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US 9,178,526 B2Granted
Multi-zone data converters
AssigneeMaxLinear, Inc.
InventorCurtis Ling
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Aspects of a method and system for data converters having a transfer function with multiple operating zones. In some embodiments, an operating zone of the multiple operating zones is characterized by more stringent performance criteria than the other operating zones. Thus, such data converters may receive an input signal and generate an output signal from the input signal per the transfer function and the more stringent performance criteria in the appropriate operating zone.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- receiving a first input signal with a data converter having a plurality of operating zones;
- in response to determining that the first input signal corresponds to a first operating zone of the plurality of operating zones, converting the first input signal to a first output signal per a first circuit of the data converter;
- receiving a second input signal with the data converter;
- and
- in response to determining that the second input signal corresponds to a second operating zone of the plurality of operating zones, converting the second input signal to a second output signal per a second circuit of the data converter that has better operating characteristics than those of the first circuit.
2 more elements
A data converter providing a plurality of operating zones, the data converter comprising:
- one or more circuits, the one or more circuits being operable to convert received input signals to corresponding output signals;
- wherein the one or more circuits comprise:
- a first circuit operable to convert a first input signal into a first output signal if the first input signal corresponds to a first operating zone of the plurality of operating zones;
- and
- second circuit operable to convert the second input signal into a second output signal if the second input signal corresponds to a second operating zone of the plurality of operating zones, wherein the second circuit has better operating characteristics than those of the first circuit.
2 more elements
An electronic system, comprising:
- an analog-to-digital converter operable to convert analog input signals to corresponding digital output signals;
- and
- a digital-to-analog converter operable to convert digital input signals into corresponding analog output signals, wherein the digital-to-analog converter is operable to convert digital input signals in a first operating zone with less nonlinearity than that of digital input signals in a second operating zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.