Analog-to-Digital Converter Using Shift-Scale Invariant Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing analog signal processing technologies face challenges in achieving abstraction similar to digital signal processing, leading to issues with noise sensitivity and power consumption, and lack efficient methods for performing operations like multiplication and division without active components.
Innovation Solution
The development of an analog-to-digital converter using linear two-port elements and comparative networks to generate shift and scale invariant signals, allowing for operations like addition, subtraction, and division without quantizing analog properties, thereby reducing noise sensitivity and power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If analog signal processing is performed without abstraction, then the circuit can process continuous signals, but the circuit becomes sensitive to noise and power supply variation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary abstraction layer that encodes analog signals using multiple analog properties (voltage, current, charge) in a differential format. This intermediary representation shields the signal from noise and power variations, similar to how digital abstraction works but maintaining analog continuity. The encoded signal format acts as a mediator between the physical analog domain and the logical signal processing domain.
2Reliability
If digital signal processing is used, then noise and power supply variation do not affect signal interpretation, but the circuit requires quantization and loses continuous signal information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters used to represent the signal from a single analog property to multiple analog properties (voltage, current, charge) in a differential encoding scheme. This parameter transformation provides noise immunity similar to digital systems while maintaining continuous signal representation, avoiding the quantization loss inherent in traditional digital conversion.
3Productivity
If traditional analog-to-digital conversion is performed, then digital processing benefits are achieved, but power consumption increases and processing speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical quantization and digital conversion process with an analog encoding scheme that achieves similar noise immunity and processing benefits. By substituting the traditional ADC mechanism with an analog differential encoding approach, the system maintains faster processing speeds and lower power consumption while achieving digital-like reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for processing signals in the analog domain. A signal is derived from analog circuit properties that is shift and scale invariant. Although the circuit properties are not quantized as in traditional digital signal processing, the signal is immune from effects of the properties, such as common mode noise, absolute voltage or current level, finite settling time, etc., as a digital signal would be. The shift and scale invariance allows for mathematical operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of signals. By combining these operations, various circuits may be constructed, including a voltage controlled amplifier, a time gain amplifier, and an analog-to-digital converter. The circuits are constructed using almost no non-linear, active devices, and will thus use less power for a given speed than comparable digital devices, and will often be faster as there are no delay elements and no need to wait for the circuit properties to settle.