A multi-symbol per stage pipelined time-to-digital converter (TDC) is presented. The TDC includes a quantizer and a residue generator. The quantizer has an input to accept an analog input first time-differential signal comprising a binary level first edge separated from a binary level second edge by a first duration of time. The first time-differential signal is capable as being represented by m time intervals. The quantizer has an output to supply a first digital code representing Ceil(log.sub.2(m)) bit values responsive to (m1) time interval measurements. The first digital code is a time-to-digital conversion. For example, if the first time-differential signal is capable of being represented as a p-bit binary coded digital word, the quantizer outputs a first digital code representing the Ceil(log.sub.2(m)) most significant bit (MSB) values of the p-bit digital word.

A time to digital converter includes a state transition section configured to start, based on a trigger signal, state transition in which an internal state transitions, a transition-state acquiring section configured to acquire, in synchronization with a reference signal, state information from the state transition section and hold the state information, and an arithmetic operation section configured to calculate, based on the state information, a time digital value corresponding to the number of times of transition of the internal state. The state transition section includes a tapped delay line to which a plurality of delay elements are coupled, a logic circuit, and a state machine. The state information is represented by count information output from the state machine and propagation information output from the tapped delay line. A hamming distance of the state information before and after the state transition is 1. A time from when the internal state transitions from a first internal state to a second internal state until when the internal state reverts to the first internal state is longer than a time interval for updating the state information held by the transition-state acquiring section.

An A/D converter circuit that converts analog information to numerical data is provided with a pulse delay circuit and an output unit. A sampling period is set so that a relationship between the sampling period and a circulation period of a pulse signal passing through a ring delay circuit satisfies a relational expression Trdln<Ts Trdl(n+1). In the relational expression, Ts is the sampling period, Trdl is the circulation period in which the pulse signal circulates through the pulse delay circuit, and n is an integer equal to or greater than 0.

An A/D conversion circuit converts an analog signal into numerical data. The A/D conversion circuit includes: a pulse delay circuit that includes an odd number of delay units connected in series, and inverting and delaying a pulse signal, and that changes the numeral number of the delay units which the pulse signal passes through in accordance with a value of the analog signal; latch circuits that synchronize the pulse signal with sampling clocks, and latch the pulse signal; encoders that set a position of the pulse signal to the numerical data by circulating encode values periodically set in order from an initial value to a final value to synchronously sample the encode values; subtractors that calculate each of differences between a previous value and a current value; and an adder that adds subtraction results. The encode values are set to be shifted between at least two encoders.

A time capture circuit can measure time between edges of a logic input signal. A delay line generates consecutive increasingly delayed replicas of the logic input signal. A free running counter is clocked by a counter clock signal corresponding to an external clock signal multiplied by a clock scale factor. A counter value capture circuit captures the counter value upon occurrence of an edge in the input signal, outputs a captured counter value, and issues a trigger signal. A decoder determines a decoded value based on values of the input signal and of the plurality of consecutive increasingly replicas when the trigger signal is issued and computes a capture value as the difference of the captured counter value logical left shifted by a first scale factor and the decoded value logical right shifted by a second scale factor.

A time to digital converter includes a state transition section configured to start, based on a trigger signal, state transition in which an internal state transitions, a transition-state acquiring section configured to acquire, in synchronization with a reference signal, state information from the state transition section and hold the state information, and an arithmetic operation section configured to calculate, based on the state information, a time digital value corresponding to the number of times of transition of the internal state. The state transition section includes a tapped delay line to which a plurality of delay elements are coupled, a logic circuit, and a state machine. The state information is represented by count information output from the state machine and propagation information output from the tapped delay line. A hamming distance of the state information before and after the state transition is 1. A time from when the internal state transitions from a first internal state to a second internal state until when the internal state reverts to the first internal state is longer than a time interval for updating the state information held by the transition-state acquiring section.

A digital controller for controlling an average-current-mode voltage regulator with an output connected to a load. The controller comprises a digital voltage-sampling window Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC), based on Delay-Lines (DLs) and configured to obtain a sample of a voltage error signal being the difference between the reference voltage and the output voltage, and to convert the voltage error signal from analog to digital representation; a digital current-sampling window ADC, based on DLs and configured to obtain a sample of the output current and to convert the current output from analog to digital representation; a digital compensator for voltage regulation, receiving as input the digital voltage error signal, configured to generate a current reference signal based thereupon; a digital compensator for current regulation, receiving as input the current error signal and the current reference signal, configured to generate a duty-ratio command signal based thereupon; and a digital hybrid High Resolution (HR) Digital Pulse Width Modulator (HR-DPWM) receiving as input the duty-ratio command signal and generating a pulse-width-modulated signal that is fed to the gates of the converter's transistors, to thereby control the current and voltage supplied to the load.

An RF receiver including: an antenna cable of receiving an RF signal; a low noise amplifier coupled to the antenna and having an output; a bandpass filter coupled to the output of the low noise amplifier and having a voltage signal output, V.sub.IN; a conversion and folding circuit; and an analog-to-digital converter for converting the earlier-arriving or later-arriving delay signals into a digital code representing the voltage signal. The conversion and folding circuit having: a voltage-to-delay converter block, including preamplifiers, for converting the voltage signal into delay signals; and a folding block, including logic gates coupled to the preamplifiers, for selecting earlier-arriving and later-arriving ones of the delay signals; and

An apparatus is provided which comprises: a first clock line to provide a first clock; a second clock line to provide a second clock; a delay line having a plurality of delay cells, wherein the delay line is coupled to the first and second clock lines, wherein the first clock is to sample the second clock; and circuitry coupled to the delay line, wherein the circuitry is to determine first or latest edge transitions from the outputs of the plurality of delay cells.

A capacitance-to-digital-converter includes a first delay block configured to output a first signal after a first delay based on a voltage at a capacitive sensor, the capacitive sensor configured to be iteratively discharged; a second delay block configured to output a second signal after a second delay; and a capacitance determination unit configured to determine a value indicative of a capacitance sensed by the capacitive sensor. This determination is based on: a number of clock periods during which the first delay is less than a third delay; a first time difference between receipt of the first signal and the second signal during a last clock period during which the first delay is less than the third delay; and a second time difference between receipt of the first signal and receipt of the second signal during a first clock period during which the first delay is greater than the third delay.