Method and system for determining reliability of a pressure sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11079295-B2
Application number	US-201916430051-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2019
Priority date	Jun 3, 2019
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

A pressure sensor is configured to monitor a first resistance value of a first resistor and a second resistance value of a second resistor. The first resistor and the second resistor are configured to be sensing elements of a sensing component of a pressure sensor. The pressure sensor is configured to determine, based on a difference between the first resistance value and the second resistance value satisfying a threshold, that a measurement from the sensing component is unreliable. The pressure sensor is configured to perform, based on determining that the measurement from the sensing component is unreliable, an action associated with the pressure sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pressure sensor, comprising:
one or more memories; and
one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, configured to:
receive a measurement from a sensing component,
wherein the sensing component includes a first resistor and a second resistor;

determine a first resistance value of the first resistor and a second resistance value of the second resistor;
determine, based on a difference between the first resistance value and the second resistance value satisfying a threshold, that the measurement is unreliable; and
perform, based on determining that the measurement is unreliable, an action associated with the measurement or the pressure sensor,
wherein the one or more processors, when performing the action, are to:
increase a frequency associated with determining the difference between the first resistance value and the second resistance value.

2. The pressure sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first resistor and the second resistor are in a Wheatstone bridge circuit of the sensing component.

3. The pressure sensor of claim 2 , wherein the first resistor and the second resistor are not coupled to a same terminal of the Wheatstone bridge circuit.

4. The pressure sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first resistor and the second resistor are situated in a circuit on or within a flexible membrane of the sensing component,
wherein the flexible membrane, when flexed, is configured to affect the first resistance value and the second resistance value.

5. The pressure sensor of claim 1 , wherein a probability that the measurement is reliable is determined to be relatively high when the difference between the first resistance value and the second resistance value is within another threshold, and
wherein the probability that the measurement is reliable is determined to be relatively low when the difference between the first resistance value and the second resistance value is greater than the threshold.

6. The pressure sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first resistance value and the second resistance value are determined based on receiving the measurement.

7. The pressure sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first resistance value and the second resistance value are respectively determined based on a first conductance value of the first resistor and a second conductance value of the second resistor,
wherein the first conductance value and the second conductance value are respectively determined by applying bias voltages across the first resistor and the second resistor.

8. A system comprising:
a sensing component comprising:
a flexible membrane, and
a Wheatstone bridge circuit; and

a sensor controller configured to:
monitor, based on iteratively biasing terminals of the Wheatstone bridge circuit with a voltage supply and a ground, a first resistance value of a first resistor of the Wheatstone bridge circuit and a second resistance value of a second resistor of the Wheatstone bridge circuit;
determine, based on a difference between the first resistance value and the second resistance value, a status of the flexible membrane,
wherein the status indicates that a measurement from the sensing component is unreliable based on the difference between the first resistance value and the second resistance value satisfying a threshold; and

perform, based on determining that the status is unreliable, an action associated with the sensing component,
wherein, when performing the action, the sensor controller is configured to:
increase a frequency associated with determining the difference between the first resistance value and the second resistance value.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first resistor and the second resistor are opposite one another in the Wheatstone bridge circuit.

10. The system of claim 8 ,
wherein the status indicates that the measurement is reliable when the difference between the first resistance value and the second resistance value does not satisfy the threshold.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein, when the status indicates that the measurement is unreliable due to a contaminant being in contact with the flexible membrane, the sensor controller, when increasing the frequency associated with determining the difference between the first resistance value and the second resistance value, is configured to:
increase a frequency of iterations associated with iteratively biasing the terminals of the Wheatstone bridge circuit to monitor the flexible membrane to permit the sensor controller to determine when the contaminant is no longer in contact with the flexible membrane.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein, when the status indicates that the measurement is unreliable, the sensor controller, when performing the action, is further configured to at least one of:
send a notification to a user interface to indicate that a contaminant may be in contact with the flexible membrane;
indicate that the measurement is likely inaccurate; or
disable the sensing component.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein, when the status indicates that the measurement is unreliable, the sensor controller, when performing the action, is further configured to:
measure a first voltage of a first measurement terminal of the Wheatstone bridge circuit;
measure a second voltage of a second measurement terminal of the Wheatstone bridge circuit;
determine, based on a difference between the first voltage and the second voltage, a pressure measurement associated with an environment of the flexible membrane; and
perform an action associated with the pressure measurement.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the flexible membrane, when flexed, is configured to cause the Wheatstone bridge circuit to output different voltage values based on changes to at least one of the first resistance value or the second resistance value.

15. A method, comprising:
monitoring, by a device, a first resistance value of a first resistor and a second resistance value of a second resistor,
wherein the first resistor and the second resistor are sensing elements of a sensing component of a pressure sensor;

determining, by the device and based on a difference between the first resistance value and the second resistance value satisfying a threshold, that a measurement from the sensing component is unreliable; and
performing, by the device and based on determining that the measurement from the sensing component is unreliable, an action associated with the pressure sensor,
wherein performing the action comprises:
increasing a frequency associated with determining the difference between the first resistance value and the second resistance value.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the sensing component comprises:
a flexible membrane; and
a Wheatstone bridge circuit,
wherein the first resistor and the second resistor are opposite resistors in the Wheatstone bridge.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein monitoring the first resistance value and the second resistance value comprises:
determining a first conductance value of the first resistor and a second conductance value of the second resistor; and
determining the first resistance value based on the first conductance value and the second resistance value based on the second conductance value.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the first resistor and the second resistor are in a Wheatstone bridge circuit, and
wherein the first conductance value and the second conductance value are determined by applying a supply voltage to one or more terminals of the Wheatstone bridge circuit

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Solazzi Francesco
• Hassler Martin
• Steiner Christoph

Classifications

• G01L19/12

  Alarms or signals · CPC title

• G01L9/06

  of piezo-resistive devices · CPC title

• G01L9/02

  by making use of variations in ohmic resistance, e.g. of potentiometers {, electric circuits therefor, e.g. bridges, amplifiers or signal conditioning} · CPC title

• G01L25/00

  Testing or calibrating of apparatus for measuring force, torque, work, mechanical power, or mechanical efficiency · CPC title

• G01L27/007 Primary

  Malfunction diagnosis, i.e. diagnosing a sensor defect · CPC title