# US 10,771,079 B2 · Ad converter > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,771,079 B2 - Document ID: US10771079B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/700,811 - Filed: 2019-12-02 - Published: 2020-06-11 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2018-12-06 - Assignees: Rohm Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Rohm Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Yuichi Kokusho - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10771079B2 ## CPC - H03M 1/1071: {Measuring or testing} - H03M 1/0626: {by filtering} - H03M 1/1004: {without interrupting normal operation, e.g. by providing an additional component for temporarily replacing components to be tested or calibrated (H03M1/1009, H03M1/1071 take precedence)} - H03M 1/1028: {at two points of the transfer characteristic, i.e. by adjusting two reference values, e.g. offset and gain error (gain setting for range control H03M1/18)} - H03M 1/1033: {over the full range of the converter, e.g. for correcting differential non-linearity} - H03M 1/121: {Interleaved, i.e. using multiple converters or converter parts for one channel} - H03M 1/122: {Shared using a single converter or a part thereof for multiple channels, e.g. a residue amplifier for multiple stages} - H03M 1/46: with digital/analogue converter for supplying reference values to converter - H03M: CODING; DECODING; CODE CONVERSION IN GENERAL (using fluidic means F15C4/00; optical analogue/digital converters G02F7/00; coding, decoding or code conversion, specially adapted for particular applications, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. G01D, G01R, G06F, G06T, G09G, G10L, G11B, G11C, H04B, H04L, H04M, H04N; ciphering or deciphering for cryptography or other purposes involving the need for secrecy G09C) ## Abstract There provided an AD converter that includes an analog processing part configured to select one of the measurement target voltages and a plurality of reference voltages for each channel, to output an analog voltage signal; a first selection part configured to select one of a plurality of analog voltage signals; a first AD conversion part configured to perform AD conversion on the analog voltage signal to generate a first original digital signal; a second selection part configured to select one of the plurality of analog voltage signals; a second AD conversion part configured to perform AD conversion on the analog voltage signal to generate a second original digital signal; a digital processing part configured to receive the first original digital signal and the second original digital signal; and a controller configured to control contents selected in the analog processing part, the first selection part, and the second selection part. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An analog-digital (AD) converter for performing AD conversion on measurement target voltages for a plurality of channels, comprising: an analog processing part configured to select one of the measurement target voltages and a plurality of reference voltages for each of the channels, to output an analog voltage signal corresponding to the selected voltage; a first selection part configured to select one of a plurality of analog voltage signals for the plurality of channels output from the analog processing part; a first AD conversion part configured to perform AD conversion on the analog voltage signal selected by the first selection part to generate a first original digital signal; a second selection part configured to select one of the plurality of analog voltage signals; a second AD conversion part configured to perform AD conversion on the analog voltage signal selected by the second selection part to generate a second original digital signal; a digital processing part configured to receive the first original digital signal and the second original digital signal; and a controller configured to control contents selected in the analog processing part, the first selection part, and the second selection part, wherein the plurality of reference voltages include a first reference voltage and a second reference voltage different from each other, and wherein the digital processing part includes: a first filter block having a first filter configured to generate a first corrected digital signal from the first original digital signal based on a first parameter, and configured to set the first parameter based on the first original digital signal obtained when the first reference voltage is selected by the analog processing part and the first original digital signal obtained when the second reference voltage is selected by the analog processing part; a second filter block having a second filter configured to generate a second corrected digital signal from the second original digital signal based on a second parameter, and configured to set the second parameter based on the second original digital signal obtained when the first reference voltage is selected by the analog processing part and the second original digital signal obtained when the second reference voltage is selected by the analog processing part; and an error determination part configured to output a predetermined error determination signal based on the first corrected digital signal and the second corrected digital signal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The AD converter of claim 1, wherein the plurality of channels include first to n-th channels where n is an integer of 2 or more, wherein the measurement target voltages for the plurality of channels include first to n-th measurement target voltages, wherein the analog processing part includes first to n-th switch circuits and first to n-th analog wirings, wherein each of the first selection part and the second selection part is connected to the first to n-th analog wirings, and the first to n-th analog voltage signals are input as the plurality of analog voltage signals to each of the first selection part and the second selection part, and wherein, in an i-th channel, either an i-th measurement target voltage or the plurality of reference voltages are selected by an i-th switch circuit, and an i-th analog voltage signal corresponding to the selected voltage is applied to an i-th analog wiring where i is an integer of 1 or more and n or less. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The AD converter of claim 2, wherein a state of the AD converter may be one of an actual measurement state, a first calibration state, and a second calibration state for each channel by the controller, wherein, in the actual measurement state for the i-th channel, the i-th switch circuit, the first selection part, and the second selection part are controlled so that the i-th measurement target voltage is selected by the i-th switch circuit, and the i-th analog voltage signal corresponding to the i-th measurement target voltage is selected by the first selection part and the second selection part, and wherein, in the first calibration state for the i-th channel, the i-th switch circuit, the first selection part, and the second selection part are controlled so that the first reference voltage is selected by the i-th switch circuit, and the i-th analog voltage signal corresponding to the first reference voltage is selected by the first selection part and the second selection part, and wherein, in the second calibration state for the i-th channel, the i-th switch circuit, the first selection part, and the second selection part are controlled so that the second reference voltage is selected by the i-th switch circuit, and the i-th analog voltage signal corresponding to the second reference voltage is selected by the first selection part and the second selection part, and wherein an actual measurement AD conversion operation for performing AD conversion in the first AD conversion part and the second AD conversion part in the actual measurement state, a first calibration AD conversion operation for performing AD conversion in the first AD conversion part and the second AD conversion part in the first calibration state, and a second calibration AD conversion operation for performing AD conversion in the first AD conversion part and the second AD conversion part in the second calibration state are executed for each channel under the control of the controller. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The AD converter of claim 3, wherein, for a section in which the actual measurement AD conversion operation, the first calibration AD conversion operation, and the second calibration AD conversion operation for the first to n-th channels are executed, the controller includes a section in which the first calibration AD conversion operation for any one channel and the second calibration AD conversion operation for another channel are executed adjacent to each other. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The AD converter of claim 3, wherein, for a section in which the actual measurement AD conversion operation, the first calibration AD conversion operation, and the second calibration AD conversion operation for the first to n-th channels are executed, the controller includes a section in which the first calibration AD conversion operation for one channel, the second calibration AD conversion operation for another channel, and the actual measurement AD conversion operation for yet another channel are executed adjacent to one another. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The AD converter of claim 2, wherein the first filter block is configured to set the first parameter for each channel, wherein the second filter block is configured to set the second parameter for each channel, wherein the first filter block is configured to set the first parameter for the i-th channel based on the first original digital signal obtained from the first AD conversion part when the first reference voltage is selected by the i-th switch circuit and the i-th analog voltage signal is selected by the first selection part, and based on the first original digital signal obtained from the first AD conversion part when the second reference voltage is selected by the i-th switch circuit and the i-th analog voltage signal is selected by the first selection part, and wherein the second filter block is configured to set the second parameter for the i-th channel based on the second original digital signal obtained from the second AD conversion part when the first reference voltage is selected by the i-th switch circuit and the i-th analog voltage signal is selected by the second selection part, and based on the second original digital signal obtained from the second AD conversion part when the second reference voltage is selected by the i-th switch circuit and the i-th analog voltage signal is selected by the second selection part. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The AD converter of claim 2, wherein the first filter block is configured to set the first parameter common to the first to n-th channels, wherein the second filter block is configured to set the second parameter common to the first to n-th channels, wherein the first filter block is configured to set the first parameter for the first to n-th channels based on the first original digital signal obtained from the first AD conversion part when the first reference voltage is selected by the first switch circuit and the first analog voltage signal is selected by the first selection part, and based on the first original digital signal obtained from the first AD conversion part when the second reference voltage is selected by the first switch circuit and the first analog voltage signal is selected by the first selection part, and wherein the second filter block is configured to set the second parameter for the first to n-th channels based on the second original digital signal obtained from the second AD conversion part when the first reference voltage is selected by the first switch circuit and the first analog voltage signal is selected by the second selection part, and based on the second original digital signal obtained from the second AD conversion part when the second reference voltage is selected by the first switch circuit and the i-th analog voltage signal is selected by the second selection part. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The AD converter of claim 1, wherein the error determination signal is output based on the error determination part, and a comparison result between a magnitude of a difference between the first corrected digital signal and the second corrected digital signal and a predetermined threshold value. ### Claim 9 An analog-digital (AD) converter for performing AD conversion on measurement target voltages, comprising: an analog processing part configured to select one of the measurement target voltages and a plurality of reference voltages to output an analog voltage signal corresponding to the selected voltage; a first AD conversion part configured to perform AD conversion on the analog voltage signal to generate a first original digital signal; a second AD conversion part configured to perform AD conversion on the analog voltage signal to generate a second original digital signal; a digital processing part configured to receive the first original digital signal and the second original digital signal; and a controller configured to control contents selected in the analog processing part, a first selection part, and a second selection part, wherein the plurality of reference voltages include a first reference voltage and a second reference voltage different from each other, and the digital processing part includes: a first filter block having a first filter configured to generate a first corrected digital signal from the first original digital signal based on a first parameter, and configured to set the first parameter based on the first original digital signal obtained when the first reference voltage is selected by the analog processing part and the first original digital signal obtained when the second reference voltage is selected by the analog processing part; a second filter block having a second filter configured to generate a second corrected digital signal from the second original digital signal based on a second parameter, and configured to set the second parameter based on the second original digital signal obtained when the first reference voltage is selected by the analog processing part and the second original digital signal obtained when the second reference voltage is selected by the analog processing part; and an error determination part configured to output a predetermined error determination signal based on the first corrected digital signal and the second corrected digital signal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The AD converter of claim 9, wherein the error determination signal is output based on the error determination part, and a comparison result between a magnitude of a difference between the first corrected digital signal and the second corrected digital signal and a predetermined threshold value.