A circuit for sensing local operating properties of an integrated circuit is disclosed. The circuit may include one or more sensor circuits configured to sense the local operating properties of the integrated circuit. The sensor circuits may receive a supply voltage with a magnitude in a limited range from a digital power supply that is different from the digital power supply that provides power to functional circuits in the integrated circuit. Level shifters may be coupled to the sensor circuits to shift output signals from the sensor circuits to levels that correspond to the digital power supply that provides power to functional circuits in the integrated circuit. Counters and a shift register may be coupled to the level shifters to receive the shifted output signals, the values of which may be used to determine the local operating properties of the integrated circuit as sensed by the sensor circuits.

A circuit for sensing local operating properties of an integrated circuit is disclosed. The circuit may include one or more sensor circuits configured to sense the local operating properties of the integrated circuit. The sensor circuits may receive a supply voltage with a magnitude in a limited range from a digital power supply that is different from the digital power supply that provides power to functional circuits in the integrated circuit. Level shifters may be coupled to the sensor circuits to shift output signals from the sensor circuits to levels that correspond to the digital power supply that provides power to functional circuits in the integrated circuit. Counters and a shift register may be coupled to the level shifters to receive the shifted output signals, the values of which may be used to determine the local operating properties of the integrated circuit as sensed by the sensor circuits.

A semiconductor device that may include temperature sensing circuits is disclosed. The temperature sensing circuits may be used to control various parameters, such as internal regulated supply voltages, internal refresh frequency, or a word line low voltage. In this way, operating specifications of a semiconductor device at worst case temperatures may be met without compromising performance at normal operating temperatures. Each temperature sensing circuit may include a selectable temperature threshold value as well as a selectable temperature hysteresis value. In this way, temperature performance characteristics may be finely tuned. Furthermore, a method of testing the temperature sensing circuits is disclosed in which a current value may be monitored and temperature threshold values and temperature hysteresis values may be thereby determined.

A semiconductor device includes a storage chip and a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the storage chip, the temperature sensor and the storage chip being powered by different power supplies. The storage chip and the temperature sensor can use different power supplies. As such, the activations of both of them can be controlled separately, i.e., the activation of the temperature sensor is free from whether a storage chip is activated, so that the detection of the temperature of the storage chip is not affected by whether a storage chip is activated, thereby providing a reference for the activation and operation of the storage chip, and in turn avoiding the activation or operation of the storage chip under low temperatures and improving the stability of the storage chip.

A method and an electronic device monitors the temperature of power electronics having at least one power transistor. In the method, during active operation of the power transistor, the drain-source voltage and the drain current of the transistor are measured and are used to calculate an on-state resistance. An instantaneous junction temperature of the power transistor is determined for monitoring the temperature on the basis of a predefined assignment. The predefined assignment is automatically recalibrated for future operation of the power transistor by automatically measuring in each case a pair of values of the instantaneous on-state resistance and an instantaneous temperature of the power electronics in each case at a plurality of different times outside active operation. These temperatures are measured at a location spatially spaced apart from the junction of the power transistor and are assumed to be junction temperatures prevailing at the respective time. The assignment is then updated according to these pairs of values.

Disclosed is a device for signaling the state of a product to be monitored (PTM) having a requirement to a temperature (T.sub.p) of or at delivery and administration thereof. The device comprises, integrated in a chip, a temperature sensor and a microcomputer (μC) that can be supplied with power from a power source (3), and comprises a display unit. The microcomputer (μC) has a function that is capable of calculating a thermal model of the current state of the product to be monitored and comprises a display for displaying or signaling the state or state variables calculated in the model or variables derived therefrom as a function of state values of or in the model(s).

This invention provides a temperature sensor circuit and its operation method. The temperature sensor circuit includes a temperature sensor, a temperature comparator, a plurality of temperature sensor enable clocks with different clock cycles and a clock selection circuit. The temperature sensor detects a temperature of an Integrated circuit and sending a signal indicative of the temperature. The temperature comparator executes a comparison between the temperature of the Integrated circuit and a predetermined temperature setting upon receiving the signal indicative of the temperature and sending an output according to the comparison. Upon receiving the output, the clock selection circuit provides one of the temperature sensor enable clocks according to the output to enable the temperature sensor. The temperature detection cycle of the temperature sensor is thus adjustable to save the temperature sensor power.

A system includes a memory device and a processing device, operatively coupled to the memory device, to perform operations including receiving, from a thermal sensor group including thermal sensors, hotspot temperature measurements with respect to a hotspot. Each temperature measurement is received from a respective thermal sensor. The operations further include determining, from the temperature measurements, a generalized hotspot temperature measurement for the thermal sensor group.

The present invention provides an apparatus to actively balance the thermal performance of paralleled power devices, comprising: a monitoring unit for monitoring the temperature of each power device of the paralleled power devices to judge whether the temperature is out of balance; and a balancing unit for adjusting power loss of the power devices with monitored higher temperatures so as to achieve the balance of the thermal performance of the paralleled power devices.

Wearable heat transfer devices and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a representative heat transfer device can comprise (i) a thermoelectric component (TEC) including a first side configured to be operated at a desired temperature and a second side opposite the first side, (ii) a thermally conductive contact member thermally coupled to the TEC, and (iii) a heat transfer system configured to distribute heat from the TEC. The heat transfer system includes a heat transfer structure thermally coupled to the TEC, and a heat exchanger thermally coupled to the heat transfer structure.