US-12618881-B2 - Device and method for ratiometric measurement of voltages for an analog-digital-converter

US12618881B2US 12618881 B2US12618881 B2US 12618881B2US-12618881-B2

Abstract

A device for ratiometric measurement of voltages for an analog-digital-converter is disclosed. A reference voltage is provided to a microcontroller and a first supply voltage is provided to a first sensor and the microcontroller by a functional providing unit. The first sensor is connected to the microcontroller in terms of signaling by transmitting sensor signals. The microcontroller has a first multiplexer and a second multiplexer. The multiplexers output signals to the analog-digital-converter. The reference voltage and the first supply voltage are present on the input side at the first multiplexer and at the second multiplexer. In a first switching state the first supply voltage can be measured on the output side by using the reference voltage as a reference for the analog-digital-converter. In a second switching state the reference voltage can be measured by using the first supply voltage as a reference for the analog-digital-converter.

Inventors

Michele BEDIN

Assignees

AVL SOFTWARE AND FUNCTIONS GMBH

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20231019
Priority Date: 20221025

Claims (9)

1 . A device for ratiometric measurement of voltages and monitoring of at least one voltage for an analog-digital-converter, wherein the device comprises a functional providing unit, a microcontroller and a first sensor, wherein a reference voltage is provided to the microcontroller and a first supply voltage is provided to the first sensor and the microcontroller by the functional providing unit, and wherein the first sensor is connected to the microcontroller in terms of signaling by transmission of sensor signals, and wherein the microcontroller comprises a first multiplexer and a second multiplexer, wherein the multiplexers output signals to the analog-digital-converter, wherein: the reference voltage and the first supply voltage are connected to the input side of the first multiplexer and to the input side of the second multiplexer respectively, wherein the first multiplexer and the second multiplexer are arranged in parallel to each other on the input side with respect to the first supply voltage, and the first multiplexer and the second multiplexer are arranged parallel to each other on the input side with respect to the reference voltage, and wherein it is possible to measure the first supply voltage on the output side in a first switching state by using the reference voltage as a reference for the analog-digital-converter and to measure the reference voltage in a second switching state by using the first supply voltage as a reference for the analog-digital-converter without dividing the first supply voltage.
2 . A method for ratiometric measurement and monitoring of voltages for an analog-digital-converter, comprising the method steps: (a) providing a device according to claim 1 ; (b) switching the device to the first switching state and measuring the first supply voltage by using the reference voltage as a reference for the analog-digital-converter; or switching the device to the second switching state and measuring the reference voltage by using the first supply voltage as a reference for the analog-digital-converter.
3 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein: a connection between the reference voltage and the second multiplexer is implemented on the input side of the second multiplexer at the inside or outside of the microcontroller.
4 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein: in the first switching state in the first multiplexer the reference voltage is selected as an input signal and is connected through to an output of the first multiplexer; and in the second multiplexer the first supply voltage is selected as an input signal and is connected through to an output of the second multiplexer.
5 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein in the second switching state in the first multiplexer the first supply voltage is selected as an input signal and is connected through to an output of the first multiplexer; and in the second multiplexer the reference voltage is selected as an input signal and is connected through to an output of the second multiplexer.
6 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein: the analog-digital-converter is provided and formed to perform the measurements in the first switching state and the second switching state, and wherein the analog-digital-converter is provided and formed to detect whether in the first switching state the first supply voltage is greater than or equal to the reference voltage and whether in the second switching state the first supply voltage is greater than or equal to the reference voltage.
7 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein: the reference voltage is provided by a first voltage regulator and the first supply voltage is provided by a second voltage regulator, wherein the first voltage regulator is connected to the second voltage regulator in terms of signaling in such a way that a change in the reference voltage causes a change in the first supply voltage.
8 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein: the functional providing unit and the microcontroller are spaced apart.
9 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein: the analog-digital-converter outputs a ratiometric sensor value.

Description

The present application relates to a device and method for ratiometric measurement of voltages for an analog-digital-converter and preferably for monitoring a voltage, for example a supply voltage. Such devices or methods are known from the prior art, which comprise a system base chip, a microcontroller and a first sensor, wherein a reference voltage is provided to the microcontroller by the system base chip and a first supply voltage is provided to the first sensor and the microcontroller, and wherein the first sensor is connected to the microcontroller by means of transmitting sensor signals, and wherein the microcontroller comprises a first multiplexer and a second multiplexer, wherein the multiplexers outputs signals to the analog-digital-converter. Starting from the first supply voltage, a voltage divider is provided according to the prior art, by means of which the supply voltage is divided and provided to two further analog-digital-converters, by means of which a statement can then finally be made about the present voltages. Due to the fact that several analog-digital-converters and a voltage divider are needed, several slots of the microcontroller are occupied and more space is required by the voltage divider. The object of the underlying application is therefore to provide a device and a method for ratiometric measurement of voltages for an analog-digital-converter, by means of which the disadvantages of the prior art can be overcome, so that several analog-digital-converters and the voltage divider can be dispensed with. The underlying object is solved on the one hand by means of a device for ratiometric measurement of voltages for an analog-digital-converter having the features of claim 1 and a method for ratiometric measurement of voltages for an analog-digital-converter. The core idea of the invention is to provide a device for ratiometric measurement of voltages for an analog-digital-converter, wherein the device comprises a functional providing unit, a microcontroller and a first sensor, wherein the functional providing unit provides a reference voltage to the microcontroller and a first supply voltage provides a reference voltage to the first sensor and the microcontroller, and wherein the first sensor being connected to the microcontroller by means of transmitting sensor signals, and wherein the microcontroller comprising a first multiplexer and a second multiplexer, wherein the multiplexers outputs signals to the analog-digital-converter. According to the invention, it is provided that the reference voltage and the first supply voltage are applied to the first multiplexer and to the second multiplexer, respectively, on the input side. Furthermore, in a first switching state, the first supply voltage can be measured on the output side by using the reference voltage as a reference for the analog-digital-converter, and in a second switching state, the reference voltage can be measured by using the first supply voltage as a reference for the analog-digital-converter. Likewise, the device can be provided for monitoring the voltages, in particular the supply voltage, which can further increase safety. Thus, a device for ratiometric measurement of voltages for an analog-digital-converter and to monitor the voltages can be provided. An analog-digital-converter (ADC) may also be known as an analog-digital-transducer. The analog-digital-converter is preferably embedded in or part of the microcontroller. The first sensor is a sensor which records environmental data and transmits it as sensor data to a further component. Particularly preferably, the first sensor can be an automotive sensor. Further preferably, a plurality of sensors are provided, which can be arranged and formed analogously to the first sensor. Furthermore, a functional providing unit is provided according to the invention. The functional providing unit is arranged and intended to provide at least one electronic function. According to the invention, the functional providing unit is formed and intended to provide the reference voltage and the supply voltage. The functional providing unit can be a system basis chip (SBC) or a power management integrated circuit (PMIC), by means of which, among other things, voltages can be provided. The reference voltage is applied to the microcontroller, the first supply voltage is applied to the first sensor. If several sensors are provided, ideally each sensor has its own supply voltage. Further functions of a functional providing unit can be at least one selected from a voltage monitor, a watchdog, a BUS interface, a wake-up logic, a power driver or any combination thereof, wherein this list is not to be understood as exhaustive. The microcontroller also has a first multiplexer and a second multiplexer. The multiplexers are on the input side, i.e. on the input side of the respective multiplexer, in such a way that the reference voltage and the first supply voltage are present in each case. It is pro