Comparator
AssigneeTexas Instruments Deutschland GmbH
InventorHorst Diewald
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electronic device compares a first voltage with a selected first reference voltage or second reference voltage. The electronic device includes a comparator having a first input receiving the first voltage, a second input receiving the selected reference voltage and an output providing an output signal based on a comparison. A control stage connected to the output of the comparator generates a control signal based on the output of the comparator. The electronic device selects either the first reference voltage or the second reference voltage in response to the control signal thus comparing the first voltage with the selected reference voltage.
Claims12
An electronic device for comparing a first voltage with a first reference voltage and a second reference voltage, the electronic device comprising:
- a comparator having a first input receiving the first voltage, a second input receiving a selected reference voltage one of the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage and an output providing an output signal based on a comparison of the first input and the second input;
- a control stage having an input connected to the output of the comparator generating a control signal based on the output signal from the comparator;
- wherein the electronic device is further adapted to apply either the first reference voltage or the second reference voltage as the selected reference voltage to the comparator in response to the control signal to compare the first voltage with the selected reference voltage.
A comparator for comparing a first voltage with multiple reference voltages comprising:
- a first input stage receiving a first voltage;
- a second input stage receiving the multiple reference voltages, the second input stage having an individual input path for each of the multiple reference voltages which can be selectively switched on and off;
- an output providing an output signal based on a comparison of the first voltage with a selected one of the multiple reference voltages.
A method of comparing a first voltage with a first reference voltage and a second reference voltage, the method comprising:
- selecting the first reference voltage;
- comparing a first voltage with the first reference voltage;
- selecting a second reference voltage in response to the comparison result;
- and
- comparing the first voltage with the second reference voltage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.