Patent · US Expired

Fully parallel threshold type analog-to-digital converter

US4417233A · kind A · utility

28Cited by
5References
4Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 22, 1980
Grant dateNov 22, 1983
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 22, 2000

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03M1/361
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A parallel type A/D converter capable of operating at an extremely high speed with a high degree of accuracy and with low power consumption. A plurality of comparators each having a reference voltage corresponding to an assigned quantizing level are disposed in parallel with each other and divided into a plurality of comparator blocks or groups. A plurality of sub-comparators are provided so that prior to the comparison of the input signal by the comparators, the input signal is first compared with the reference voltages of the sub-comparators and in response to the output from the sub-comparator having the reference voltage comparable or corresponding to the incoming input signal, only the comparators in the comparator block or group associated with said sub-comparator are energized or enabled while the remaining comparators are kept de-energized or disabled, whereby a minimum power consumption may be attained.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.