IP Library Granted Patent US 12,650,486
Granted Patent B2
US 12,650,486 · App. 18/482,137 · Granted Jun 9, 2026

Circuit, and waveform sensor

Inventors: Norihito Katou (Tokyo, JP); Fukashi Morishita (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
G01S5/0205H03M1/40
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,650,486
App. No.
18/482,137
Granted
Jun 9, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A circuit including a first circuit, a second circuit and a controller is provided, the first circuit and the second circuit each including a sample-and-hold circuit configured to hold a level of an input signal of a specific timing and an analog-to-digital converter circuit configured to convert the level of the input signal held in the sample-and-hold circuit into digital data and to output the digital data, the controller being configured to cause the first circuit to output the level of the input signal of a first timing and to cause the second circuit to output the level of the input signal of a second timing.

Claims (18)

1 . A circuit comprising:

a first circuit and a second circuit each comprising a sample-and-hold circuit configured to hold a level of an input signal of a specific timing and an analog-to-digital converter circuit configured to convert the level of the input signal held in the sample-and-hold circuit into digital data and to output the digital data, wherein the input signal is a sinusoidal signal detected by an antenna coil corresponding to a column of a waveform sensor; and

a controller configured to cause the first circuit to output the level of the input signal of a first timing and to cause the second circuit to output the level of the input signal of a second timing.

2 . The circuit according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first circuit and the second circuit each comprises:

a first terminal configured to receive the input signal; and

a second terminal configured to receive a reference signal changing at a constant slope, and

wherein the analog-to-digital converter circuit acquires a counter value from a period at which a voltage of the reference signal changes to a period at which the input signal crosses with the reference signal.

3 . The circuit according to claim 2 , comprising:

a multiply-add calculator circuit configured to select the reference signal out of a first reference signal changing at a constant positive slope and a second reference signal changing at a constant negative slop, based on a polarity value of a difference between an amplitude of the input signal of the first timing and an amplitude of the input signal of the second timing, and configured to accumulate a value obtained by multiplying a value of the difference by the polarity value.

4 . The circuit according to claim 3 ,

wherein the first reference signal crosses with the second reference signal at a specific timing, and

wherein the multiply-add calculator circuit accumulates multiplication of the polarity value and a value obtained by subtracting a calibration value that is analog-to-digital-converted result in a state in which the input signal is at a ground state from the value of the difference.

5 . The circuit according to claim 1 ,

wherein the sample-and-hold circuit comprises a first capacitance and a second capacitance, and when sampling of the input signal is completed at the first capacitance, the sample-and-hold circuit separates the first capacitance from the input signal, performs conversion of the input signal into digital data, and samples the input signal at the second capacitance.

6 . A waveform sensor comprising:

a first circuit and a second circuit each comprising an input section configured to receive an input signal changing along with elapse of time, a sample-and-hold circuit configured to hold a level of the input signal of a specific timing, and an analog-to-digital converter circuit configured to convert the level of the input signal held in the sample-and-hold circuit into digital data and to output the digital data, wherein the input signal is a sinusoidal signal detected by an antenna coil corresponding to a column of the waveform sensor; and

a controller configured to cause the first circuit to output the level of the input signal of a first timing and to cause the second circuit to output the level of the input signal of a second timing.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 6, 2023
From: KATOU, NORIHITO; MORISHITA, FUKASHI
To: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 065144/0887 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2022-176856 · Nov 4, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240151804A1 · May 9, 2024
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