Temperature compensated real-time clock

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9470726-B2
Application number	US-201514671908-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2015
Priority date	Oct 27, 2014
Publication date	Oct 18, 2016
Grant date	Oct 18, 2016

Abstract

Systems and methods of a temperature compensated real-time clock are disclosed. The systems and methods can include measuring a temperature with a temperature sensor, detecting a temperature dependent frequency from an oscillator, inputting the temperature and determining a temperature estimate for the oscillator with an infinite impulse response filter, and determining a compensation factor, for the oscillator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of real-time clock compensation comprising:
measuring a temperature with a temperature sensor;
detecting a temperature dependent frequency from an oscillator;
inputting the temperature and determining a temperature estimate for the oscillator with an infinite impulse response filter, and determining the temperature estimate includes performing a transfer function with the infinite impulse response filter for the temperature estimate as a function of the temperature and treating the oscillator as a first thermal mass on a first thermal gradient and treating the temperature sensor as a second thermal mass on a second thermal gradient; and
determining a compensation factor, for the oscillator.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the temperature estimate includes assuming the first thermal gradient and the first thermal mass are exposed to the same ambient temperature, assuming the second thermal gradient and the second thermal mass are exposed to the same ambient temperature, or assuming a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the temperature estimate for the oscillator includes assuming that the first thermal gradient is not the same as the second thermal gradient, assuming that the first thermal mass is not the same as the second thermal mass, or assuming a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the temperature dependent frequency includes detecting the temperature dependent frequency with a crystal oscillator, a tuning fork style quartz crystal oscillator, or an oscillator operating in the 32 KHz range.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:
measuring the temperature includes measuring the temperature with discrete samples of the temperature sensor; and
determining the temperature estimate includes determining the temperature estimate based on the discrete samples of the temperature sensor.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising adjusting a real-time clock based on the compensation factor, adjusting the oscillator's load capacitance based on the compensation factor, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein adjusting the real-time clock includes adjusting registers within the real-time clock, adjusting a frequency recorded by the real-time clock, or a combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising coupling a system on a chip incorporating a real-time clock to a remote sensor for measuring electricity usage and providing a time of day for the electricity usage based on the real-time clock.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein coupling the system on a chip to the remote sensor includes coupling the system on a chip to a current transformer, shunt, Rogowski coil, or a combination thereof.

10. A temperature compensated system comprising:
a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature;
an oscillator configured to detect a temperature dependent frequency;
an infinite impulse response filter configured to determine a temperature estimate for the oscillator from the temperature with a transfer function for the temperature estimate as a function of the temperature and the oscillator treated as a first thermal mass on a first thermal gradient and the temperature sensor treated as a second thermal mass on a second thermal gradient; and
digital logic configured to determine a compensation factor for the oscillator.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the infinite impulse response filter is configured to determine the temperature estimate with the first thermal gradient and the first thermal mass assumed to be exposed to the same ambient temperature, the second thermal gradient and the second thermal mass assumed to be exposed to the same ambient temperature, or a combination thereof.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the infinite impulse response filter is configured to determine the temperature estimate based on the first thermal gradient assumed not to be the same as the second thermal gradient, based on the first thermal mass assumed not to be the same as the second thermal mass, or a combination thereof.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the oscillator is a crystal oscillator, a tuning fork style quartz crystal oscillator, or an oscillator operated in the 32 KHz range.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein:
the temperature sensor is configured to measure the temperature with discrete samples; and
the infinite impulse response filter is configured to determine the temperature estimate based on the discrete samples.

15. The system of claim 10 further comprising a real-time clock configured to be adjusted based on the compensation factor, a load capacitance of the oscillator is configured to be adjusted based on the compensation factor, or a combination thereof.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the real-time clock is configured to be adjusted by registers adjusted within the real-time clock, an adjusted frequency recorded by the real-time clock, or a combination thereof.

17. The system of claim 10 further comprising a system on a chip having a real-time clock coupled to a remote sensor for measuring electricity usage and providing a time of day for the electricity usage based on the real-time clock.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the system on a chip is coupled to a current transformer, shunt, Rogowski coil, or a combination thereof.

Assignees

• Maxim Integrated Products

Inventors

• Hackett Nathan Theodore

Classifications

• H04L27/2338

  using sampling (H04L27/2331 - H04L27/2335 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01R22/04 Primary

  by calorimetric methods · CPC title

• G01R21/133

  by using digital technique · CPC title

• H03B5/36 Primary

  active element in amplifier being semiconductor device ({H03B5/323, H03B5/326} , H03B5/38 take precedence) · CPC title

• H03B5/04

  Modifications of generator to compensate for variations in physical values, e.g. power supply, load, temperature · CPC title