Determining the effects of different electrical characteristics of a drive-sense circuit on a load

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12298792-B2
Application number	US-202318508311-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2023
Priority date	Aug 27, 2018
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

A drive-sense circuit module includes at least one regulated source circuit coupled to a load, and to a loop correction circuit. The regulated source circuit generates a drive signal, which has a regulated characteristic and a controlled characteristic. At least one reference circuit applies a reference signal to the loop correction circuit that establishes a reference value of the controlled characteristic. The loop correction circuit senses an effect of one or more load characteristics on a sensed value of the controlled characteristic of the drive signal and generates a comparison signal based on the sensed value and the reference value of the controlled characteristic. A regulation signal is generated based on the comparison signal and used to regulate the regulated characteristic of the drive signal. A control module controls the regulated source circuit and the loop correction circuit to iterate through at least a first combination and a second combination of regulated characteristics and controlled characteristics.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drive-sense circuit module comprising:
at least one regulated source circuit including an output coupled to a load and to a sense input of at least one loop correction circuit, wherein the at least one regulated source circuit generates a drive signal that has a regulated characteristic and a controlled characteristic;
at least one reference circuit coupled to apply a reference signal to a reference input of the at least one loop correction circuit, wherein the reference signal establishes a reference value of the controlled characteristic;
the at least one loop correction circuit configured to:
sense an effect of one or more load characteristics on a sensed value of the controlled characteristic of the drive signal at the sense input;
generate a comparison signal based on the sensed value of the controlled characteristic and the reference value of the controlled characteristic;
generate a regulation signal based on the comparison signal; and
apply the regulation signal to a regulation input of the at least one regulated source circuit, wherein the at least one regulated source circuit regulates the regulated characteristic of the drive signal based on the regulation signal; and

a control module configured to control the at least one regulated source circuit and the at least one loop correction circuit to apply a first combination of a regulated characteristic and a control characteristic and a second combination of a regulated characteristic and a control characteristic, wherein the first combination differs from the second combination.

2. The drive-sense circuit module of claim 1 , wherein the control module is further configured to control the at least one regulated source circuit and the at least one loop correction circuit to apply at least one additional combination of regulated characteristic and a control characteristic that differs from the first combination and the second combination.

3. The drive-sense circuit module of claim 1 , wherein the first combination includes a regulated current and a controlled voltage, and wherein the second combination includes a regulated voltage and a controlled current.

4. The drive-sense circuit module of claim 1 , wherein the first combination includes a regulated voltage and a controlled current, and wherein the second combination includes a different regulated voltage and a different controlled current.

5. The drive-sense circuit module of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of regulated source circuits, each of the plurality of regulated source circuits configured to generate a different regulated drive signal having a different regulated characteristic and a different controlled characteristic, wherein the control module is configured to selectively activate different regulated source circuits.

6. The drive-sense circuit module of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of reference circuits, each of the plurality of reference circuits configured to generate a different reference signal that establishes a different reference value of a different controlled characteristic, wherein the control module is configured to selectively activate different reference circuits.

7. The drive-sense circuit module of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of loop-correction circuits, each of the plurality of loop-correction circuits configured to generate a different regulation signal, wherein the control module is configured to selectively activate different loop-correction circuits.

8. The drive-sense circuit module of claim 1 , further comprising:
a processing module configured to generate response parameters based on the comparison signal; and
store the response parameters associated with at least the first combination and the second combination.

9. The drive-sense circuit module of claim 8 , wherein the load includes a sensor, and wherein the processing module is further configured to select, based on the response parameters, a sensing configuration for use with the load.

10. The drive-sense circuit module of claim 1 , wherein the regulated characteristics of the first combination and the second combination, the controlled characteristics of the first combination and the second combination, and the one or more load characteristics are selected from a group consisting essentially of current, voltage, resistance, reactance, impedance, and frequency.

11. A method comprising:
(a) applying a regulated drive signal to a sense input of a drive-sense circuit module and to a load, wherein the regulated drive signal has a regulated electrical characteristic controlled by a controlled electrical characteristic;
(b) applying a reference signal to a reference input of the drive-sense circuit module, wherein the reference signal establishes a reference value of the controlled electrical characteristic;
(c) generating a comparison signal based on a comparison of a value of the controlled electrical characteristic present at the sense input of the drive-sense circuit module with the reference value of the controlled electrical characteristic;
(d) generating a regulation signal based on the comparison signal;
(e) regulating the regulated drive signal based on the regulation signal; and
(f) repeating (a)-(e) using at least a first combination of a regulated electrical characteristic and a controlled electrical characteristic and a second combination of a regulated electrical characteristic and a controlled electrical characteristic, wherein the first combination differs from the second combination; and
(g) determining effects of the at least a first combination and a second combination on one or more load electrical characteristics.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
selecting a load configuration based on the at least a first combination and a second combination on the one or more load electrical characteristics.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
tuning the drive-sense circuit module based on the effects of the at least a first combination and a second combination on the one or more load electrical characteristics.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
generating adjustment parameters based on the effects of the regulated electrical characteristic of the first combination and the regulated electrical characteristic of the second combination on the one or more load electrical characteristics; and
applying the adjustment parameters to other circuits including other loads having electrical characteristics matching the one or more load electrical characteristics.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the load includes a sensor and the drive-sense circuit module outputs sensed data, the method further comprising:
generating sensor parameters based on the effects of the at least a first combination and a second combination on the one or more load electrical characteristics; and
evaluating the sensed data based, at least in part, on the sensor parameters.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein generating sensor parameters is further based on at least of a lowest signal to noise ratio, operation of the load in a linear response region, or an application in which the load is employed.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the regulated electrical characteristics of the first combination and the second combination, the controlled electrical characteristics of the first combination and the second combination, and the one or more load electrical characteristics are selected from a group consisting essentially of current, voltage, resistance, reactance, impedance, a

Assignees

• Sigmasense Llc

Inventors

• Gray Patrick Troy
• Gray Michael Shawn
• Van Ostrand Daniel Keith
• Seger Jr Richard Stuart
• Markison Timothy W

Classifications

• G11C16/26

  Sensing or reading circuits; Data output circuits · CPC title

• G01D5/14

  influencing the magnitude of a current or voltage · CPC title

• G06F3/0416

  Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers · CPC title

• G06F3/044

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F3/016

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title