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US 6,788,235 B1Granted
A/D converter having signaling and requesting capability
AssigneeInfineon Technologies AG
InventorsJens Barrenscheen, Gunther Fenzl, Peter Rohm, Dietmar Koenig, Dirk Elkemeier
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Abstract
The disclosed A/D conversion system is designed to signal the beginning or the impending beginning of an A/D conversion and/or to request the implementation of an A/D conversion from another A/D converter. As a result, it is possible to have a plurality of A/D converters work absolutely time-synchronously with minimal outlay.
Claims16
An analog-to-digital conversion system comprising:
- a plurality of analog-to-digital converters each comprising:
- an analog-to-digital conversion unit for receiving a plurality of analog signals and converting the analog signals to digital signals,
- a control unit for controlling the analog-to-digital conversion unit, and
- a synchronization control unit configured for synchronizing the analog-to-digital converter with at least one other analog-to-digital converter of the plurality of analog-to-digital converters;
- wherein
- at least one of the plurality of analog-to-digital converters comprises communication circuitry to communicate information between the at least one analog-to-digital converter and at least one other analog-to-digital converter of the plurality of analog-to-digital converters;
- wherein the at least one of the plurality of analog-to-digital converters is configured to signal one of a beginning and an impending beginning of an analog-to-digital conversion to the at least one other analog-to-digital converter.
4 more elements
An analog-to-digital converter, comprising:
- a circuit that converts an analog signal into a digital signal, and;
- a conversion request output connected to a conversion request input of an other analog-to-digital converter, the output configured to carry an output signal to the input of the other analog-to-digital converter in order to request an A/D conversion from the other analog-to-digital converter.
A method for operating an A/D converter, comprising:
- signaling a beginning or an impending beginning of an A/D conversion by an A/D converter;
- and
- converting an analog signal to a digital signal by the A/D converter.
A method for operating an A/D converter, comprising:
- converting an analog signal to a digital signal;
- and requesting, by the A/D converter, an A/D conversion from an other A/D converter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.