A high resolution analog to digital converter (ADC) with improved bandwidth senses an analog signal (e.g., a load current) to generate a digital signal. The ADC operates based on a load voltage produced based on charging of an element (e.g., a capacitor) by a load current and a digital to analog converter (DAC) output current (e.g., from a N-bit DAC). The ADC generates a digital output signal representative of a difference between the load voltage and a reference voltage. This digital output signal is used directly, or after digital signal processing, to operate an N-bit DAC to generate a DAC output current that tracks the load current. In addition, quantization noise is subtracted from the digital output signal thereby extending the operational bandwidth of the ADC. In certain examples, the operational bandwidth of the ADC extends up to 100s of kHz (e.g., 200-300 kHz), or even higher.

Herein disclosed are some examples of metastability detectors and compensator circuitry for successive-approximation-register (SAR) analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) within delta sigma modulator (DSM) loops. A metastability detector may detect metastability at an output of a SAR ADC and compensator circuitry may implement a compensation scheme to compensate for the metastability. The identification of the metastability and/or compensation for the metastability can avoid detrimental effects and/or errors to the DSM loops that may be caused by the metastability of the SAR ADCS.

A high resolution analog to digital converter (ADC) with improved bandwidth senses an analog signal (e.g., a load current) to generate a digital signal. The ADC operates based on a load voltage produced based on charging of an element (e.g., a capacitor) by a load current and a digital to analog converter (DAC) output current (e.g., from a N-bit DAC). The ADC generates a digital output signal representative of a difference between the load voltage and a reference voltage. This digital output signal is used directly, or after digital signal processing, to operate an N-bit DAC to generate a DAC output current that tracks the load current. In addition, quantization noise is subtracted from the digital output signal thereby extending the operational bandwidth of the ADC. In certain examples, the operational bandwidth of the ADC extends up to 100s of kHz (e.g., 200-300 kHz), or even higher.

A time-interleaved noise-shaping successive-approximation analog-to-digital converter (TI NS-SAR ADC) is shown. A first successive-approximation channel has a first set of successive-approximation registers, and a first coarse comparator operative to coarsely adjust the first set of successive-approximation registers. A second successive-approximation channel has a second set of successive-approximation registers, and a second coarse comparator operative to coarsely adjust the second set of successive-approximation registers. A fine comparator is provided to finely adjust the first set of successive-approximation registers and the second set of successive-approximation registers alternately. A noise-shaping circuit is provided to sample residues of the first and second successive-approximation channels for the fine comparator to finely adjust the first and second sets of successive-approximation registers.

A time-interleaved noise-shaping successive-approximation analog-to-digital converter (TI NS-SAR ADC) is shown. A first successive-approximation channel has a first set of successive-approximation registers, and a first coarse comparator operative to coarsely adjust the first set of successive-approximation registers. A second successive-approximation channel has a second set of successive-approximation registers, and a second coarse comparator operative to coarsely adjust the second set of successive-approximation registers. A fine comparator is provided to finely adjust the first set of successive-approximation registers and the second set of successive-approximation registers alternately. A noise-shaping circuit is provided to sample residues of the first and second successive-approximation channels for the fine comparator to finely adjust the first and second sets of successive-approximation registers.

The present invention provides an ADC including a first switched capacitor array, a second switched capacitor array, a third switched capacitor array, an integrator and a quantizer. The first switched capacitor array is configured to sample the input signal to generate a first sampled signal. The second switched capacitor array is configured to sample the input signal to generate a second sampled signal and generate a first quantization error. The third switched capacitor array is configured to sample the input signal to generate a third sampled signal and generate a second quantization error. The integrator is configured to receive the first quantization error and the second quantization error in a time-interleaving manner, and integrate the first/second quantization error to generate an integrated quantization error. The quantizer is configured to quantize the first sampled signal by using the integrated quantization error as a reference voltage to generate a digital output signal.

A converter includes a time window cut-out block, a fast Fourier transform (FFT) block, an attenuation amount limitation block, a quantization noise attenuation block, an overtone generation block, an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) block, and a time window resynthesis block. The attenuation amount limitation block determines the maximum attenuation amount of quantization noise to be attenuated in the quantization noise attenuation block based on the magnitude of a signal level of sound data supplied from the time window cut-out block. The quantization noise attenuation block adjusts amplitude in a frequency domain based on the maximum attenuation amount determined by the attenuation amount limitation block, to attenuate the quantization noise.

A time-interleaved noise-shaping successive-approximation analog-to-digital converter (TI NS-SAR ADC) is shown. A first successive-approximation channel has a first set of successive-approximation registers, and a first coarse comparator operative to coarsely adjust the first set of successive-approximation registers. A second successive-approximation channel has a second set of successive-approximation registers, and a second coarse comparator operative to coarsely adjust the second set of successive-approximation registers. A fine comparator is provided to finely adjust the first set of successive-approximation registers and the second set of successive-approximation registers alternately. A noise-shaping circuit is provided to sample residues of the first and second successive-approximation channels for the fine comparator to finely adjust the first and second sets of successive-approximation registers.

The present application relates to a method for operating sensing signals and the circuit thereof. An analog-to-digital converter first processes the input signal having the most significant bit (MSB DATA) data at least once. Afterwards, the analog-to-digital converter processes the input signal having the least significant bit (LSB) data and the MSB data and sums all the input signals. Thereby, the process steps of the analog-to-digital converter can be simplified and the processing time can be shortened.

A high resolution analog to digital converter (ADC) with improved bandwidth senses an analog signal (e.g., a load current) to generate a digital signal. The ADC operates based on a load voltage produced based on charging of an element (e.g., a capacitor) by a load current and a digital to analog converter (DAC) output current (e.g., from a N-bit DAC). The ADC generates a digital output signal representative of a difference between the load voltage and a reference voltage. This digital output signal is used directly, or after digital signal processing, to operate an N-bit DAC to generate a DAC output current that tracks the load current. In addition, quantization noise is subtracted from the digital output signal thereby extending the operational bandwidth of the ADC. In certain examples, the operational bandwidth of the ADC extends up to 100 s of kHz (e.g., 200-300 kHz), or even higher.