IP Library Granted Patent US 7,808,414
Granted Patent B2
US 7,808,414 · App. 12/343,796 · Granted Oct 5, 2010

A/D conversion circuit and electronic instrument

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,808,414
App. No.
12/343,796
Granted
Oct 5, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

An A/D conversion circuit includes a continuous-time filter that performs a filtering process on an input signal, an SCF that is provided in a subsequent stage of the continuous-time filter and performs a filtering process utilizing the continuous-time filter as a prefilter, a cut-off frequency of the SCF being variably set corresponding to a frequency band of the input signal, an A/D converter that is provided in a subsequent stage of the SCF and performs an A/D conversion operation utilizing the continuous-time filter and the SCF as prefilters, and a digital filter that is provided in a subsequent stage of the A/D converter and performs a digital filtering process utilizing the continuous-time filter and the SCF as prefilters, a cut-off frequency of the digital filter being variably set corresponding to the frequency band of the input signal.

Claims (34)

1. An A/D conversion circuit comprising:

a continuous-time filter that performs a filtering process on an input signal;

a switched-capacitor filter that is provided in a subsequent stage of the continuous-time filter and performs a filtering process utilizing the continuous-time filter as a prefilter, a cut-off frequency of the switched-capacitor filter being variably set corresponding to a frequency band of the input signal;

an A/D converter that is provided in a subsequent stage of the switched-capacitor filter and performs an A/D conversion operation utilizing the continuous-time filter and the switched-capacitor filter as prefilters; and

a digital filter that is provided in a subsequent stage of the A/D converter and performs a digital filtering process utilizing the continuous-time filter and the switched-capacitor filter as prefilters, a cut-off frequency of the digital filter being variably set corresponding to the frequency band of the input signal.

2. The A/D conversion circuit as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:

a control circuit that variably sets the cut-off frequency of the switched-capacitor filter and the cut-off frequency of the digital filter.

3. The A/D conversion circuit as defined in claim 1 ,

when a cut-off frequency of the continuous-time filter is referred to as fc 0 , the cut-off frequency of the switched-capacitor filter is referred to as fc 1 , and the cut-off frequency of the digital filter is referred to as fc 2 , the relationship fc 0 >fc 1 >fc 2 being satisfied.

4. The A/D conversion circuit as defined in claim 1 ,

when a sampling frequency of the switched-capacitor filter is referred to as fck 1 , the cut-off frequency of the switched-capacitor filter is referred to as fc 1 , a resolution of the A/D converter is n bits, and an attenuation factor of the continuous-time filter at a frequency fck 1 -fc 1 is AT 1 dB, the relationship AT 1 ≦20×log(½ n ) being satisfied.

5. The A/D conversion circuit as defined in claim 4 ,

when a sampling frequency of the digital filter is referred to as fck 2 , the cut-off frequency of the digital filter is referred to as fc 2 , and a resultant attenuation factor of the continuous-time filter and the switched-capacitor filter at a frequency fck 2 -fc 2 is AT 2 dB, the relationship AT 2 ≦20×log(½ n ) being satisfied.

6. The A/D conversion circuit as defined in claim 1 ,

a cut-off frequency fc 0 of the continuous-time filter being fixed; and

the cut-off frequency fc 1 of the switched-capacitor filter and the cut-off frequency fc 2 of the digital filter being variably set.

7. The A/D conversion circuit as defined in claim 1

a sampling frequency fck 1 of the switched-capacitor filter being fixed; and the cut-off frequency fc 1 of the switched-capacitor filter being variably set.

8. The A/D conversion circuit as defined in claim 7 ,

the cut-off frequency fc 1 of the switched-capacitor filter being variably set by changing a capacitance ratio of a plurality of capacitors included in the switched-capacitor filter.

9. The A/D conversion circuit as defined in claim 1 ,

a sampling frequency fck 2 and the cut-off frequency fc 2 of the digital filter being variably set.

10. The A/D conversion circuit as defined in claim 9 ,

the sampling frequency fck 2 of the digital filter being set so that the sampling frequency fck 2 decreases as the cut-off frequency fc 1 of the switched-capacitor filter decreases.

11. The A/D conversion circuit as defined in claim 10 ,

the cut-off frequency fc 2 of the digital filter being set so that the cut-off frequency fc 2 decreases as the frequency band of the input signal decreases.

12. The A/D conversion circuit as defined in claim 1 ,

when a sampling frequency of the A/D converter is referred to as fck 1 ′, a sampling frequency fck 2 of the digital filter being variably set in such a range that the relationship fck 1 ′≧fck 2 is satisfied.

13. The A/D conversion circuit as defined in claim 12 ,

the A/D converter intermittently performing the A/D conversion operation every (fck 1 ′/fck 2 ) timings when fck 1 ′>fck 2 , and outputting digital data obtained by the intermittent A/D conversion operations to the digital filter.

14. The A/D conversion circuit as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:

an amplifier circuit that includes a plurality of amplifiers that are cascaded, the amplifier circuit being provided in a preceding stage of the switched-capacitor filter and receiving the input signal,

the continuous-time filter being formed by the plurality of amplifiers of the amplifier circuit.

15. An electronic instrument comprising the A/D conversion circuit as defined in claim 1 .

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 2, 2022
From: SEIKO EPSON CORP.
To: COLUMBIA PEAK VENTURES, LLC
Reel/Frame 058952/0475 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 24, 2008
From: FUKUZAWA, AKIHIRO; IMAI, NOBUYUKI; ITO, SATORU
To: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 022044/0361 →