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US 6,664,910 B1Granted
Distributed averaging analog to digital converter topology
AssigneeBroadcom Corporation
InventorsJan Mulder, Christopher Michael Ward
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An analog to digital converter includes a first amplifier array connected to taps from a reference ladder, a second amplifier array, wherein each amplifier in the first amplifier array is connected to only two amplifiers of the second amplifier array, a third amplifier array, wherein each amplifier in the second amplifier array is connected to only two amplifiers of the third amplifier array, and an encoder connected to outputs of the third amplifier array that converts the outputs to an N-bit digital signal.
Claims42
An analog to digital converter comprising:
- a first amplifier array connected to reference voltages and to an input signal;
- a second amplifier array, wherein each amplifier in the first amplifier array is connected to at least two amplifiers of the second amplifier array;
- a third amplifier array, wherein each amplifier in the second array is connected to only two amplifiers of the third amplifier array;
- and
- an encoder converting outputs of the third amplifier array to an N-bit digital signal representing the input signal.
2 more elements
An analog to digital converter comprising:
- a first amplifier array connected to reference voltages and to an input signal;
- a second amplifier array connected to outputs of the first amplifier array in an interleaved manner;
- a third amplifier array connected to outputs of the second amplifier array;
- and
- an encoder converting outputs of the third amplifier array to an N-bit digital signal representing the input signal.
2 more elements
An analog to digital converter comprising:
- a first amplifier array connected to reference voltages and to an input signal;
- a second amplifier array connected to outputs of the first amplifier array
- a third amplifier array connected to outputs of the second amplifier array in an interleaved manner;
- and
- an encoder converting outputs of the third amplifier array to an N-bit digital signal representing the input signal.
2 more elements
An analog to digital converter comprising:
- a first plurality of amplifiers differentially connected to reference voltages and to an input signal;
- a second plurality of amplifiers, wherein each amplifier in the first plurality is connected to outputs of only two amplifiers of the second plurality of amplifiers;
- a third plurality of amplifiers, wherein each amplifier in the second plurality of amplifiers is connected to outputs of at least two amplifiers of the third plurality of amplifiers;
- and
- an encoder converting outputs of the third plurality of amplifiers to an N-bit digital signal corresponding to the input signal.
2 more elements
An analog to digital converter comprising:
- a first plurality of amplifiers differentially connected to reference voltages and to an input signal;
- a second plurality of amplifiers connected to the first plurality of amplifiers in an interleaved manner;
- a third plurality of amplifiers connected to the second plurality of amplifiers;
- and
- an encoder converting outputs of the third plurality of amplifiers to an N-bit digital signal representing the input signal.
2 more elements
An analog to digital converter comprising:
- a plurality of amplifier arrays “a”, “b”, “c” . . . “n” arranged in a cascade, wherein the amplifiers in the array “a” are connected to reference voltages and to an input voltage;
- a plurality of connections between consecutive arrays of the plurality of amplifier arrays “a”, “b”, “c” . . . “n”, wherein the connections are configured for ma×mb×mc× . . . mn×averaging of the reference voltages, ma, mb, mc . . . mnrepresenting an averaging factor of the corresponding amplifier array;
- and
- an encoder connected to outputs of the “n” amplifier array that converts the outputs to an N-bit digital signal representing the input voltage.
1 more element
An analog to digital converter comprising:
- a first amplifier array connected to reference voltages and to an input signal;
- a second amplifier array, wherein each amplifier in the second amplifier array is connected to at least two amplifiers of the first amplifier array;
- a third amplifier array, wherein each amplifier in the third array is connected to at least two amplifiers of the second amplifier array,
- wherein an output of each amplifier of the first array has only one path to a corresponding amplifier of the third array;
- and
- an encoder converting outputs of the third amplifier array to an N-bit digital signal representing the input signal.
3 more elements
An analog to digital converter comprising:
- a plurality of cascaded amplifier arrays Ai, i=1 through n, wherein the amplifiers in the array A1 are connected to reference voltages and to an input voltage;
- a plurality of connections between neighboring arrays of the plurality of amplifier arrays Ai,
- wherein each amplifier of each array Ai, i=2 through n, is connected to an output of a corresponding amplifier of an array Ak, k=1 through i−1, through only one path;
- and
- an encoder connected to outputs of the An amplifier array that converts the outputs to an N-bit digital signal representing the input voltage.
2 more elements
An analog to digital converter comprising:
- a first plurality of amplifiers connected to reference voltages and to an input signal;
- a second plurality of amplifiers, wherein each amplifier in the first plurality of amplifiers is connected to only two amplifiers of the second plurality of amplifiers;
- a third plurality of amplifiers, wherein each amplifier in the third plurality of amplifiers is connected to at least two amplifiers of the second plurality of amplifiers;
- and
- an encoder converting outputs of the third plurality of amplifiers to an N-bit digital signal corresponding to the input signal.
2 more elements
An analog to digital converter comprising:
- a plurality of amplifier arrays “a”, “b”, “c” . . . “n” arranged in a cascade, wherein the amplifiers in the array “a” are connected to reference voltages and to an input voltage;
- wherein connections between consecutive arrays are configured for ma×mb×mc× . . . mn×averaging of the reference voltages, ma, mb, mc. . . mn representing an averaging factor of the corresponding amplifier array,
- wherein “m1=ma×mb×mc . . . mn×” represents an averaging of the “a” amplifier array, “m2=mb×mc×md . . . mn×” represents an averaging of the “b” amplifier array, and so on,
- wherein a number of amplifiers Xa that are “skipped” in the “a” amplifier array is X a = m 1 m a - 1 ,
- wherein a number of amplifiers Xb that are “skipped” in the “b” amplifier array is X b = m 2 m b - 1 ,
- and so on;
- and
- an encoder connected to outputs of the “n” amplifier array that converts the outputs to an N-bit digital signal representing the input voltage.
5 more elements
An analog to digital converter comprising:
- a first amplifier array connected to reference voltages and to an input signal;
- a second amplifier array, wherein each amplifier in the first amplifier array is connected to at least three amplifiers of the second amplifier array;
- a third amplifier array, wherein each amplifier in the second array is connected to only three amplifiers of the third amplifier array;
- and
- an encoder converting outputs of the third amplifier array to an N-bit digital signal representing the input signal.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.