Patent ID: 7821320

Claim:
A temperature detection circuit comprising: a bandgap reference voltage generation circuit for generating a first reference voltage, the bandgap reference voltage generation circuit including a current path to produce a thermal voltage and being configured to cause a bias current to flow through the current path, the current path having a first resistor; a detection output circuit having a second resistor, the detection output circuit being configured to cause a mirror current of the bias current to flow through the second resistor; and an output conversion circuit that uses a second reference voltage to convert a voltage drop across the second resistor to a predetermined output form representing a detected temperature, wherein the first and second resistors are substantially identical in temperature dependence, wherein the second reference voltage is generated from the first reference voltage, wherein the bandgap reference voltage generation circuit and the detection output circuit include a plurality of bipolar transistors and a plurality of resistors, and wherein each of the plurality of bipolar transistors has an emitter coupled to a power supply line through a corresponding one of the plurality of resistors.