The present application relates to a signal processing circuit; in particular, to a signal processing circuit for preprocessing the transducer receiving signal, and a related chip, a flow meter and a method.
The signal generated by the transducer may be distorted after passing through the channel; for example, a series of additional ripples may occur at the end of the signal; distorted signals often cause errors at the receiving end, and additional ripples at the end of the signal will increase the signal length; these are disadvantageous to signal processing at the receiving end. For example, both hardware costs and processing time will increase. In view of this, further improvements and innovations are needed to improve the above-mentioned issues.
One of the purposes of the present application is directed to a signal processing circuit for processing a transducer receiving signal and a related chip, a flow meter and a method to address the above-mentioned issues.
One embodiment of the present application discloses a signal processing circuit, which is configured to process the transducer output signal, wherein the transducer output signal is generated when a transducer is triggered by a transducer input signal at a first time point, wherein the signal processing circuit includes: a receiver, configured to receive the transducer output signal and convert the received transducer output signal into a receiving signal; and a signal truncating module, coupled to the receiver and configured to divide the receiving signal into a first portion and a second portion, and generate a truncated receiving signal according to the first portion and the second portion of the receiving signal, wherein the first portion and the second portion of the receiving signal continue and do not overlap in a time domain, and the truncated receiving signal also has a first portion and a second portion respectively corresponding to the first portion and the second portion of the receiving signal, wherein an amplitude of the first portion of the truncated receiving signal and an amplitude of the first portion of the receiving signal as a whole are in a fixed multiple relationship; an amplitude of the second portion of the truncated receiving signal and an amplitude of the second portion of the receiving signal as a whole are in a non-fixed multiple relationship, or the amplitude of the second portion of the truncated receiving signal is zero.
One embodiment of the present application discloses a chip, which includes the above-mentioned signal processing circuit.
One embodiment of the present application discloses a flow meter, which includes the above-mentioned signal processing circuit and the above-mentioned transducer; wherein the signal processing circuit is coupled to the above-mentioned transducer.
One embodiment of the present application discloses a signal processing method, which is configured to process a transducer output signal, wherein the transducer output signal is generated when a transducer is triggered by a transducer input signal at a first time point, wherein the signal processing method includes: receiving the transducer output signal and converting the received transducer output signal into a receiving signal; and dividing the receiving signal into a first portion and a second portion, and generating a truncated receiving signal according to the first portion and the second portion of the receiving signal, wherein the first portion and the second portion of the receiving signal continue do not overlap in a time domain, and the truncated receiving signal also has a first portion and a second portion respectively corresponding to the first portion and the second portion of the receiving signal, wherein an amplitude of the first portion of the truncated receiving signal and an amplitude of the first portion of the receiving signal as a whole are in a fixed multiple relationship, an amplitude of the second portion of the truncated receiving signal and an amplitude of the second portion of the receiving signal as a whole are in a non-fixed multiple relationship, or the amplitude of the second portion of the truncated receiving signal is zero.
The signal processing circuit for processing a transducer receiving signal and a related chip, a flow meter and a method according to the present application may decrease the length of the receiving signal, so as to reduce the cost of the hardware and processing time.
The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, or examples, for implementing different features of the application. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the formation of a first feature over or on a second feature in the description that follows may include embodiments in which the first and the second features are formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which additional features may be formed between the first and the second features, such that the first and the second features may not be in direct contact. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.
Further, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for the ease of the description to describe one element or feature's relationship with respect to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the drawings. The spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated by 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.
Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the application are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in the respective testing measurements. Also, as used herein, the term “about” generally means within 10%, 5%, 1%, or 0.5% of a given value or range. Alternatively, the term “about” means within an acceptable standard error of the mean when considered by one of ordinary skill in the art. As could be appreciated, other than in the operating/working examples, or unless otherwise expressly specified, all of the numerical ranges, amounts, values and percentages such as those for quantities of materials, durations of times, temperatures, operating conditions, ratios of amounts, and the likes thereof disclosed herein should be understood as modified in all instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the present disclosure and attached claims are approximations that can vary as desired. At the very least, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Ranges can be expressed herein as from one endpoint to another endpoint or between two endpoints. All ranges disclosed herein are inclusive of the endpoints, unless specified otherwise.
The transducer is a component capable of transforming energy from one form into another form. These energy forms may include electric energy, mechanic energy, electromagnetic energy, solar energy, chemical energy, acoustic energy and thermal energy, etc.; however, the present application is not limited thereto, and the transducer may include any component capable of transforming energy.
The transducer receives a transducer input signal TDin and generates a transducer output signal TDout correspondingly; the thus-generated transducer output signal TDout may have different level of distortion due to various reasons (such as, channel effect, residual energy of the transducer, etc.). Reference is made to
The thus-generated truncated receiving signal RX_TRC also has a first portion and a second portion respectively corresponding to the first portion and the second portion of the receiving signal RX, the first portion and the second portion of the truncated receiving signal RX_TRC continue and do not overlap in a time domain. The time length of the first portion of the truncated receiving signal RX_TRC is the same as the time length of the first portion of the receiving signal RX; the time length of the second portion of the truncated receiving signal RX_TRC is the same as the time length of the second portion of the receiving signal RX. According to embodiments of the present application, the amplitude of the first portion of the truncated receiving signal RX_TRC is in a fixed multiple relationship with the amplitude of the first portion of the receiving signal RX; the amplitude of the second portion of the truncated receiving signal RX_TRC is in a non-fixed multiple relationship with amplitude of the second portion of the receiving signal RX, or the amplitude of the second portion of the truncated receiving signal RX_TRC is zero. It should be noted that in the present application, the term “the same” may refer to “substantially the same,” and the term “fixed” may refer to “substantially fixed,” meaning that values within an acceptable standard deviation are deemed “substantially the same” or “substantially fixed,” and this applies to all the same descriptions hereinbelow.
Specifically, in Step 204, the signal processing module 1064 sets a time point at which the receiving signal profile RX_PRF of the receiving signal RX first downwardly reaches the specific voltage TH for the first time as a first time point T1, see,
In this embodiment, the amplitude of the first portion of the truncated receiving signal RX_TRC and the amplitude of the first portion of the receiving signal RX have a fixed multiple relationship of 1; however, the present application is not limited thereto, and the amplitude of the second portion of the truncated receiving signal RX_TRC and the amplitude of the second portion of the receiving signal RX have a multiple relationship that is not fixed (or, when the common mode voltage VCM equals 0V, the amplitude of the second portion of the truncated receiving signal RX_TRC is 0). In other words, the subsequent signal processing circuit may not have to store the data of the second portion of the receiving signal RX, thereby reducing the amount of calculation and power consumption of the hardware.
In some embodiments of the present application, it is also to modify Step 206; for example, the signal processing module 1064 sets a time point at which the receiving signal RX last time passes through the common mode voltage VCM before the first time point T1 for the most recent time as the second time point T2; alternatively, the signal processing module 1064 sets a time point at which the receiving signal RX passes through the common mode voltage VCM closest to the first time point T1 as the second time point T2.
Specifically, in Step 304, for one signal set, the signal processing module 1064 sets a time point at which the receiving signal profile RX_PRF of the receiving signal RX first downwardly reaches the specific voltage TH for the first time as a first time point T1 (similar to the first embodiment illustrated in
In this embodiment, the amplitude of the first portion of the truncated receiving signal RX_TRC and the amplitude of the first portion of the receiving signal RX have a fixed multiple relationship of 1; however, the present application is not limited thereto, and the amplitude of the second portion of the truncated receiving signal RX_TRC and the amplitude of the second portion of the receiving signal RX have a multiple relationship that is not fixed (or when the common mode voltage VCM equals 0V, the amplitude of the second portion of the receiving signal RX is 0). In other words, the subsequent signal processing circuit may not have to store the data of the second portion of the receiving signal RX, thereby reducing the amount of calculation and power consumption of the hardware.
Specifically, the first specific window WD1 corresponds to the receiving signal RX, as shown in
In Step 410, the signal processing module 2064 also determines a portion of the second specific window WD2 after the first time point T1 according to the portion of the first specific window WD1 between the fifth time point T5 and the end time point Tend of the first specific window WD1. For example, the amplitude of the first specific window WD1 at the end time point Tend has converged to the common mode voltage VCM, and hence, the portion of the first specific window WD1 after the fifth time point T5 to the end time point Tend is set as the common mode voltage VCM, and it also extends to a sixth time point T6, so that the time length between the fifth time point T5 to the sixth time point T6 equals the time length between the first time point T1 to the end time point Tend. Therefore, the portion of the first specific window WD1 between the fifth time point T5 to the sixth time point T6 is used to linearly expand the portion of the second specific window WD2 between the first time point T1 to the end time point Tend. For example, the portion of the first specific window WD1 between the fifth time point T5 and the sixth time point T6 is divided by the specific voltage TH to obtain the portion of the second specific window WD2 between the first time point T1 and the end time point Tend.
In Step 412, the signal processing module 2064 multiplies the second specific window WD2 and the receiving signal RX to obtain the truncated receiving signal RX_TRC. In other words, the receiving signal RX before the first time point T1 is the first portion, and the receiving signal RX after the first time point T1 is the second portion. As could be seen in
The present application also provides a chip, which includes the signal processing circuit 100 or the signal processing circuit 200. In some embodiments, the signal processing circuit 100/200 is applicable in a transducer device; for example, the present application also provides a flow meter, which includes the signal processing circuit 100/200 and a transducer 102. For example, the above-mentioned flow meter can be used to detect the flow velocity and/or flow volume of rate and liquid; however, the present application is not limited thereto.
The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that those skilled in the art may better understand various aspects of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they may readily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/or achieving the same advantages of embodiments introduced herein. Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalent embodiments still fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and they may make various changes, substitutions, and alterations thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2019/074369, filed on Feb. 1, 2019, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | PCT/CN2019/074369 | Feb 2019 | US |
Child | 16879614 | US |