Patent · US Active

Two adjacent bit values switching current source between three paths

US9065476B2 · kind B2 · utility

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4References
7Claims
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Key dates

Filing dateMay 6, 2013
Grant dateJun 23, 2015
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 13, 2033

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03M3/464
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system for processing a signal includes a detector configured to detect a two-level stream of bits; a converter configured to generate a three-level control signal based on two adjacent values within the two-level stream of bits; and a switch configured to determine which of three different paths to couple a current source to based on a value of the three-level control signal. Thus, based on adjacent values of the output stream a three-level control signal is generated which controls coupling of the current source to one of three different paths. This type of three-level digital-to-analog converter can be, for example, part of the feedback loop of an analog-to-digital converter. Similar techniques can also be utilized in a multi-segment digital-to-analog converter in which each segment of the DAC is controlled by a 3-level control signal and the DAC is implement using PMOS devices. The current source for each DAC segment is diverted to ground, the M-node, or the P-node depending on the value of the 3-level control signal.

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