Voltage to current conversion circuit
US4168528A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 21, 1978 |
| Grant date | Sep 18, 1979 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 21, 1998 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03M1/745
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A simplified temperature stabilized circuit provides a current which is proportional to a variable voltage by the use of branching transistor circuitry which fixes the voltage level of the supplied current, and controls its magnitude. The variable voltage is supplied through a reference resistor to the emitter of a first junction transistor having its base connected to the base of an identical junction transistor having its emitter grounded, thereby fixing the input voltage to the first transistor at a virtual ground potential. A third identical transistor has its base and emitter connected in parallel with the first transistor and carries an equal amount of current. Current derived in parallel from the first and second transistor is positively proportioned relative to the current flowing in the collector path of the third transistor by a pair of mirror-connected transistors having suitable relative areas and load resistors. The desired temperature stabilized current is applied from the bases of the mirrored transistors to the ladder network of a digital to analog converter. Two cascaded digital-to-analog circuits of this type provide a stable analog output voltage proportional to …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.