Allegro Microsystems, LLC

Em Microelectronic-marin Sa

Cvut V Praze

Petr Bily

Matthieu Thomas

Martin Drinovsky

Jiri Kolman

Tomas Marek

Jan Bicak

Radek Zeipl

Alena Kohoutkova

Output buffer diagnostic circuits for monitoring a sensor output buffer include a duplicate resistive network corresponding to a resistive network in the monitored sensor output buffer. The duplicate resistive network may include the same or similar topology as the output buffer resistive network. The duplicate resistive network is configured to produce a differential duplicate signal indicative of when an error condition exits in the sensor output buffer. The diagnostic circuit can include averaging circuitry configured to receive the differential duplicate signal and produce an average duplicate signal. The diagnostic circuit can include an error comparison circuit configured to receive the average duplicate signal and detect when the average duplicate signal exceeds a nominal or preset error value corresponding to an error condition in the sensor output buffer. The error comparison circuit is configured to produce an error indication when the average duplicate signal exceeds the preset error value.

Diagnostic circuits with duplicate resistive networks for sensor output buffers

A sensor includes a first sensing element configured to sense a parameter and generate a first sensing element output signal indicative of the parameter, a first front end element configured to receive the first sensing element output signal and to generate a first front end signal, a second sensing element configured to sense the parameter and generate a second sensing element output signal indicative of the parameter, a second front end element configured to receive the second sensing element output signal and to generate a second front end signal, a difference block configured to receive the first and second front end signals and generate a difference signal indicative of a difference between the first and second front end signals, an absolute value block configured to receive the difference signal and generate an absolute difference signal indicative of an absolute value of the difference signal, and an offset comparator configured to compare the absolute difference signal to an offset threshold to detect whether a difference between an offset associated with the first front end signal and an offset associated with the second front end signal is within a predetermined tolerance.

Method and apparatus for sensor signal path diagnostics

The protocol management method concerns a RFID transponder which comprises first and second field detectors respectively for first and second interrogation fields in order to watch for the reception of these first or second interrogation fields at least respectively during executions of corresponding first and second communication protocols. If during the execution of a communication protocol the reception of the corresponding interrogation field is no more detected by the corresponding field detector while the power provided by the power generator remains equal or superior to the requested power level, then this communication protocol is stopped and the RFID transponder enters a Standby state. When the transponder is in this Standby state, the corresponding field detector continues to watch for the reception of the corresponding interrogation field in order to detect if it is again received and, if this is the case, to trigger a restart of this corresponding communication protocol.

Protocol management method for a passive RF identification device which can harvest power from different power sources

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Petr Bily