VCO-based continuous-time pipelined ADC
US11329660B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 15, 2021 |
| Grant date | May 10, 2022 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 15, 2041 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03M1/60
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
VCO ADCs consume relatively little power and require less area than other ADC architectures. However, when a VCO ADC is implemented by itself, the VCO ADC can have limited bandwidth and performance. To address these issues, the VCO ADC is implemented as a back end stage in a VCO-based continuous-time (CT) pipelined ADC, where the VCO-based CT pipelined ADC has a CT residue generation front end. Optionally, the VCO ADC back end has phase interpolation to improve its bandwidth. The pipelined architecture dramatically improves the performance of the VCO ADC back end, and the overall VCO-based CT pipelined ADC is simpler than a traditional continuous-time pipelined ADC.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.