An amplification apparatus includes an amplifier having an inverting terminal, and a non-inverting terminal connected to a reset voltage node, a first capacitor connected to the inverting terminal, an input voltage being applied to the first capacitor, a second capacitor connected to the inverting terminal and an output terminal of the amplifier, and a duty-cycled resistor, connected in parallel to the second capacitor, including a first resistor. The duty-cycled resistor is configured to connect the first resistor and the inverting terminal and to disconnect the first resistor and the reset voltage node during a first time interval included in a period to complete an on-and-off cycle of the duty-cycled resistor, and disconnect the first resistor and the inverting terminal and to connect the first resistor and the reset voltage node during a second time interval included in the period.

In an embodiment an integration circuit has a first input terminal configured to receive a first input signal, a second input terminal configured to receive a second input signal, an output terminal to provide an output signal as a function of the first and the second input signal, a first and a second amplifier, each being switchably connected between the first or the second input terminal and the output terminal, and a capacitor which is switchably coupled in a feedback loop either of the first or of the second amplifier such that the capacitor and one of the first and the second amplifier form an inverting integrator providing the output signal. Therein the integration circuit is prepared to be operated in a first and a second subphase, wherein in each of first and second subphases one of the first and the second input signals is supplied to the inverting integrator and the respective other one of first and the second input signals is supplied to the respective other one of the first and the second amplifier.

An embodiment of this disclosure provides an automated payment apparatus. The apparatus includes a photodiode current integrator configured to charge an integration capacitor. The photodiode current integrator includes a first feedback resistor connected along a negative feedback path of an operational amplifier between an output of the operational amplifier and a negative input of the operational amplifier. The photodiode current integrator also includes a second feedback resistor connected along a positive feedback path of the operational amplifier between the output of the operational amplifier and a positive input of the operational amplifier. The photodiode current integrator also includes an integration capacitor connected to the positive input of the operational amplifier and to common circuit ground. The photodiode current integrator also includes a reset switch connected to the positive input of the operational amplifier and to common circuit ground or to additional voltage source. The photodiode current integrator also includes a photodiode connected to the positive input and the negative input of the operational amplifier.

A correlated double sampling integrating circuit is provided. The circuit includes: a sampling and holding module, an energy storage unit and a feedback module. The sampling and holding module is configured to perform sampling and holding for different input signals. The energy storage unit is configured to store charges corresponding to the input signals upon the sampling and holding to generate node signals, and the feedback module is configured to form a negative feedback loop with the energy storage unit to control node signals at an integrating stage to keep consistent with node signals at a resetting stage and prevent output jump of the correlated double sampling integrating circuit. The correlated double sampling integrating circuit reduces noise, and prevents or weakens output jump of the correlated double sampling integrating circuit caused by the increase of the count of integrations.

A pseudo-resistor structure, comprises: a first and a second PMOS transistor or PN diode configured as two-terminal devices, wherein the positive terminal of the first PMOS transistor or PN diode is connected to the positive terminal of the second PMOS transistor or PN diode, and wherein the negative terminal of the first PMOS transistor or PN diode is connected to an input (A) of the pseudo-resistor structure and wherein the negative terminal of the second PMOS transistor or PN diode is connected to an output (C) of the pseudo-resistor structure, and a dummy transistor or dummy diode connected to the input (A), wherein the dummy transistor or dummy diode is further connected to a bias voltage for compensating a leakage current through the first and the second PMOS transistors or PN diodes. A closed-loop operational amplifier circuit comprising the pseudo-resistor structure is provided. Also, a bio-potential sensor comprising the closed-loop operational amplifier circuit is provided.

A semiconductor amplifier circuit comprising an input block adapted for receiving a voltage signal to be amplified, an integrator circuit having an integrating capacitor providing a continuous-time signal representative for the integral of the voltage signal, a first feedback path comprising: a sample-and-hold block and a first feedback block, the first feedback path providing a proportional feedback signal upstream of the current integrator. The amplification factor is larger than 1 for a predefined frequency range. Charge stored on the integrating capacitor at the beginning of a sample period is linearly removed during one single sampling period in such a way that the absolute value of the charge is smaller at the end of the sampling period than at the beginning of the sample period when the voltage signal to be amplified is equal to zero.

A correlated double sampling integrating circuit is provided. The circuit includes: a sampling and holding module, an energy storage unit and a feedback module. The sampling and holding module is configured to perform sampling and holding for different input signals. The energy storage unit is configured to store charges corresponding to the input signals upon the sampling and holding to generate node signals, and the feedback module is configured to form a negative feedback loop with the energy storage unit to control node signals at an integrating stage to keep consistent with node signals at a resetting stage and prevent output jump of the correlated double sampling integrating circuit. The correlated double sampling integrating circuit reduces noise, and prevents or weakens output jump of the correlated double sampling integrating circuit caused by the increase of the count of integrations.

A differential amplifier comprises: a long tailed pair transistor configuration comprising a differential pair of transistors and a tail transistor; and a replica circuit configured to vary a feedback current in the replica circuit to match a replica voltage to a reference voltage, wherein varying the feedback current in the replica circuit provides a bias voltage to the tail transistor in the long tailed pair which controls a tail current through the tail transistor to determine a common mode voltage in the long tailed pair.

An amplifier arrangement has a first differential stage with a first transistor pair, a second differential stage with a first and a second transistor pair, each pair having a common source connection. The amplifier arrangement further has a first complementary differential stage with a transistor pair having opposite conductivity type, and a second complementary differential stage with a first and a second transistor pair of the complementary conductivity type. The first and the second complementary differential stage are connected symmetrically compared to the first and the second differential stage. The transistors of the second differential stage and the second complementary differential stage are symmetrically connected to form respective first, second, third and fourth current paths. A pair of output terminals is coupled to the first and the fourth current path. Gate terminals of the transistors are coupled to a respective pair of input terminals.

An impedance measurement circuit for determining a sense current of a guard-sense capacitive sensor operated in loading mode. The circuit includes a periodic signal voltage source for providing a periodic measurement voltage, a sense current measurement circuit, a differential amplifier that is configured to sense a complex voltage difference between the sense electrode and the guard electrode, a demodulator for obtaining, with reference to the periodic measurement voltage, an in-phase component and a quadrature component of the sensed complex voltage difference, and control loops for receiving the in-phase component and the quadrature component, respectively. An output signal of the first control loop and an output signal of the second control loop are usable to form a complex voltage that serves as a complex reference voltage for the sense current measurement circuit.