US 12,306,219 B2
Signal measuring apparatus
Scott White, Sedgefield (GB); Richard Price, Sedgefield (GB); Feras Alkhalil, Sedgefield (GB); Catherine Ramsdale, Sedgefield (GB); and Antony Sou, Sedgefield (GB)
Assigned to Pragmatic Semiconductor Limited, Cambridge (GB)
Appl. No. 18/014,516
Filed by Pragmatic Semiconductor Limited, Sedgefield (GB)
PCT Filed Jul. 6, 2021, PCT No. PCT/GB2021/051723
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 5, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/008904, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 13, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 2010360 (GB), filed on Jul. 6, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0258695 A1, Aug. 17, 2023
Int. Cl. G01R 19/165 (2006.01); G01D 9/00 (2006.01); G01D 21/00 (2006.01); G01R 19/00 (2006.01); H10B 63/10 (2023.01)
CPC G01R 19/16566 (2013.01) [G01D 9/00 (2013.01); G01D 21/00 (2013.01); G01R 19/00 (2013.01); H10B 63/10 (2023.02)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A signal measuring apparatus comprising:
electrical signal receiving circuitry configured to electrically connect to a sensor to receive an input signal from said sensor, wherein the input signal is indicative of at least one measurement value to be measured by the signal measuring apparatus; and
memory circuitry coupled to the electrical signal receiving circuitry and configured to store information representing a magnitude of a voltage or a current of the input signal;
wherein the memory circuitry comprises a first memory cell having a material which is arranged to switch from a first material state to a second material state in response to a first switching signal being applied thereto, wherein the first memory cell is tuned to a first value for the first switching signal so that a current or voltage with a magnitude at or above the first value will cause the material of the first memory cell to switch from the first material state to the second material state;
wherein the signal measuring apparatus is configured to apply a measurement signal indicative of the input signal to the first memory cell for switching the material of the first memory cell from the first material state to the second material state in dependence on a magnitude of the voltage or current of the measurement signal;
wherein the memory circuitry comprises a second memory cell having a material which is arranged to switch from a first material state to a second material state in response to a second switching signal being applied thereto, wherein the second memory cell is tuned to a second value for the second switching signal so that a current or voltage with a magnitude at or above the second value will cause the material of the second memory cell to switch from the first material state to the second material state;
wherein the signal measuring apparatus is configured to apply the measurement signal to the second memory cell for switching the material of the second memory cell from the first material state to the second material state in dependence on a magnitude of the voltage or current of the measurement signal; and
wherein the signal measuring apparatus comprises a layer of electrically insulating material which defines: (i) a first window through which the measurement signal is applied to the material of the first memory cell, and (ii) a second window through which the measurement signal is applied to the material of the second memory cell.