The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 28, 2003
Filed:
Dec. 19, 2001
Wee Liang Lien, Singapore, SG;
Institute of Microelectronics, Singapore, SG;
Abstract
Disclosed is a single-stage, switched capacitor circuit for measuring changes in a variable by measuring changes in a capacitor gap. The change in the capacitor gap corresponds directly to a change in a measurable variable, such as pressure and acceleration, and thus a change in voltage. The circuit includes at least one reference capacitor, a sensor capacitor, a plurality of switches responsive to a timing device, and a device for generating substantially constant reference voltages. The sensor circuit does not result in a DC offset value, but results in the AC component of the voltage being directly proportional to the change in the variable through a substantially constant voltage is supplied to a node near the sensor capacitance. The circuit may be trimmed using a digital to analog converter and/or capacitors coupled in parallel.