Granted Patent B2

US 12,726,204 · App. 18/717,452 · Granted Sep 1, 2026

Inventors: Roger Steadman Booker (Aachen, DE); Fridolin Michel (Au, CH)

Assignee: AMS INTERNATIONAL AG

H03K21/08H03K5/24

Abstract

Claims (44)

1 . A method for operating a circuit arrangement, the method comprising:

receiving an input voltage signal with an input voltage level by at least one first comparator and by at least one second comparator;

comparing the input voltage level to a first voltage level by the first comparator;

comparing the input voltage level to a second voltage level by the second comparator;

incrementing a first counter assigned to the first comparator once the input voltage level is higher than the first voltage level;

incrementing the first counter again after the input voltage level being lower and higher again than the first voltage level;

incrementing a second counter assigned to the second comparator once the input voltage level is higher than the second voltage level;

incrementing the second counter again after the input voltage level being lower and higher again than the second voltage level; and

incrementing the first counter by at least 1 again once the second counter was incremented twice without the first counter being incremented in between, wherein

the absolute value of the first voltage level is lower than the absolute value of the second voltage level,

wherein the input voltage signal is received by a pile-up comparator, the pile-up comparator compares the input voltage level to a pile-up voltage level and the absolute value of the pile-up voltage level is higher than the absolute value of the first voltage level and the absolute value of the second voltage level,

wherein the first counter and the second counter are both incremented by at least 1 once the input voltage level is higher than the pile-up voltage level, and

wherein the first counter and the second counter are incremented each time by at least 1 except for the first time at a set point in time during the period of a main clock running with a main clock frequency during the time that the input voltage level is higher than the pile-up voltage level.

2 . The method for operating a circuit arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the first counter is incremented by at least 1 again each time once the second counter was incremented for the case that the second counter was incremented at least twice without the first counter being incremented in between.

3 . The method for operating a circuit arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the input voltage signal is provided by a frontend circuit of a photon counting system, and the frontend circuit is configured to convert current pulses generated by a photon detector into voltage pulses forming the input voltage signal.

4 . The method for operating a circuit arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the first counter is incremented by 1 once the input voltage level is higher than the first voltage level and the second counter is incremented by 1 once the input voltage level is higher than the second voltage level.

5 . A method for operating a circuit arrangement, the method comprising:

receiving an input voltage signal with an input voltage level by at least one first comparator, by at least one second comparator and by at least one pile-up comparator;

comparing the input voltage level to a first voltage level by the first comparator;

comparing the input voltage level to a second voltage level by the second comparator;

comparing the input voltage level to a pile-up voltage level by the pile-up comparator;

incrementing a first counter assigned to the first comparator once the input voltage level is higher than the first voltage level;

incrementing a second counter assigned to the second comparator once the input voltage level is higher than the second voltage level; and

incrementing the first counter and the second counter by at least 1 once the input voltage level is higher than the pile-up voltage level, wherein

the absolute value of the first voltage level is lower than the absolute value of the second voltage level, and

the absolute value of the pile-up voltage level is higher than the absolute value of the first voltage level and the absolute value of the second voltage level,

wherein the input voltage signal is received by a pile-up comparator, the pile-up comparator compares the input voltage level to a pile-up voltage level and the absolute value of the pile-up voltage level is higher than the absolute value of the first voltage level and the absolute value of the second voltage level, and

wherein the first counter and the second counter are incremented each time at a set point in time during the period of a main clock running with a main clock frequency during the time that the input voltage level is higher than the pile-up voltage level.

6 . The method for operating a circuit arrangement according to claim 5 , wherein the period of the main clock is equal to or longer than an expected pulse width of pulses of the input voltage signal.

7 . A circuit arrangement comprising:

an input for receiving an input voltage signal with an input voltage level;

a first comparator that is connected with the input and that is configured to compare the input voltage level to a first voltage level;

a second comparator that is connected with the input and that is configured to compare the input voltage level to a second voltage level;

a first counter that is assigned to the first comparator and that is configured to be incremented once the input voltage level is higher than the first voltage level; and

a second counter that is assigned to the second comparator and that is configured to be incremented once the input voltage level is higher than the second voltage level, wherein

the first counter is configured to be incremented again after the input voltage level being lower and higher again than the first voltage level,

the second counter is configured to be incremented again after the input voltage level being lower and higher again than the second voltage level,

the first counter is configured to be incremented again once the second counter was incremented twice without the first counter being incremented in between, and

the absolute value of the first voltage level is lower than the absolute value of the second voltage level,

wherein the input voltage signal is received by a pile-up comparator, the pile-up comparator compares the input voltage level to a pile-up voltage level and the absolute value of the pile-up voltage level is higher than the absolute value of the first voltage level and the absolute value of the second voltage level,

wherein the first counter and the second counter are both incremented by at least 1 once the input voltage level is higher than the pile-up voltage level,

wherein the circuit arrangement comprises a pile-up comparator that is connected with the input and that is configured to compare the input voltage level to a pile-up voltage level, the absolute value of the pile-up voltage level is higher than the absolute value of the first voltage level and the absolute value of the second voltage level, and the first counter and the second counter are connected with the pile-up comparator, and

wherein a main clock running with a main clock frequency and the pile-up comparator are connected with a trigger generator that is configured to generate a trigger signal at a set point in time during the period of the main clock during the time that the input voltage level is higher than the pile-up voltage level.

8 . The circuit arrangement according to claim 7 , wherein the first counter is connected with the second comparator.

Assignments (2)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (11)