System and method for reconfigurable hybrid analog-to-digital converter (ADC)

A method comprising:

• selecting, by a plurality of switches coupling a first analog-to-digital converter (ADC) of a first type to a plurality of ADCs of a second type, based on a rate of an analog-to-digital conversion, a quantity of ADCs of the second type, from among the plurality of ADCs of the second type, to supply the analog-to-digital conversion at the rate;
• responsive to a resolution of the analog-to-digital conversion being below a threshold, bypassing, by the plurality of switches, the first ADC;
• and
• responsive to the resolution of the analog-to-digital conversion being greater than or equal to the threshold, connecting, by the plurality of switches, the first ADC to the selected quantity of ADCs of the second type.

A system comprising:

• a plurality of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) of a first type electrically coupled to a plurality of switches, each ADC of the first type being electrically coupled by a respective switch to a plurality of ADCs of a second type, wherein
• each switch is configured to:
• select, based on a rate of an analog-to-digital conversion, a quantity of ADCs of the second type, from among the plurality of ADCs, to supply the analog-to-digital conversion at the rate;
• and
• selectively bypass the respective ADC of the first type according to a resolution of the analog-to-digital conversion,
• wherein each switch is configured to bypass the respective ADC of the first type responsive to the resolution of the conversion being below a first threshold.

An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) comprising:

• a plurality of hybrid ADCs in respective channels, each hybrid ADC including one or more ADCs of a first type and a plurality of ADCs of a second type wherein an ADC of the second type has power efficiency greater than power efficiency of an ADC of the first type;
• a controller configured to:
• determine a first quantity indicating a number of ADCs of the second type and a second quantity indicating a number of channels;
• control (1) the second quantity of hybrid ADCs, among the plurality of hybrid ADCs, in the second quantity of channels and (2) the first quantity of ADCs of the second type, among the plurality of ADCs of the second type, in each of the second quantity of channels, to perform a first analog-to-digital conversion;
• responsive to determining that a speed of the first analog-to-digital conversion is less than a first speed, control the second quantity of hybrid ADCs in the second quantity of channels and a third quantity of ADCs of the second type in each of the second quantity of channels to perform a second analog-to-digital conversion, the third quantity being greater than the first quantity;
• and
• responsive to determining that a speed of the second analog-to-digital conversion is less than the first speed, control a fourth quantity of hybrid ADCs in the fourth quantity of channels and the third quantity of ADCs of the second type in each of the fourth quantity of channels to perform a third analog-to-digital conversion, the fourth quantity being greater than the second quantity.