Low-distortion high-frequency amplifier
US6137359A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 7, 1999 |
| Grant date | Oct 24, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 7, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03F3/34
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The invention is an amplifier configuration which provides signal gain at very low levels of distortion. The inventive amplifier configuration consists of two amplifiers whose outputs are added to give the total amplified signal. A first amplifier functions in the usual way, amplifying a signal from a voltage source and having a controllable feedback gain. A second amplifier is also fed by the voltage source but applies a feedback gain to the total amplified signal rather than to its own output signal. By selecting the feedback gains to be substantially identical, portions of voltage waveforms that have been removed or altered due to clipping or other forms of distortion are restored by the second amplifier. The invention is particularly useful when amplifier gain is low, e.g., at high frequencies. Suitable implementations are in the voltage domain, using operational amplifiers, or in the current domain, using, for example, voltage-controlled current sources.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.