Digital thermometer using a dual slope A/D converter without a high precision voltage source

摘要

A measuring device such as a digital thermometer uses dual slope analog-to-digital converter techniques but elminates the usual need for a high precision voltage source. An input capacitor is connected through novel switching to the temperature responsive arm and the temperature insensitive arm of a resistance bridge, to the low precision voltage source and to the output of the integrator and detector amplifiers. The switching sequence is such that long term changes in the voltage source and in the amplifier offset and drift are cancelled out during measurement cycles, thereby providing highly accurate measurements without the usual need for an expensive high precision voltage source.