The present disclosure relates to chopper amplifier circuits with inherent chopper ripple suppression. Example implementations can realize a doubly utilized chopper amplifier circuit that is a current-saving circuit with a wake-up function that is capable of providing a self-wake signal in order to change into a fast, low-jitter/low-latency mode, and to provide a wake-up signal for a sleeping microprocessor or a system in response to signal changes.

The present disclosure relates to chopper amplifier circuits with inherent chopper ripple suppression. Example implementations can realize a doubly utilized chopper amplifier circuit that is a current-saving circuit with a wake-up function that is capable of providing a self-wake signal in order to change into a fast, low-jitter/low-latency mode, and to provide a wake-up signal for a sleeping microprocessor or a system in response to signal changes.

An instrumentation amplifier includes first and second resistors for gain setting. The operational amplifiers within the instrumentation amplifier include selectively enabled current drive sources coupled to the amplifier output. The first and second resistors have variable resistances. A control circuit is configured to select the variable resistances of the first and second resistors to implement a fixed gain for the instrumentation amplifier and further selectively enable the current drive sources. The control circuit receives an indication of a downstream programmable gain (for example, from a downstream programmable gain amplifier). The variable resistances of the first and second resistors are selected to be scaled inversely with respect to the downstream programmable gain and the current drive sources are enabled proportionately with respect to the downstream programmable gain.

An instrumentation amplifier includes first and second resistors for gain setting. The operational amplifiers within the instrumentation amplifier include selectively enabled current drive sources coupled to the amplifier output. The first and second resistors have variable resistances. A control circuit is configured to select the variable resistances of the first and second resistors to implement a fixed gain for the instrumentation amplifier and further selectively enable the current drive sources. The control circuit receives an indication of a downstream programmable gain (for example, from a downstream programmable gain amplifier). The variable resistances of the first and second resistors are selected to be scaled inversely with respect to the downstream programmable gain and the current drive sources are enabled proportionately with respect to the downstream programmable gain.

A system for measuring high power currents, including: a low power transistor that is a scaled replica of a high power transistor of a high power driver; a regulator connected to the low power transistor, wherein the regulator is configured to regulate the current flowing through the low power transistor based upon a voltage sensed across the high power transistor and a chop signal; a current mirror with an input connected to the regulator and an output; a current detector having in input configured to receive the chop signal, wherein the current detector is connected to the output of the current mirror and wherein the current detector is configured to measure the current at the output of the current mirror to produce an estimate of the current flowing through the high power transistor.

When the offsets of the first and second differential units have polarities different from each other, the first and second differential units are both set to a normal connection state, i.e., a state in which the input voltage is supplied to the first input terminal of each of the first and second differential units and the output voltage is supplied to the second input terminal of each of the first and second differential units. When the offsets of the first and second differential units have the same polarity, on the other hand, the first differential unit is set to the above normal connection state and the second differential unit is set to a chopping connection state in which the output voltage is supplied to the first input terminal and the input voltage is supplied to the second input terminal.

When the offsets of the first and second differential units have polarities different from each other, the first and second differential units are both set to a normal connection state, i.e., a state in which the input voltage is supplied to the first input terminal of each of the first and second differential units and the output voltage is supplied to the second input terminal of each of the first and second differential units. When the offsets of the first and second differential units have the same polarity, on the other hand, the first differential unit is set to the above normal connection state and the second differential unit is set to a chopping connection state in which the output voltage is supplied to the first input terminal and the input voltage is supplied to the second input terminal.

A voltage-current converter includes a first input stage and a second input stage with a first transistor and a second transistor driven by the first input stage and by the second input stage, respectively. First and second current generators are coupled to current lines of the first transistor and of the second transistor. At least one resistor couples the current lines of the first transistor and of the second transistor, where the ends of the aforesaid resistor are coupled to feedback terminals of the input stages so that an input voltage applied between voltage input terminals of the input stages is converted into a current on respective current output terminals of the converter. The converter includes switching circuits for coupling the first and second current generators alternately to the current line of the first transistor and to the current line of the second transistor.

A semiconductor circuit comprising an input block having a first chopper providing a chopped voltage signal, a first transconductance converting said chopped voltage signal into a chopped current signal, a second chopper providing a demodulated current signal, a current integrator having an integrating capacitor providing a continuous-time 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 at least 2. Charge stored on the integrating capacitor at the beginning of a sample period is linearly removed during one single sampling period. Each chopper operates at a chopping frequency. The sample-and-hold-block operates at a sampling frequency equal to an integer times the chopping frequency.

A chopper stabilzed amplifier with synchronous switched capacitor noise filtering is disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, an apparatus includes a chopper amplifier having an input that receives an input signal and an output that outputs an amplified signal. The chopper amplifier includes an input chopping circuit and an output chopping circuit, where the input and output chopping circuits operate in response to a chop clock. The apparatus also includes a switched capacitor filter having an input that receives the amplified signal and an output that outputs a filtered signal. The switched capacitor filter operates in response to a filter clock. The apparatus also includes a filter timing adjuster that receives a reference voltage and adjusts a phase of the filter clock with respect to the chop clock to reduce chopper noise on that reference voltage.