US 11,789,046 B2
Measuring a change in voltage
Davide Argento, Milan (IT); Orazio Pennisi, Pieve Emanuele (IT); Stefano Castorina, Milan (IT); Vanni Poletto, Milan (IT); Matteo Landini, Bareggio (IT); and Andrea Maino, Novara (IT)
Assigned to STMicroelectronics S.r.l., Agrate Brianza (IT)
Filed by STMicroelectronics S.r.l., Agrate Brianza (IT)
Filed on Aug. 20, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/407,725.
Prior Publication US 2023/0054951 A1, Feb. 23, 2023
Int. Cl. G01R 19/10 (2006.01); H03M 1/12 (2006.01); H03M 3/00 (2006.01); B60R 21/017 (2006.01)
CPC G01R 19/10 (2013.01) [B60R 21/0173 (2013.01); H03M 1/124 (2013.01); H03M 3/464 (2013.01); H03M 3/494 (2013.01)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for measuring a voltage drop at a node, the method comprising:
having a circuit comprising an analog-to-digital converter, a current sink, and a controller, an input of the analog-to-digital converter and an input of the current sink coupled to the node;
sampling a first output of the analog-to-digital converter during a first steady-state condition, the current sink disabled during the first steady-state condition;
selectively adjusting an amount of current sunk through the current sink until the output of the analog-to-digital converter is at a targeted value relative to the first output;
sampling an output of the analog-to-digital converter during the voltage drop; and
computing a relative voltage drop value comprising subtracting the sampled output of the analog-to-digital converter during the voltage drop from a sampled output of the analog-to-digital converter during a second steady-state condition, the current sink operating at the targeted value during the second steady-state condition and during the voltage drop.