Ping Li Lo

US Patent:

7405689, Jul 29, 2008

Filed:

Dec 21, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/316636

Inventors:

Kent Kernahan - Cupertino CA, US
Xuecheng Jin - Palo Alto CA, US
Ping Lo - Santa Clara CA, US
Ion E. Opris - San Jose CA, US
Sorin Andrei Spanoche - Santa Clara CA, US

Assignee:

Exar Corporation - Fremont CA

International Classification:

H03M 1/12

US Classification:

341156, 341155

Abstract:

Methods and devices perform analog to digital signal conversion in shorter time and/or with less power consumption than that of a comparable analog to digital conversion that uses a conventional sequential approximation method based on a binary search. A predictive guess is supplied as a digital first signal. The digital first signal is converted (D/A) to a counterpart, analog guess signal. Fewer cycles and less power is consumed if the initial guess is within a certain range of the actual magnitude of the analog input sample signal. In one embodiment, a digital modeler is used to model a process underlying the analog input sample signal to thereby provide fairly good guesses.

US Patent:

7609185, Oct 27, 2009

Filed:

Jun 20, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/143708

Inventors:

Kent Kernahan - Cupertino CA, US
Xuecheng Jin - Palo Alto CA, US
Ping Lo - Santa Clara CA, US
Ion E. Opris - San Jose CA, US
Sorin Andrei Spanoche - Santa Clara CA, US

Assignee:

Exar Corporation - Fremont CA

International Classification:

H03M 1/10

US Classification:

341120

Abstract:

Methods are disclosed for performing analog to digital signal conversion in shorter time and/or with less power consumption. A predictive guess is supplied as a digital first signal. The digital first signal is converted (D/A) to a counterpart, analog guess signal. A comparison is made between the analog guess signal and a received, analog input sample signal. The result of the comparison is used to improve on the initially supplied guess in a next cycle. Fewer cycles and less power is consumed if the initial guess is within a certain range of the actual magnitude of the analog input sample signal.