A circuit is for sampling an analog input signal that receives and samples an analog input signal. Sampling circuitry is clocked at a sampling frequency and samples the analog input signal at a rate corresponding to the sampling frequency. The sampling circuitry includes at least one pulse density modulator that includes a comparator configured to be clocked at the sampling frequency, to provide bandpass sampling of the analog input signal at the sampling frequency, and to produce a corresponding pulsed output that is pulse density modulated based on the analog input signal.

This application relates to analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). An ADC 200 has a first converter (201) for receiving an analog input signal (AIN) and outputting a time encode signal (DT), such as a pulse-width-modulated (PWM) signal, based on input signal and a first conversion gain setting (GIN). In some embodiments the first converter has a PWM modulator (401) for generating a PWM signal such that the input signal is encoded by pulse widths that can vary continuously in time. A second converter (202) receives the time encoded signal and outputs a digital output signal (DOUT) based on the time encoded signal (DT) and a second conversion gain setting (GO). The second converter may have a first PWM-to-digital modulator (403). A gain allocation block (204) generates the first and second conversion gain settings based on the time encoded signal (DT). The gain allocation block (204) may have a second PWM-to-digital modulator (203) which may be of lower latency and/or lower resolution that the first PWM-to-digital modulator (403).

An ADC that may include a sampler that generates a series of current pulses; a group of charge memory units; a de-multiplexor for providing charge packets that reflect the series of current pulses to the group; at least one controller that causes different charge memory units of the group to receive charge packets from different current pulses during reception periods that start and end at points of tome outside the current pulses, a group of PWM modulators that are configured to generate PWM pulses that represent the charge packets stored by the group of charge memory units; delay units and a processor that is configured to generate an output digital signal that represents the input analog signal based on selected edges of the PWM pulses and delayed PWM pulses.

The present invention relates to the realization of an ADC by using a one shot time cell as an analog-to-time converter and a time-to-digital converter. The present invention relates in general, to the design and Integrated Circuit (IC) implementation of a fully-digital fully-synthesizable, delay-line analog-to-digital converter (DL-ADC). The present invention is specifically relevant for power management applications where the silicon area of the controller is of key importance. The design of the ADC is based on the approach of delay cells string to reduce design complexity and the resultant of the silicon area.

The present application provides an all-digital multi-phase DC-DC controller. The digital DC-DC controller includes time-based analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) for converting analog voltage signals into digital-domain signals so as to benefit from gate length scaling without limited by the low voltage swing. Also, the DC-DC controller further includes a digital control circuit and a time-based modulator. The digital control circuit can control the time-based modulator in a digital domain, thereby reducing the affection caused by process, voltage and temperature (PVT) variation. Also, the time-based modulator can adjust the timing of the PWM signals and avoid the performance degradation caused by circuit mismatch. Since the digital control circuit can be fully synthesizable, it allows implementations in all kinds of digital CMOS processes with a small chip area.

A system having: a power switching circuit providing a drive current to a load, and having: a power source; first and second serially connected switches convert DC power from the power source into AC current to form the drive current, or vice versa; a first high-bandwidth current sensor circuit measures high-side current pulses through the first switch and provides a first analog signal, proportional to the high-side pulses; a second high-bandwidth current sensor circuit measures low-side current pulses through the second switch and provides a second analog signal is proportional to the low-side pulses; a signal processing device coupled to the first and second current sensor circuits performs steps of: converting the first analog signal to a first digital signal and the second analog signal to a second digital signal; and reconstructing the drive current and obtaining its cycle average values from the first and second digital signals.

A single-ended analog signal receiver apparatus is provided, which can cope with an external ground current and an undefined impedance through an AC bootstrap input impedance, while considering electromagnetic compatibility, convert a received single-ended analog signal into a balanced output differential signal, and may provide at a post-stage circuit output an output signal with lower noise through common mode rejection.

In an embodiment a method includes receiving, at an input of a low-voltage section of a gate driver, a PWM control signal with a switching frequency, providing, at an output of a high-voltage section of the gat driver, a gate-driving signal as a function of the PWM control signal to a power stage, wherein the high-voltage section is galvanically isolated from the low-voltage section, receiving, at a feedback input of the high-voltage section, at least one feedback signal indicative of an operation of the power stage, converting, at an ADC module of the high-voltage section, the feedback signal into a digital data stream, providing, to the ADC module, a conversion-trigger signal designed to determine a start of a conversion for acquiring a new sample of the feedback signal and sending, via an isolation communication channel between the low-voltage section and the high-voltage section, the digital data stream to the low-voltage section.

This application relates to analogue-to-digital converters (ADCs). An ADC 200 has a first converter (201) for receiving an analogue input signal (AIN) and outputting a time encode signal (DT), such as a pulse-width-modulated (PWM) signal, based on input signal and a first conversion gain setting (GIN). In some embodiments the first converter has a PWM modulator (401) for generating a PWM signal such that the input signal is encoded by pulse widths that can vary continuously in time. A second converter (202) receives the time encoded signal and outputs a digital output signal (DOUT) based on the time encoded signal (DT) and a second conversion gain setting (GO). The second converter may have a first PWM-to-digital modulator (403). A gain allocation block (204) generates the first and second conversion gain settings based on the time encoded signal (DT). The gain allocation block (204) may have a second PWM-to-digital modulator (203) which may be of lower latency and/or lower resolution that the first PWM-to-digital modulator (403).

Provided are a sensor device and a sensing method using the same. The sensor device according to the present invention includes: a sensing voltage generating unit outputting different voltage values depending on an external environment; a pulse generating unit generating a pulse having a period which is proportional to an input voltage; a divider dividing an output of the pulse generating unit; and a counter unit measuring a length of an output pulse of the divider in a clock unit. As a result, the sensor device including an analog-digital converter (ADC) using a pulse width modulation technology is a miniature device and has high resolution.