Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for extending the spurious free dynamic range of an analog-to-digital converter

US6097324A · kind A · utility

13Cited by
12References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 17, 1998
Grant dateAug 1, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 17, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03M1/181
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An A/D system provides an expanded SFDR when compared to the SFDR of individual A/D(s) that make up the A/D system. In response to an analog input signal whose amplitude would result in an narrower SFDR for a first A/D, the A/D system uses an amplitude adjuster which receives the analog input signal and produces an amplitude-limited signal with resulting signal distortion to the first A/D. By amplitude-limiting the analog input signal, the A/D system produces the resulting signal distortion but reduces or "clips" the amplitude of the analog input signal, thereby improving the SFDR performance of the first A/D by reducing the spurious distortion produced by the first A/D. The signal distortion resulting from the amplitude adjustment is routed to a second A/D. The first A/D converts the amplitude-limited analog signal to a digital signal with an expanded SFDR due to the lower amplitude of the adjusted analog signal. The second A/D receives the portion of the analog input signal removed by clipping which can be referred to as the signal distortion. The second A/D converts the signal distortion, which typically has a lower amplitude than the adjusted analog signal, to a digital signal …

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