Primary

  with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators · CPC title

• G01K11/265

  using surface acoustic wave [SAW] · CPC title