ADC Comparator Reference Switching for Lower Power Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Analog-to-digital converters face challenges with high power consumption and size due to the linear increase in the number of comparators required for increased accuracy and voltage range, necessitating a solution with lower power consumption and size.
Innovation Solution
Analog-to-digital converters utilize comparators with variable reference levels, a controller to generate control signals, and a reference level generator with a voltage divider or multiplexer to select reference levels, allowing for efficient use of comparators based on signal variation, reducing the number of active comparators as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the number of comparators is increased to improve measurement precision, then the conversion accuracy is improved, but the power consumption and device size increase linearly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic reference level adjustment where the reference levels applied to comparators are not fixed but vary over time based on the input signal characteristics. The controller dynamically selects and applies appropriate reference levels from a set of available levels, allowing the system to adapt the number of active comparators based on signal requirements, thus reducing power consumption while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the reference level parameter dynamically based on the input signal amplitude and characteristics. By adjusting the reference level parameter rather than increasing the number of comparators, the system achieves the same measurement precision improvement without the linear increase in power consumption and device size that would result from adding more comparators.
2Measurement precision
If the number of comparators is increased to improve measurement precision, then the conversion accuracy is improved, but the device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic reference level selection where a single set of comparators can serve multiple measurement ranges by dynamically adjusting their reference levels. This allows the system to achieve high conversion accuracy across a wide voltage range without requiring a large number of fixed comparators, thereby reducing the device area while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The comparators in the system are designed to be multi-functional, serving different measurement purposes at different times by changing their reference levels dynamically. This universal approach allows the same comparator hardware to handle multiple voltage ranges and accuracy requirements, eliminating the need for dedicated comparators for each range and thus reducing overall device size.
3Device complexity
If fixed reference levels are used for each comparator, then the converter structure is simplified, but the adaptability to different signal ranges is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic reference level adjustment controlled by a controller that monitors the input signal characteristics and dynamically selects appropriate reference levels from a set of available levels. This dynamic approach maintains relatively simple converter structure while significantly improving adaptability to different signal ranges and amplitudes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the reference level parameter based on the input signal characteristics, allowing the same comparator hardware to adapt to different signal ranges. This parameter-based adaptation approach maintains structural simplicity while achieving high versatility, avoiding the need for complex reconfigurable hardware or multiple fixed comparator sets.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3B
AI summary
The present description relates to an analog-to-digital converter (300), comprising: - one or more comparators (304), each configured to compare an analog signal (VIN) with a variable reference level (REF) specific to the comparator; - a controller (306) connected to an output of the one or more comparators (304) and configured to generate a control signal (CTRL) indicating the reference level (REF) of each comparator (304) as a function of an output signal of each of the one or more comparators and configured to generate a digital output signal (NUM) based on the output signal of each of the one or more comparators.