Patents Represented by Attorney Alan H. Skjerven, Morrill, MacPherson, Franklin & Friel LLP MacPherson
  • Patent number: 5973313
    Abstract: A ratiometric sensor is formed of a first photodiode connected in series with an electronic component, such as a second photodiode or a resistor, between a source of first voltage and a source of second voltage. The ratiometric sensor supplies a "ratiometric voltage" on a ratiometric sensor output line that is connected to a junction between the first photodiode and the electronic component. The ratiometric voltage is proportional to the ratio of the equivalent resistance of the first photodiode to the sum of the equivalent resistances of the first photodiode and the electronic component. A ratiometric sensor that uses a photodiode and a resistance has a large dynamic range because the ratiometric voltage can vary between the first voltage and the second voltage. A ratiometric sensor that uses two photodiodes is less sensitive to noise than a conventional circuit that uses a single photodiode, because noise can get canceled from the numerator and denominator of the ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: TV Interactive Data Corporation
    Inventors: Peter M. Redford, Donald S. Stern