公开(公告)号：US09766280B2

公开(公告)日：2017-09-19

申请号：US15363604

申请日：2016-11-29

Applicant: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES N.V.

Inventor： Johan Raman ,  Pieter Rombouts

IPC: H04B3/46 ,  G01R31/20 ,  G01R31/00 ,  G01L1/14 ,  G01L1/22 ,  G01L9/02 ,  G01L9/04 ,  G01L9/06 ,  G01L9/12 ,  G01R31/28

CPC classification number: G01R31/003 ,  G01L1/144 ,  G01L1/2262 ,  G01L9/02 ,  G01L9/04 ,  G01L9/06 ,  G01L9/12 ,  G01R31/2829

Abstract: A difference measurement circuit including a first port and a second port for connection to a first set of nodes and a second set of nodes of a sensor unit. The circuit further includes switching units for switching excitation signals emanating from excitation nodes from being applied to the first set of nodes via the first port to being applied to the second set of nodes via the second port and for switching differential measurement signals measured at sensing nodes from being obtained from the second set of nodes via the second port to being obtained from the first set of nodes via the first port. A corresponding method is described. The circuit further includes redundancy testing circuitry for evaluating the similarity or deviation between measurement signals obtained in different states of the switching units.

公开(公告)号：US10067173B2

公开(公告)日：2018-09-04

申请号：US15680937

申请日：2017-08-18

Applicant: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES N.V.

Inventor： Johan Raman ,  Pieter Rombouts

IPC: H04B3/46 ,  G01R27/28 ,  G01R31/00 ,  G01R31/28 ,  G01L9/12 ,  G01L9/06 ,  G01L9/02 ,  G01L1/22 ,  G01L1/14 ,  G01L9/04

Abstract: A method for reading out a sensor unit having a first set of nodes and a second set of nodes and a symmetry which allows different configurations of excitation and sensing lead to a same readout. The method includes changing the readout configuration of the sensor unit by exchanging excitation and sensing between the first set of nodes and the second set of nodes, evaluating the similarity or deviation between measurement signals obtained in different readout configurations of the sensor unit, raising an error if the measurement signals differ more from one another than a predetermined value.

公开(公告)号：US09977064B2

公开(公告)日：2018-05-22

申请号：US15680912

申请日：2017-08-18

Applicant: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES N.V.

Inventor： Johan Raman ,  Pieter Rombouts

IPC: G01R27/28 ,  G01R31/00 ,  G01R31/28 ,  G01L9/12 ,  G01L9/06 ,  G01L9/02 ,  G01L1/22 ,  G01L1/14 ,  G01L9/04

CPC classification number: G01R31/003 ,  G01L1/144 ,  G01L1/2262 ,  G01L9/02 ,  G01L9/04 ,  G01L9/06 ,  G01L9/12 ,  G01R31/2829

Abstract: A difference measurement circuit having a first port and a second port for connection to a first set of nodes and a second set of nodes of a sensor unit. The circuit further has switching units for switching excitation signals emanating from excitation nodes from being applied to the first set of nodes (A, B) via the first port to being applied to the second set of nodes via the second port and for switching differential measurement signals measured at sensing nodes from being obtained from the second set of nodes via the second port to being obtained from the first set of nodes via the first port. The circuit further includes redundancy testing circuitry for evaluating the similarity or deviation between measurement signals obtained in different states of the switching units.

公开(公告)号：US09170308B2

公开(公告)日：2015-10-27

申请号：US14055703

申请日：2013-10-16

Applicant: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES N.V.

Inventor： Johan Raman ,  Pieter Rombouts

IPC: G01R33/07 ,  H01L27/22 ,  G01R21/08 ,  G01R33/09 ,  G01R33/00

CPC classification number: G01R33/09 ,  G01R33/0023 ,  G01R33/0041 ,  G01R33/007 ,  G01R33/07

Abstract: Circuit and method for biasing a plate-shaped sensor element (2) made of doped semiconductor material and having a first resp. second excitation contact (C, A) connected to a first resp. second excitation node (Cn, An), and a first resp. second sense contact (B, D) connected to a first resp. second sense node (Bn, Dn). The plate-shaped sensor element is electrically isolated from a substrate or well (5) by means of a first PN-junction. The method comprises: a) applying to the first excitation node (Cn) a predefined first current (Iex) generated by a first current source (11); b) applying to the second excitation node (An) a second current (I′ex) generated by a controllable second source (12); c) controlling the second source (12) by means of a negative feedback loop based on a comparison between a value representative for a common mode voltage (Vcm) of the voltages (VB, VD) of the sense nodes (Bn, Dn) and a predefined reference voltage (Vref), such that the common mode voltage (Vcm) is substantially equal to the reference voltage (Vref).

Abstract translation: 用于偏置由掺杂半导体材料制成的板状传感器元件（2）的电路和方法， 第二激励接触器（C，A） 第二激励节点（Cn，An），第一激励节点（Cn，An） 第二感测触点（B，D）连接到第一感测触点 第二感测节点（Bn，Dn）。 板状传感器元件借助于第一PN结与衬底或阱（5）电隔离。 该方法包括：a）向第一激励节点（Cn）施加由第一电流源（11）产生的预定义的第一电流（Iex）; b）向第二激励节点（An）施加由可控第二源（12）产生的第二电流（I'ex）; c）基于表示感测节点（Bn，Dn）的电压（VB，VD）的共模电压（Vcm）的值与代表节点（Bn，Dn）的电压（VB），VD）之间的比较的比较，通过负反馈回路来控制第二源极 预定的参考电压（Vref），使得共模电压（Vcm）基本上等于参考电压（Vref）。