# US 12,113,543 B2 · Analog-to-digital conversion circuit and method having remained time measuring mechanism > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,113,543 B2 - Document ID: US12113543B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/972,669 - Filed: 2022-10-25 - Published: 2023-06-15 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2021-12-13 - Assignees: Realtek Semiconductor Corp. - Applicants: Realtek Semiconductor Corporation - Inventors: Shih-Hsiung Huang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12113543B2 ## CPC - H03M 1/1245: {Details of sampling arrangements or methods} - H03K 19/1774: {for global signals, e.g. clock, reset} - H03M 1/368: {having a single comparator per bit, e.g. of the folding type} - H03M 1/50: with intermediate conversion to time interval (H03M1/64 takes precedence) - 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) - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) ## Abstract The present invention discloses an analog-to-digital conversion circuit having remained time measuring mechanism is provided. A digital-to-analog conversion (DAC) circuit samples input voltages to generate output voltages. A comparator compares the output voltages to generate a comparison result. A control circuit switches a configuration of the DAC circuit by using a digital code according to the comparison result. A comparison determining circuit sets a stage indication signal at a finished state after the comparison result is generated. A comparison stage counting circuit accumulates a termination number according to the stage indication signal to set a conversion indication signal at the finished state when the termination number reaches a predetermined number. A time accumulating circuit starts to accumulate a remained time when the conversion indication signal is at the finished state and finishes accumulation when a sampling indication signal is at a sampling state. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An analog-to-digital conversion circuit having remained time measuring mechanism, comprising: a digital-to-analog conversion circuit configured to sample a positive terminal input voltage and a negative terminal input voltage when a sampling indication signal is at a sampling state and output a positive terminal output voltage and a negative terminal output voltage when the sampling indication signal is at a sampling finished state; a comparator configured to, in each of a plurality of comparison stages, compare the positive terminal output voltage and the negative terminal output voltage to generate a comparison result, wherein a number of the comparison stages is a default number; a control circuit configured to, in each of the comparison stages, switch a configuration of the digital-to-analog conversion circuit by using a set of digital codes according to the comparison result, and configured to output the corresponding set of digital codes as a digital output signal when a conversion finished criteria is satisfied; a comparison determining circuit configured to, in each of the comparison stages, set a stage indication signal to be a comparison stage unfinished state before the comparison result is generated and set the stage indication signal to be a comparison stage finished state after the comparison result is generated; a comparison stage counting circuit configured to, in each of the comparison stages, accumulate a number of times that the comparison is finished when the stage indication signal is at the comparison stage finished state, set a conversion indication signal to be a conversion unfinished state before the number of the number of times that the comparison is finished reaches the default number and set the conversion indication signal to be the conversion finished state when the number of times that the comparison is finished reaches the default number; and a time accumulating circuit configured to start to accumulate a remained time when the conversion indication signal is at the conversion finished state and finish accumulation when the sampling indication signal is at the sampling state next time. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The analog-to-digital conversion circuit of claim 1, further comprising: an enabling logic circuit configured to enable the comparator when the sampling indication signal is at the sampling finished state, when the stage indication signal is at the comparison stage unfinished state and the conversion indication signal is at the conversion unfinished state. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The analog-to-digital conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the comparison stage counting circuit comprises: a plurality of counting D flip-flops coupled in series, each comprising: an input terminal, wherein the input terminal of a first one of the counting D flip-flops is configured to receive a triggering signal; an output terminal electrically coupled to the input terminal of a next one of the counting D flip-flops; and a clock input terminal configured to receive the stage indication signal; wherein each of the counting D flip-flops is in turn triggered by the comparison stage finished state of the stage indication signal corresponding to one of the comparison stages to output the triggering signal to the output terminal, and the output terminal of a last one of the counting D flip-flops outputs the triggering signal as the conversion indication signal at the conversion finished state only when being triggered; wherein a number of the counting D flip-flops equals to the default number. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The analog-to-digital conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the time accumulating circuit comprises: a delay circuit comprising a plurality of delay units coupled in series and configured to transmit the conversion indication signal; a triggering circuit comprising a plurality of triggering D flip-flops coupled in series, each comprising: an input terminal, wherein the input terminal of a first one of the triggering D flip-flops is configured to receive the conversion indication signal directly and each of the other triggering D flip-flops is electrically coupled to one of the delay units to receive the conversion indication signal that the one of the delay units transmit; an output terminal; and a clock input terminal configured to receive the sampling indication signal; and a determining circuit electrically coupled to the output terminal of each of the triggering D flip-flops; wherein the output terminal of each of the triggering D flip-flops outputs the conversion indication signal when the sampling indication signal is at the sampling state next time, such that the determining circuit determines a total delay time length of the delay units that transmit the conversion indication signal at the conversion finished state according to a number of the triggering D flip-flops that outputs the conversion indication signal at the conversion finished state, in which the total delay time length serves as the remained time. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The analog-to-digital conversion circuit of claim 4, wherein each of the delay units comprises an even number of inverters coupled in series. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The analog-to-digital conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein at least one operation parameter of the analog-to-digital conversion circuit is adjusted according to the remained time, and the operation parameter comprises a loop speed, an operation voltage, an operation current of the digital-to-analog conversion (DAC) circuit or a combination thereof. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The analog-to-digital conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the conversion finished criteria is satisfied when a difference between the positive terminal output voltage and the negative terminal output voltage is smaller than a predetermined level and the number of times that the comparison is finished reaches the default number. ### Claim 8 An analog-to-digital conversion method having remained time measuring mechanism, comprising: sampling a positive terminal input voltage and a negative terminal input voltage when a sampling indication signal is at a sampling state and outputting a positive terminal output voltage and a negative terminal output voltage when the sampling indication signal is at a sampling finished state by a digital-to-analog conversion circuit; comparing the positive terminal output voltage and the negative terminal output voltage in each of a plurality of comparison stages to generate a comparison result by a comparator, wherein a number of the comparison stages is a default number; switching a configuration of the digital-to-analog conversion circuit in each of the comparison stages by using a set of digital codes according to the comparison result by a control circuit, and outputting the corresponding set of digital codes as a digital output signal by the control circuit when a conversion finished criteria is satisfied; setting a stage indication signal to be a comparison stage unfinished state before the comparison result is generated in each of the comparison stages by a comparison determining circuit and setting the stage indication signal to be a comparison stage finished state by the comparison determining circuit after the comparison result is generated; accumulating a number of times that the comparison is finished when the stage indication signal is at the comparison stage finished state in each of the comparison stages, setting a conversion indication signal to be a conversion unfinished state before the number of times that the comparison is finished reaches the default number and setting the conversion indication signal to be the conversion finished state when the number of times that the comparison is finished reaches the default number by a comparison stage counting circuit; and starting to accumulate a remained time when the conversion indication signal is at the conversion finished state and finishing accumulation when the sampling indication signal is at the sampling state next time by a time accumulating circuit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The analog-to-digital conversion method of claim 8, further comprising: enabling the comparator when the sampling indication signal is at the sampling finished state, when the stage indication signal is at the comparison stage unfinished state and the conversion indication signal is at the conversion unfinished state by an enabling logic circuit. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The analog-to-digital conversion method of claim 8, wherein the comparison stage counting circuit comprises a plurality of counting D flip-flops coupled in series, each comprising an input terminal, an output terminal and a clock input terminal, wherein the input terminal of a first one of the counting D flip-flops is configured to receive a triggering signal, the output terminal is electrically coupled to the input terminal of a next one of the counting D flip-flops and a clock input terminal is configured to receive the stage indication signal, the analog-to-digital conversion method comprising: triggering each of the counting D flip-flops is in turn by the comparison stage finished state of the stage indication signal corresponding to one of the comparison stages to output the triggering signal to the output terminal; and outputting the triggering signal as the conversion indication signal at the conversion finished state by the output terminal of a last one of the counting D flip-flops only when being triggered; wherein a number of the counting D flip-flops equals to the default number. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The analog-to-digital conversion method of claim 8, wherein the time accumulating circuit comprises a delay circuit, a triggering circuit and a determining circuit, wherein the delay circuit comprises a plurality of delay units coupled in series and configured to transmit the conversion indication signal, the triggering circuit comprises a plurality of triggering D flip-flops coupled in series each comprising an input terminal, an output terminal and a clock input terminal in which the input terminal of a first one of the triggering D flip-flops is configured to receive the conversion indication signal directly and each of the other triggering D flip-flops is electrically coupled to one of the delay units to receive the conversion indication signal that the one of the delay units transmit and the clock input terminal is configured to receive the sampling indication signal, and the determining circuit electrically coupled to the output terminal of each of the triggering D flip-flops, the analog-to-digital conversion method comprising: outputting the conversion indication signal by the output terminal of each of the triggering D flip-flops when the sampling indication signal is at the sampling state next time; and determining a total delay time length of the delay units that transmit the conversion indication signal at the conversion finished state according to a number of the triggering D flip-flops that outputs the conversion indication signal at the conversion finished state by the determining circuit, in which the total delay time length serves as the remained time. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The analog-to-digital conversion method of claim 11, wherein each of the delay units comprises an even number of inverters coupled in series. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The analog-to-digital conversion method of claim 8, wherein at least one operation parameter of the analog-to-digital conversion circuit is adjusted according to the remained time, and the operation parameter comprises a loop speed, an operation voltage, an operation current of the digital-to-analog conversion (DAC) circuit or a combination thereof. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The analog-to-digital conversion method of claim 8, further comprising: determining the conversion finished criteria is satisfied when a difference between the positive terminal output voltage and the negative terminal output voltage is smaller than a predetermined level and the number of times that the comparison is finished reaches the default number.