Analogue to digital converters
AssigneeFreescale Semiconductor, Inc.
InventorJean Claude Mboli
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An analogue to digital converter (ADC) is provided which comprises an signal sampling device, a signal comparison device, and a digital signal generator. An analogue signal to be converted to a digital signal is input into the ADC, the signal sampling device produces samples of the analogue signal, the signal comparison device receives the analogue signal and the analogue signal samples, performs a comparison between them and outputs comparison signals, and the digital signal generator receives the comparison signals and uses them to generate a digital signal. The signal sampling device may produce voltage samples or current samples of the analogue signal.
Claims20
An analogue to digital converter (ADC) comprising;
- a signal sampling device;
- a signal comparison device;
- and a digital signal generator;
- wherein an analogue signal to be converted to a digital signal is input into the ADC, the signal sampling device produces samples of the analogue signal, the signal comparison device receives the analogue signal and the analogue signal samples, performs a comparison between them and outputs comparison signals, and the digital signal generator receives the comparison signals and uses them to generate a digital signal;
- wherein the signal comparison device compares the analogue signal with the samples of the analogue signal, by determining the difference between the analogue signal and a previously-taken sample of the analogue signal, and the digital signal generator receives a comparison signal comprising the difference between the analogue signal and the previously-taken sample of the analogue signal, and generates a digital signal if the comparison signal exceeds a pre-determined non-zero threshold value;
- and
- the signal sampling device to record a sample of the analogue signal in response to the comparison signal indicating the difference between the analogue signal and the previously taken sample of the analogue signal is equivalent to at least one least significant bit of a digital value generated by the analogue to digital converter.
A method of converting an analogue signal to a digital signal, comprising;
- producing samples of the analogue signal;
- performing a comparison between the analogue signal and the analogue signal samples to produce comparison signals;
- and
- using the comparison signals to generate a digital signal;
- wherein the step of performing a comparison between the analogue signal and the analogue signal samples to produce comparison results comprises determining the difference between the analogue signal and a previously-taken sample of the analogue signal;
- and wherein the step of using the comparison signals to generate a digital signal comprises generating a digital signal if the comparison signal exceeds a pre-determined non-zero threshold value;
- and
- recording a sample of the analogue signal in response to the comparison signal indicating the difference between the analogue signal and the previously-taken sample of the analogue signal is equivalent to at least one least significant bit of a digital value based on the digital signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.