Patent · US Expired

Distortion-free limiter for a power amplifier

US5327101A · kind A · utility

9Cited by
9References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 2, 1993
Grant dateJul 5, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 2, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03G11/00
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A distortion limiter for limiting the amount of distortion of an inverting amplifier is disclosed. A comparator produces a pulse when a signal level at an inverting input of the inverting amplifier exceeds a reference voltage level. The pulse charges a capacitor. When the charge on the capacitor is sufficient to raise the gate voltage of a junction field-effect transistor (FET) above cutoff, the FET shunts the input signal to reduce its level. The distortion characteristics can be controlled by using a voltage divider to adjust the voltage across the FET. A bias voltage at the gate of the FET, keeps the FET turned off when the inverting amplifier is not clipping.

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