Patent · US Expired

Isolation amplifier with precise timing of signals coupled across isolation barrier

US4748419A · kind A · utility

79Cited by
2References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateApr 28, 1986
Grant dateMay 31, 1988
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 28, 2006

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03K5/26
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A low cost, high frequency isolation amplifier includes a first voltage-to-frequency converter producing a first pair of complementary pulses in response to an analog input signal and applying them to a pair of low capacitance capacitors constituting the isolation barrier. The isolation barrier differentiates edges of the first pair of pulse signals and applies the resulting signals to inputs of a sense amplifier including a differential amplifier, a pair of comparators, and a flip-flop to precisely reconstruct the first pair of complementary pulse signals, which then are fed into a decoder circuit including a phase locked loop. The phase locked loop includes a phase detector receiving the reconstructed pair of complementary pulse signals and a second pair of complementary pulse signals produced by a second voltage-to-frequency converter. The output of the phase detector is integrated by a filter circuit, the output of which produces a voltage that represents the analog input signal and causes the output of the second voltage-to-frequency converter to be synchronized with the second pair of complementary pulse signals when the analog output signal matches the analog input signal.

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