Linear voltage controlled variable attenuator with linear DB/V gain slope
US8131241B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 5, 2009 |
| Grant date | Mar 6, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 9, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03G3/3063
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A variable attenuator and method of attenuating a signal is presented. The variable attenuator contains an input that receives an input signal to be attenuated. A voltage divider between a resistor and parallel MOSFETs provides the attenuated input signal. The MOSFETs have different sizes and have gates that are connected to a control signal through different resistances such that the larger the MOSFET, the larger the resistance. The control signal is dependent on the output of the attenuator. The arrangement extends the linearity of the attenuation over a wide voltage range of the control signal and decreases the intermodulation distortion of the attenuator.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.