Sampling circuitry
AssigneeCambridge Consultants Limited
InventorsDesmond Phillips, Bryan James Donoghue
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A circuit is for sampling an analog input signal that receives and samples an analog input signal. Sampling circuitry is clocked at a sampling frequency and samples the analog input signal at a rate corresponding to the sampling frequency. The sampling circuitry includes at least one pulse density modulator that includes a comparator configured to be clocked at the sampling frequency, to provide bandpass sampling of the analog input signal at the sampling frequency, and to produce a corresponding pulsed output that is pulse density modulated based on the analog input signal.
Claims22
A circuit for sampling an analog input signal, the circuit comprising:
- input circuitry for receiving an analog input signal modulated at an associated non-baseband carrier frequency;
- sampling circuitry for sampling the received analog input signal modulated at the associated non-baseband carrier frequency, wherein said sampling comprises converting the analog input signal to provide an output comprising a discrete-time signal with discrete amplitude levels;
- and
- clocking circuitry for clocking the sampling circuitry at a sampling frequency, wherein the sampling circuitry samples the analog input signal modulated at the associated non-baseband carrier frequency at a rate corresponding to the sampling frequency, and wherein the sampling frequency is equal to the carrier frequency, or is equal to the carrier frequency divided by an integer greater than one;
- wherein the sampling circuitry comprises at least one pulse density modulator, wherein each pulse density modulator comprises a respective comparator that is configured to receive an analog input modulated at the associated non-baseband carrier frequency as an input directly to the comparator, and to be clocked by the clocking circuitry at the sampling frequency equal to the carrier frequency, or equal to the carrier frequency divided by an integer greater than one, wherein to provide bandpass sampling, of the analog input signal modulated at the associated non-baseband carrier frequency, at the sampling frequency, and to produce a corresponding pulsed output that is pulse density modulated to represent the analog signal amplitude of the analog input signal.
A method for sampling an analog input signal, the method comprising:
- receiving an analog input signal modulated at an associated non-baseband carrier frequency;
- and
- sampling the analog input signal modulated at the associated non-baseband carrier frequency at a sampling frequency, wherein the sampling frequency is equal to the carrier frequency, or equal to the carrier frequency divided by an integer greater than one, wherein said sampling comprises converting the analog input signal to provide an output comprising a discrete-time signal with discrete amplitude levels;
- and wherein the sampling comprises clocking a comparator of at least one pulse density modulator at the sampling frequency equal to the carrier frequency, or equal to the carrier frequency divided by an integer greater than one;
- wherein the comparator receives as an input directly to the comparator, an analog input modulated at the associated non-baseband carrier frequency, and bandpass samples the analog input signal modulated at the associated non-baseband carrier frequency at the sampling frequency equal to the carrier frequency, or equal to the carrier frequency divided by an integer greater than one, to produce a corresponding pulsed output that is pulse density modulated to represent the analog signal amplitude of the analog input signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.