IP Library Granted Patent US 10,536,156
Granted Patent B1
US 10,536,156 · App. 16/162,135 · Granted Jan 14, 2020

Analog-to-digital converter controllers including configurable contexts

Inventors: Ashish Senapati (Tempe, AZ); Kevin Kilzer (Chandler, AZ); Prashanth Pulipaka (Karnataka, IN)
Assignee: Microchip Technology Incorporated
H03M1/1225
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,536,156
App. No.
16/162,135
Granted
Jan 14, 2020
Kind
B1
Abstract

Various embodiments relate to analog-to-digital converter (ADC) controllers. An ADC controller may include a number of input channels and an ADC selectively coupled to each input channel of the number of input channels. The ADC controller may further include a number of contexts operatively coupled to the ADC, wherein each context of the number of contexts is associated with an input channel of the number of input channels. Further, each context may include at least one register for storing at least one configurable parameter. The ADC controller may also include a sequencer operatively coupled to the number of context and configured to perform a programmed conversion sequence on one or more input channels of the number of input channels based on one or more configurable parameters of one or more contexts of the number of contexts.

Claims (30)

1. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) controller, the ADC controller comprising:

a number of input channels;

an ADC selectively coupled to each input channel of the number of input channels;

a number of contexts operatively coupled to the ADC, each context associated with an input channel of the number of input channels, each context having at least one register for storing at least one configurable parameter; and

a sequencer operatively coupled to the number of contexts and configured to perform a programmed conversion sequence on one or more input channels of the number of input channels based on one or more configurable parameters of one or more contexts of the number of contexts.

2. The ADC controller of claim 1 , wherein one configurable parameter of the at least one configurable parameter of each context indicates whether the context is to be included in the programmed conversion sequence.

3. The ADC controller of claim 2 , wherein the one configurable parameter that indicates whether or not the context is to be included in the programmed conversion sequence comprises a sequence enable bit.

4. The ADC controller of claim 1 , wherein one configurable parameter of the at least one configurable parameter of each context comprises an interrupt parameter.

5. The ADC controller of claim 1 , further comprising a context selector operatively coupled to the sequencer and configured to select a context of the number of contexts based on the programmed conversion sequence.

6. The ADC controller of claim 1 , further comprising a peripheral bus operatively coupled to each of the number of contexts and the sequencer.

7. The ADC controller of claim 6 , wherein each context is configured to receive a signal via the peripheral bus for configuring the at least one configurable parameter.

8. The ADC controller of claim 1 , further comprising an input channel selector operatively coupled between the number of contexts and the number of input channels, the input channel selector configured to select an input channel of the number of input channels based on a signal from at least one of the number of contexts.

9. A method of performing an analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion sequence, the method comprising:

converting an input signal of a first input channel associated with a first context of a number of contexts to a first digital signal;

determining if a continuous operation bit of the first context is asserted;

determining if a sequence enable bit of the first context is asserted;

in response to determining that the continuous operation bit of the first context is not asserted and the sequence enable bit of the first context is asserted, selecting a second context of the number of contexts; and

converting an input signal of a second input channel associated with the second context to a second digital signal.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

determining if a continuous operation bit of the second context is asserted;

determining if a sequence enable bit of the second context is asserted;

in response to determining that the continuous operation bit of the second context is not asserted and the sequence enable bit of the second context is asserted, selecting a third context of the number of contexts; and

converting an input signal of a third input channel associated with the third context to a third digital signal.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

determining if an interrupt flag for the first context has been triggered;

in response to determining that the interrupt flag for the first context has been triggered, determining if a stop on interrupt bit of the first context is asserted; and

in response to determining that the stop on interrupt bit of the first context is not asserted, converting the input signal of the first input channel associated with the first context to the first digital signal.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising in response to determining that either the continuous operation bit of the first context is asserted or the sequence enable bit of the first context is not asserted, clearing an A/D conversion status bit of the first context.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising detecting a trigger prior to converting the input signal of the first input channel.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising asserting an analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion status bit prior to converting the input signal of the first input channel.

Assignments (13)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 14, 2022
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 060894/0437 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 11, 2022
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059363/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 10, 2022
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059863/0400 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 9, 2022
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059358/0335 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 28, 2022
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059263/0001 →
GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENT RIGHTS Recorded Nov 19, 2021
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 058214/0625 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 4, 2021
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 057935/0474 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 24, 2020
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 055671/0612 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2020
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INC.; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 052856/0909 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2020
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INC.; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 053468/0705 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 30, 2020
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INC.; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 053466/0011 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 24, 2020
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INC.; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 053311/0305 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 17, 2018
From: SENAPATI, ASHISH; KILZER, KEVIN; PULIPAKA, PRASHANTH
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 047199/0146 →