I.sup.2 L gate circuit arrangement having a switchable current source
AssigneeU.S. Philips Corporation
InventorsEise C. Dijkmans, Wilhelm Graffenberger, Ernst A. Kilian
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a circuit arrangement having several signal paths which can be activated by a switchable current source. For the current source, use is made of I.sup.2 L gates whose injector connections are combined in two groups. When a switch-over is made from one signal path to another, a decreasing current is applied to the injector connection of the I.sup.2 L gate connected to one signal path while an increasing current is applied to the corresponding connection of the I.sup.2 L gate associated with the other signal path.
Claims6
A circuit arrangement comprising a plurality of signal paths which are formed by active circuits and by means of which signals of different levels are applied to a common output, each signal path being activatable by a switchable current source, characterized in that:
- (a) each current source is formed by at least one I.sup.2 L gate (3a to 5b);
- (b) the I.sup.2 L gates are divided between a first group and a second group, the injector connections of the first group being connected to a first junction point (A) while the injector connections of the second group are connected to a second junction point (B);
- (c) the control inputs of the I.sup.2 L gates (3a to 5b) are driven so that when a switch-over occurs from one signal path to another signal path, two I.sup.2 L gates, each of which is associated with one of the signal paths and with one of the groups (for example, 3b, 4a), can conduct current at least during a transition phase;
- and
- (d) the junction points (A, B) are chosen so that the output currents of the two I.sup.2 L gates vary continuously and in the opposite sense during the transition phase.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.