Sensing arrangement for sensing a voltage from multiple voltage sources

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9606150-B1
Application number	US-201414205966-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 12, 2014
Priority date	Dec 13, 2011
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

Some of the embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for sensing a voltage level of an output voltage that is selected from at least two voltage supplies, including: a maximum voltage generator circuit configured (i) to determine a voltage supply among the at least two voltage supplies that has a higher voltage level and (ii) to output a maximum voltage signal having a voltage level corresponding to the higher voltage level; and a sensing module configured to selectively sense the output voltages, the sensing module comprising a switch circuit configured to apply the maximum voltage signal to completely turn off supply of the output voltage when the output voltage is not to be sensed at the sensing module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for sensing a voltage level of an output voltage that is selected from at least two voltage supplies, comprising:
a selection circuit configured to (i) receive the at least two voltage supplies, (ii) select a voltage supply from among the at least two voltage supplies based on one or more control signals, and (iii) output the selected voltage supply as the output voltage;
a maximum voltage generator circuit configured (i) to determine a voltage supply among the at least two voltage supplies that has a higher voltage level and (ii) to output a maximum voltage signal having a voltage level corresponding to the higher voltage level, the maximum voltage generator circuit being different from the selection circuit, and the maximum voltage signal being separate from the output voltage; and
a sensing module configured to (i) receive the output voltage from the selection circuit, (ii) receive the maximum voltage signal from the maximum voltage generator circuit, and (iii) selectively sense the output voltage, the sensing module comprising a switch circuit configured to apply the maximum voltage signal to completely turn off sensing of the output voltage when the output voltage is not to be sensed at the sensing module, the sensing module being different from the maximum voltage generator circuit and the selection circuit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the sensing module comprises the switch circuit to selectively sense the output voltage, based on a sense control signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of one or more switches of the switch circuit is controlled by one of (i) a ground voltage, or (ii) the maximum voltage signal, based on whether the output voltage is to be sensed by the sensing module.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the maximum voltage generator circuit comprises:
a first switch configured to receive a first voltage supply of the at least two voltage supplies;
a second switch configured to receive a second voltage supply of the at least two voltage supplies; and
a control circuit configured to:
determine, during a first time period, that a voltage level of the first voltage supply is higher than a voltage level of the second voltage supply, and
during the first time period, enable the first switch such that the maximum voltage signal is equal to the voltage level of the first voltage supply.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the control circuit of the maximum voltage generator circuit is further configured to:
determine, during a second time period, that a voltage level of the second voltage supply is higher than a voltage level of the first voltage supply; and
during the second time period, enable the second switch such that the maximum voltage signal is equal to the voltage level of the second voltage supply.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the control circuit of the maximum voltage generator circuit is further configured to:
receive a max voltage select signal indicating that during the first time period, the voltage level of the first voltage supply is higher than the voltage level of the second voltage supply; and
based on the max voltage select signal, enable the first switch during the first time period.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sensing module is further configured to:
receive a first sense control signal; and
based on the first sense control signal, selectively sense the output voltage.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the sensing module is further configured to:
based on the first sense control signal, generate a second sense control signal, the second sense control signal having a voltage level equal to one of (i) the voltage level of the maximum voltage signal, and (ii) a ground voltage.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the sensing module is further configured to:
generate the second sense control signal such that (i) in response to the first sense control signal having a first value, the second sense control signal has a voltage level equal to the voltage level of the maximum voltage signal, and (ii) in response to the first sense control signal having a second value that is different from the first value, the second sense control signal has a voltage level equal to the ground voltage.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the sensing module is further configured to:
based on the second sense control signal, generate a third sense control signal, the third sense control signal having a voltage level equal to one of (i) the voltage level of the maximum voltage signal and (ii) the ground voltage.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the switch circuit comprises:
a first switch configured to (i) receive the output voltage and (ii) selectively output the output voltage as a sensed voltage, the first switch being controlled by the second sense control signal; and
a second switch configured to (i) receive the output voltage and (ii) selectively output the output voltage as the sensed voltage, the second switch being controlled by the third sense control signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein:
the first switch comprises a N-channel transistor; and
the second switch comprises a P-channel transistor.

13. A method comprising:
selecting a voltage supply from among at least two voltage supplies;
outputting the selected voltage supply as an output voltage;
determining a voltage supply among the at least two voltage supplies that has a higher voltage level;
generating a maximum voltage signal having a voltage level corresponding to the higher voltage level, the maximum voltage signal being separate from the output voltage;
receiving, by a sensing module, the output voltage and the maximum voltage signal; and
using the maximum voltage signal in a switch circuit of the sensing module, selectively sensing, by the sensing module, the output voltage, such that the output voltage is completely turned off when the output voltage is not to be sensed at the sensing module.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein selectively sensing the output voltage further comprises:
based on a sense control signal, selectively sensing the output voltage.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein generating the maximum voltage signal further comprises:
receiving, at a first switch, a first voltage supply of the at least two voltage supplies;
receiving, at a second switch, a second voltage supply of the at least two voltage supplies;
determining, during a first time period, that a voltage level of the first voltage supply is higher than a voltage level of the second voltage supply; and
during the first time period, enabling the first switch such that the maximum voltage signal is equal to the voltage level of the first voltage supply.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
determining, during a second time period, that a voltage level of the second voltage supply is higher than a voltage level of the first voltage supply; and
during the second time period, enabling the second switch such that the maximum voltage signal is equal to the voltage level of the second voltage supply.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein determining, during the first time period, that the voltage level of the first voltage supply is higher than the voltage level of the second voltage supply comprises:
receiving a max voltage select signal indicating that during the first time period, the voltage level of the first voltage supply is higher than the voltage level of the second voltage supply.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein

Assignees

• Marvell Int Ltd

Inventors

• Bourstein Ido
• Tsukerman Leonid

Classifications

• G01R19/0007 Primary

  Frequency selective voltage or current level measuring (measuring frequency G01R23/00; testing attenuation in line transmission systems H04B3/48; monitoring testing in transmission systems H04B17/00) · CPC title

• G01R19/0084 Primary

  Measuring voltage only · CPC title

• G01R19/0038

  Circuits for comparing several input signals and for indicating the result of this comparison, e.g. equal, different, greater, smaller (comparing pulses or pulse trains according to amplitude) · CPC title