Sensor output digitizer
AssigneeInvenSense, Inc.
InventorsFederico Mazzarella, Massimiliano Musazzi
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Abstract
The described technology is generally directed towards a sensor output digitizer. The sensor output digitizer can comprise a multiplexer stage, a multi-stage analog to digital converter, and a digital output combiner. The multiplexer stage can be configured to sequentially select sensor outputs from one or more sensors, resulting in a stream of selected sensor outputs. The multi-stage analog to digital converter can be coupled with the multiplexer stage, and can be configured to convert the stream of selected sensor outputs into a stream of digitized outputs. The digital output combiner can be configured to re-scale and sum intermediate outputs of the multi-stage analog to digital converter to produce a stream of digitized sensor outputs.
Claims22
A sensor output digitizer, comprising:
- a multiplexer stage configured to sequentially select sensor outputs from one or more sensors, resulting in a stream of selected sensor outputs;
- a multi-stage analog to digital converter coupled with the multiplexer stage and configured to convert the stream of selected sensor outputs into a stream of digitized outputs, wherein the multi-stage analog to digital converter comprises:
- a first stage comprising a sigma delta analog to digital converter, wherein the first stage converts the stream of selected sensor outputs into a first intermediate output and a second intermediate output;
- and
- a second stage comprising a second analog to digital converter, wherein the second stage is coupled with the first intermediate output and converts the first intermediate output into a third intermediate output while the first stage continues to convert the stream of selected sensor outputs;
- and
- a digital output combiner configured to re-scale and sum the second intermediate output and the third intermediate output to produce the stream of digitized sensor outputs.
A method to digitize sensor outputs from one or more sensors, comprising:
- selecting sensor outputs in a sequential selection sequence, resulting in a stream of selected sensor outputs;
- using a multi-stage analog to digital converter to convert the stream of selected sensor outputs into a stream of digitized outputs, wherein the using the multi-stage analog to digital converter comprises:
- using a sigma delta analog to digital converter to convert the stream of selected sensor outputs into a first intermediate output and a second intermediate output;
- and
- using a second analog to digital converter to convert the first intermediate output into a third intermediate output while the multi-stage analog to digital converter continues to use the sigma delta analog to digital converter to convert the stream of selected sensor outputs;
- and
- re-scaling and summing the second intermediate output and the third intermediate output to produce the stream of digitized sensor outputs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.