Multiple output amplifiers and comparators
AssigneeLinear Technology Corporation
InventorDamon Lee
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An amplifier/comparator includes a multitude of output stages all sharing the same input stage. One or more of the output stages are amplification stages and have compensated output signals. A number of other output stages are not compensated and provide comparison signals. Each uncompensated output stage is adapted to switch to a first state if it detects a first input signal as being greater than a second signal, and further to switch to a second state if it detects the first input signal as being smaller than the second signal. By varying the channel-width (W) to channel-length (L) ratio (W/L) of the transistors disposed in the output stages, the trip points of the comparators and/or the electrical characteristics of the amplifiers are selectively varied.
Claims20
A circuit comprising:
- a differential input stage responsive to a reference voltage and a feedback voltage for producing an output current representing a difference between the feedback voltage and the reference voltage;
- an intermediate stage adapted to mirror the output current to produce a first mirrored current and a second mirrored current;
- a first output stage responsive to the first mirrored current to generate a first output signal;
- and
- a second output stage responsive to the second mirrored current to generate a second output signal independent from the first output signal.
A method of controlling an output voltage, the method comprising:
- forming a differential input stage responsive to a reference voltage and a feedback voltage for producing an output current representing a difference between the feedback voltage and the reference voltage;
- mirroring the output current to produce a first mirrored current and a second mirrored current;
- generating a first output signal in response to the first mirrored current;
- and
- generating a second output signal independent from the first output signal in response to the second mirrored current.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.