Patent · US Expired

A/D converter for performing pipeline processing

US6700524B2 · kind B2 · utility

8Cited by
6References
4Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 27, 2002
Grant dateMar 2, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 27, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03M1/44
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An A/D converter comprises a pipeline stage array in which plural pipeline stages are connected in series, each pipeline stage performing a pipeline operation on an inputted analog voltage to output a digital voltage; a number-of-bits control circuit for outputting a number-of-bits selection signal which indicates whether the operation of each pipeline stage should be carried out or halted, according to a number-of-bits control signal which indicates a resolution; and a correction circuit for compensating a digital value to be output, according to the number-of-bits control signal. Therefore, when resolution of the A/D converter, which is requested by the system, is changed, only the pipeline stages required for realizing the requested resolution are operated while the other pipeline stages are halted, whereby a reduction in power consumption of the A/D converter is realized and, simultaneously, a breakdown of an output from the A/D converter is avoided.

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