Digital-to-analog converter system
AssigneeInfineon Technologies AG
InventorsFrancesco Conzatti, Matteo Dalla Longa, Alan Paussa
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In accordance with an embodiment, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) system includes: a main current-steering DAC having an input coupled to a digital system input having n input lines; an active buffer having an input coupled to an output of the main current-steering DAC, and an output of configured to output a first current to an analog system output; and an auxiliary current-steering DAC, having an input coupled to the digital system input, and an output configured to output a second current to the analog system output, where the input of the auxiliary current-steering DAC is connected only to a real subset of the n input lines of the digital system input, the real subset of input lines having k input lines.
Claims20
A digital-to-analog converter (DAC) system comprising:
- a main current-steering DAC having an input coupled to a digital system input having n input lines;
- an active buffer having an input coupled to an output of the main current-steering DAC, and an output of configured to output a first current to an analog system output;
- and
- an auxiliary current-steering DAC, having an input coupled to the digital system input, and an output configured to output a second current to the analog system output,
- wherein the input of the auxiliary current-steering DAC is connected only to a real subset of the n input lines of the digital system input, the real subset of input lines having k input lines.
A baseband transmit circuit comprising:
- a digital signal processor (DSP) having an output configured to output a digital number an output width of n bits;
- a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) system comprising:
- a main current-steering DAC having an input coupled to a digital system input having n input lines, wherein the digital system input is coupled to the output of the DSP,
- an active buffer having an input coupled to an output of the main current-steering DAC, and an output of configured to output a first current to an analog system output. and
- an auxiliary current-steering DAC, having an input coupled to the digital system input, and an output configured to output a second current to the analog system output, wherein the input of the auxiliary current-steering DAC is connected only to a real subset of the n input lines of the digital system input, the real subset of input lines having k input lines;
- a low-pass filter coupled to an output of the DAC system;
- a modulator configured to mix an output of the low-pass filter with an output of a local oscillator (LO);
- an amplifier coupled to an output of the modulator, and configured to provide an antenna signal;
- and
- an antenna coupled to an output of the amplifier and configured to transmit the antenna signal.
A method of using a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) system comprising:
- a main current-steering DAC having an input coupled to a digital system input having n input lines;
- an active buffer having an input coupled to an output of the main current-steering DAC, and an output of configured to output a first current to an analog system output;
- and an auxiliary current-steering DAC, having an input coupled to the digital system input, and an output configured to output a second current to the analog system output, wherein the input of the auxiliary current-steering DAC is connected only to a real subset of the n input lines of the digital system input, the real subset of input lines having k input lines, the method comprising:
- converting a digital value at the digital system input to an analog value at the analog system output using the DAC system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.