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A Universal Transducer Interface for Capacitive and Resistive Sensor Elements

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Abstract

This paper presents a new universal transducer interface.This interface, which is read out by a microcontroller, servicesthe following sensor elements: capacitors, platinum resistors,thermistors, resistive bridges and potentiometers. The A/D conversionis based on a first-order oscillator. A combination of classicaland some new measurement techniques has been applied on a singlechip to obtain high accuracy, good long-term stability and areduction of the effects of interference and parasitic elements.The circuit has been fabricated in a 0.7 µm CMOSprocess. The main test results are: an accuracy of 10–15bits and a resolution up to 16 bits while the measurement timeis in the range 1–100ms. These results hold over the temperaturerange −20°C to 80°C. Calibrationof the electronic part is not required. The number of externalcomponents has been kept to a minimum.

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Goes, F.M.L.v.d., Meijer, G.C.M. A Universal Transducer Interface for Capacitive and Resistive Sensor Elements. Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing 14, 249–260 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008246103915

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008246103915

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