Semiconductor device and AC resistance measuring system including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10539600-B2
Application number	US-201514853834-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2015
Priority date	Sep 25, 2014
Publication date	Jan 21, 2020
Grant date	Jan 21, 2020

Abstract

Provided is a semiconductor device including: an AC voltage generation unit that generates an AC voltage having an amplitude according to a control signal; a resistance element provided in series with a measurement target, the AC voltage being applied to the resistance element; a voltage detecting unit that detects that a difference voltage between two ends of the resistance element has reached a specified voltage; and a control unit that outputs the control signal to the AC voltage generation unit to cause the AC voltage generation unit to generate the AC voltage so that the difference voltage reaches the specified voltage, based on a detection result of the voltage detecting unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An AC resistance measuring system comprising:
a semiconductor device comprising:
an AC (Alternating Current) voltage generation unit that generates an AC voltage having an amplitude according to a control signal;
a resistance element provided in series with a measurement target, the AC voltage being applied to the resistance element;
a voltage detecting unit that detects that a difference voltage between two ends of the resistance element has reached a specified voltage; and
a control unit that outputs the control signal to the AC voltage generation unit to cause the AC voltage generation unit to generate the AC voltage so that the difference voltage reaches the specified voltage, based on a detection result of the voltage detecting unit; and

an arithmetic processing unit that calculates a resistance value of the measurement target,
wherein the voltage detecting unit includes a comparator that compares the specified voltage with the difference voltage between the two ends of the resistance element, and
wherein the resistance value of the measurement target is calculated by measuring the AC voltage obtained from information of a set value N of the AC voltage generation unit, where the set value N represents a magnitude of the amplitude of the AC voltage.

2. The AC resistance measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein
the voltage detecting unit further includes an amplifier circuit that amplifies the difference voltage between the two ends of the resistance element, and
the comparator compares the specified voltage with an output voltage of the amplifier circuit.

3. The AC resistance measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit outputs the control signal to cause the amplitude of the AC voltage to gradually increase, until the voltage detecting unit detects that the difference voltage has reached the specified voltage.

4. The AC resistance measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein the AC voltage generation unit includes:
an AC voltage source that generates an AC voltage having a predetermined amplitude; and
a variable amplifier circuit that amplifies the AC voltage with an amplitude according to the control signal, or an attenuator that attenuates the AC voltage with an amplitude according to the control signal.

5. The AC resistance measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein the AC voltage is applied to one end of a current path that passes through the resistance element and the measurement target, and a reference voltage is applied to the other end of the current path.

6. The AC resistance measuring system according to claim 5 , further comprising a reference voltage generation circuit that applies the reference voltage to the other end of the current path.

7. The AC resistance measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein the AC voltage is applied to one end of a current path that passes through the resistance element and the measurement target, and a voltage obtained by inverting the AC voltage is applied to the other end of the current path.

8. The AC resistance measuring system according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a non-inverting amplifier circuit that amplifies the AC voltage and outputs the amplified AC voltage to one end of the current path; and
an inverting amplifier circuit that inverts and amplifies the AC voltage and outputs the inverted and amplified AC voltage to the other end of the current path.

9. The AC resistance measuring system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the arithmetic processing unit calculates the resistance value of the measurement target based on a value of the AC voltage, a resistance value of the resistance element, and a value of an alternating current flowing through the resistance element, the resistance value of the measurement target, the resistance value of the resistance element, and the value of the alternating current being measured when the voltage detecting unit detects that the difference voltage has reached the specified voltage.

10. The AC resistance measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein the voltage detecting unit includes the comparator that compares the specified voltage with the difference voltage between the two ends of the resistance element to provide the detection result, and
wherein the control unit outputs the control signal to the AC voltage generation unit based on the detection result of the voltage detecting unit.

11. The AC resistance measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein the voltage detecting unit detects whether the difference voltage between the two ends of the resistance element has reached the specified voltage to output the detection result including:
when the difference voltage has not reached the specified voltage, the voltage detecting unit sets the detection result to be inactive, and
when the difference voltage has reached the specified voltage, the voltage detecting unit sets the detection result to be active.

12. The AC resistance measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein the comparator compares the specified voltage with a difference voltage between the two ends of the resistance element that is amplified.

13. The AC resistance measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit that outputs the control signal to the AC voltage generation unit to cause the AC voltage generation unit to generate the AC voltage so that the difference voltage reaches the specified voltage, based on an updated value of the detection result of the voltage detecting unit in an analog domain.

14. The AC resistance measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit outputs the control signal to the AC voltage generation unit to generate the AC voltage having an amplitude at which the detection result becomes active where the difference voltage reaches the specified voltage,
wherein the AC voltage generated by the AC voltage generation unit is according to the control signal from the control unit based according to the detection result when the difference voltage reaches the specified voltage, and
wherein the AC voltage is obtained from a final set value of the AC voltage generation unit, the final set value being when the difference voltage reaches the specified voltage, such that a resistance value of the measurement target is calculated from measuring the AC voltage in an analog domain.

15. An AC resistance measuring system comprising:
a semiconductor device comprising:
an AC (Alternating Current) voltage generation unit that generates an AC voltage having an amplitude according to a control signal;
a resistance element provided in series with a measurement target, the AC voltage being applied to the resistance element;
a voltage detecting unit detects whether a difference voltage between two ends of the resistance element has reached a predetermined voltage by comparing the predetermined voltage with the difference voltage between the two ends of the resistance element to provide a detection result; and
a control unit that outputs the control signal to the AC voltage generation unit to cause the AC voltage generation unit to generate the AC voltage so that the difference voltage reaches the predetermined voltage, based on the detection result of the voltage detecting unit; and

an arithmetic processing unit that calculates a resistance value of the measurement target,
wherein the resistance value of the measurement target is calculated by measuring the AC voltage obtained from information of a set value N of the AC voltage generation unit, where the set value N represents a magnitude of the amplitude of the AC voltage.

Assignees

• Renesas Electronics Corp

Inventors

• Hirai Masato
• Lim Siewling

Classifications

• G01R31/2879

  related to electrical aspects, e.g. to voltage or current supply or stimuli or to electrical loads · CPC title

• G01R27/14 Primary

  Measuring resistance by measuring current or voltage obtained from a reference source (G01R27/16, G01R27/20, G01R27/22 take precedence) · CPC title

• H02J3/00

  Circuit arrangements for AC mains or AC distribution networks · CPC title