Abstract: A hybrid temperature sensor for an integrated circuit includes two temperature sensors—an application temperature sensor for measuring temperature during normal use of the integrated circuit, and a calibration temperature sensitive element. By providing two temperature sensitive elements within the integrated circuit, it is possible to take advantage of different characteristics of temperature sensors to achieve high accuracy calibration of the application temperature sensor relatively quickly and at low cost, whilst also maintaining desirable characteristics for the application temperature sensor, such as high speed, low power consumption, high resolution, etc.

Abstract: It is often desirable to distinguish between an open circuit condition and a no signal condition. In both cases an input signal may be absent, but only one of these events represents a failure of the equipment. The present disclosure provides a way to use a difference amplifier to check for open circuit events, without requiring additional circuitry at the input of the amplifier.

Abstract: A relaxation oscillator can provide a smaller and cheaper alternative to a crystal oscillator circuit in a wide variety of applications. A sawtooth relaxation oscillator can include overshoot error integration. Separate and distinct oscillator capacitor charging, overshoot error integration, and reset phases can be provided using separate comparators for first and second oscillation capacitors. Potential advantages can include high accuracy high-frequency clock, convenient trimming during initial calibration, clock frequency stability over temperature and time, fast startup with low overshoot, high power supply rejection, low power, or low noise/jitter. The oscillator can charge an oscillation capacitor up to a target voltage, then interrupt charging before beginning an error integration phase that adjusts the target voltage by integrating an overshoot error of a voltage on the oscillation capacitor. After completing the overshoot error integration, the voltage on the oscillation capacitor can be reset.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided that can estimate a transfer function, for example of current measurement systems, voltage measurement systems and power measurement systems, and also provide an estimate of certainty about the transfer function. This enables customers to have confidence that they are not being overcharged for electricity.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide mechanisms for measuring currents flowing in one or more conductor wires. The mechanisms are based on using magnetic sensor pairs arranged within a housing with an opening for the wires, where each magnetic sensor pair can generate a pair of signals indicative of magnetic fields in two different directions. The outputs of the sensor pairs can be used to derive a measure of current(s) flowing through the one or more wires. The use of magnetic sensor pairs that can measure magnetic field in two different directions may enable simultaneous current measurement in multiple wires placed within the opening, improve accuracy of current measurements while relaxing requirements for precise control of the placement of the wire(s), reduce the impact of stray magnetic interference, and enable both AC and DC measurements.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an improved Rogowski-type current sensor. In order to allow the sensing coil and the compensation wire to overlap, the sensor is produced using two boards. The current sensing coil is provided on one board, and the compensation wire is provided on another board. The coil and the wire are arranged such that they at least partially overlap, and ideally the compensation wire is formed entirely within the area defined by the coil, albeit in a different plane. This arrangement makes the current sensor far better at rejecting interference than prior art PCB arrangements. In addition, the coil may be formed on a two-sided board. The board has upper radial elements formed on an upper surface, and lower radial elements formed on lower surface. The radial elements are connected using vias formed in the board. The upper radial elements are arranged in a first plane, and the lower radial elements are formed in a second parallel plane.

Abstract: A switch actuating device for actuating a switch by eight types of non-tactile gestures performed with an object emitting heat includes a gesture sensor with four pixels configured to detect heat emitted by the object. The pixels include thin films made of pyroelectric sensitive material which generate a signal that has signal deflections corresponding to a temporal intensity curve of the heat detected by the thin film of the corresponding pixel. The types of the gestures are determined with a signal processing unit which controls an actuator to actuate the switch when a performance of one of the types of the gestures is determined. The gesture types are determined during an approach phase when the object approaches the gesture sensor, a waiting phase during when the object remains close to the gesture sensor, and a subsequent translational phase when the object moves in one of eight directions.

Abstract: A power conversion apparatus or system can be configured to receive a high voltage alternating current (AC) signal at an input and to provide in dependence thereon a low voltage direct current (DC) signal from an output stage. The power conversion apparatus can include a main path comprising a high voltage capacitor in series with the input. In an example, the capacitor comprises a portion of an electric field energy harvesting system.

Abstract: It is often desirable to distinguish between an open circuit condition and a no signal condition. In both cases an input signal may be absent, but only one of these events represents a failure of the equipment. The present disclosure provides a way to use a difference amplifier to check for open circuit events, without requiring additional circuitry at the input of the amplifier.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide ADCs particularly suitable for PDAF image sensors, which ADCs may have an increased speed and/or reduced design complexity and power consumption compared to conventional implementations. An example ADC for a PDAF image sensor is configured to implement modified SAR techniques which reduce the number of bit trials required for conversion, and enable increased number of samples in a row-conversion time period of the image sensor. The ADC may implement the modified SAR techniques in combination with CMS in pixel readout signal chain, which may reduce noise without a proportionate increase in ADC sample rate.

Abstract: An ADC circuit that can resolve the most significant bits (MSBs) using a first circuit during a first stage of a multi-stage conversion and resolve the least significant bits (LSBs) using a second circuit during a second stage of the multi-stage conversion. This can be used, for example, in massively parallel applications where the reference level generation can be shared between thousands of converters.

Abstract: A measurement circuit is arranged to make several measurements, either at different times or in respect of different frequency components of currents measured by current sensors in respective phases of a multiphase supply system. The measurements are then used to correct for discrepancies in the transfer function of the sensors.

Abstract: Differential sampling circuits may be adversely affected by changes in common mode voltage. Changes in the common mode voltage may alter the on resistance of transistor switches which it turn may mean that small signal changes are not correctly observed against a bigger common mode signal. The present disclosure relates to a way of improving the ability to resolve small differential signal changes by varying the supply or drive voltage to a component to compensate for common mode voltage changes.

Abstract: An amplifier circuit having improved common mode rejection is provided. This can be achieved by estimating the common mode value of an input signal and using this to adjust a target common mode voltage at the output of the amplifier. This can help avoid the differential gain becoming modified by the common mode voltage.

Abstract: Current transducers are widely used in current measuring systems. They provide good isolation between the supply voltage and the measurement equipment. However they can introduce small phase errors which can become significant sources of error if the current to a load is out of phase with the supply voltage for the load. This disclosure discusses a robust measurement apparatus and method that can be used in situ to monitor for and correct phase errors.

Abstract: The present invention relates to current measurement apparatus. The current measurement apparatus comprises first and second measurement devices with each of the first and second measurement devices being operative to measure current in a respective one of a live conductor and a neutral conductor substantially simultaneously. The current measurement apparatus is operative to make plural different determinations in dependence on the substantially simultaneous current measurements.

Abstract: The present invention relates to current measurement apparatus 100. The current measurement apparatus 100 comprises a measurement arrangement 110, 114 which is configured to be disposed in relation to a load 108 which draws a current signal, the measurement arrangement being operative when so disposed to measure the load drawn current signal. The current measurement apparatus 100 also comprises a signal source 112 which is operative to apply a reference input signal to the measurement arrangement 110, 114 whereby an output signal from the measurement arrangement comprises a load output signal corresponding to the load drawn current signal and a reference output signal corresponding to the reference input signal.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a power conversion apparatus or system configured to receive a high voltage alternating current (AC) signal at an input and to provide in dependence thereon a low voltage direct current (DC) signal from an output stage. The power conversion apparatus comprises a main path comprising a high voltage capacitor in series with the input. In an example, the capacitor comprises a portion of an electric field energy harvesting system.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer is provided that includes at least two integrated circuits (ICs); a scribe line extends adjacent to the at least two ICs; and a first conductor extends within the scribe line and is electrically coupled to the at least two ICs.

Abstract: A switch operating device (100) configured to operate a switch (103) with four possible types (111 to 114) of non-tactile translational gestures performed with a heat emitting part (115). A gesture sensor (1) is adapted to detect heat emitted by the part while performing one of the translational gesture types. Four pixels (21 to 24) are arranged next to each other and output a signal (51 to 54) per pixel, wherein the signal has a signal deflection (58) corresponding to the temporal intensity curve of the heat detected by the thin film of the corresponding pixel. A signal processing unit (101) determines the performance of the translational gesture types from the temporal succession of the signal deflections (58). An actuator (104) is controlled by the signal processing unit and operates the switch when one of the translational gesture types is determined.