Methods and apparatus for reduced hardware multiple variable voltage generator
View Patent ↗A circuit is described that generates multiple voltages each having a common reference point. The circuit uses a feedback control loop to generate a center voltage, a first voltage generator, and a second voltage generator. The first voltage generator generates a first high voltage related to the center voltage plus a first offset voltage and a first low voltage related to the center voltage minus the first offset voltage, where the first offset voltage is determined by a first control input to the first voltage generator. The second voltage generator generates a second high voltage related to the center voltage plus a second offset voltage and a second low voltage related to the center voltage minus the second offset voltage, where the second offset voltage is determined by a second control input to the second voltage reference generator. An example is also presented where the multiple voltage generator circuit is advantageously employed in a deserializer data acquisition system.
1. A circuit comprising:
a feedback control generator generating a center voltage;
a first voltage generator generating a first high voltage related to the center voltage plus a first offset voltage and a first low voltage related to the center voltage minus the first offset voltage, wherein the first offset voltage is determined by a first control input to the first voltage generator; and
a second voltage generator generating a second high voltage related to the center voltage plus a second offset voltage and a second low voltage related to the center voltage minus the second offset voltage, wherein the second offset voltage is determined by a second control input to the second voltage reference generator.
2. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the feedback control generator comprises:
an op-amp which receives a voltage reference and uses a feedback control loop to generate the center voltage to track the voltage reference.
3. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the first voltage generator comprises:
a first resistor having a first end and a second end;
a second resistor having a first end and a second end, the second resistor matched in value to the first resistor and the first end of the second resistor connected to the second end of the first resistor and to the center voltage;
a first differential digital to analog converter (DAC) receiving the first control input, generating the first high voltage on a positive output connected to the first end of the first resistor, and generating the first low voltage on a negative output connected to the second end of the second resistor; and
a first pull down device driven by the output of the op-amp and the conduction path of the first pull down device connected between ground and the second end of the second resistor.
4. The circuit of claim 3 wherein the first differential DAC generates a current into the first resistor that is proportional to the first control input.
5. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the second voltage generator comprises:
a third resistor having a first end and a second end;
a fourth resistor having a first end and a second end, the fourth resistor matched in value to the third resistor and the first end of the fourth resistor connected to the second end of the third resistor and to the center voltage;
a second differential digital to analog converter (DAC) receiving the second control input, generating the second high voltage on a positive output connected to the first end of the third resistor, and generating the second low voltage on a negative output connected to the second end of the fourth resistor; and
a second pull down device driven by the output of the op-amp and the conduction path of the second pull down device connected between ground and the second end of the fourth resistor.
6. The circuit of claim 5 wherein the second differential DAC generates a current into the third resistor that is proportional to the second control input.
7. The circuit of claim 1 further comprises:
a third voltage generator generating a third high voltage related to the center voltage plus a third offset voltage and a third low voltage related to the center voltage minus the third offset voltage, wherein the third offset voltage is determined by a third control input to the third voltage reference generator.
8. The circuit of claim 7 wherein the third voltage generator comprises:
a fifth resistor having a first end and a second end;
a sixth resistor having a first end and a second end, the sixth resistor matched in value to the fifth resistor and the first end of the sixth resistor connected to the second end of the fifth resistor and to the center voltage;
a third differential digital to analog converter (DAC) receiving the third control input, generating the third high voltage on a positive output connected to the first end of the fifth resistor, and generating the third low voltage on a negative output connected to the second end of the sixth resistor; and
a third pull down device driven by the output of the op-amp and the conduction path of the third pull down device connected between ground and the second end of the sixth resistor.
9. The circuit of claim 8 wherein the third differential DAC generates a current into the fifth resistor that is proportional to the third control input.
10. The circuit of claim 7 wherein the center voltage, the first, the second, and the third high voltages, and the first, the second, and the third low voltages are used as reference voltages in a deserializer data acquisition system.
11. The circuit of claim 2 wherein the voltage input is a common mode voltage of a differential amplifier.
12. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the first high voltage and the first low voltage are used as reference voltages for signal transition detector latches.
13. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the second high voltage and the second low voltage are used as reference voltages for data sampling latches.
14. The circuit of claim 7 wherein the third high voltage and the third low voltage are used as reference voltages for signal roaming latches.
15. A system for data acquisition comprising:
a preamplifier circuit generating a differential output and a common mode voltage;
an acquisition subsystem for acquiring data from the differential output based on multiple variable voltages used as reference voltages for data discrimination and generating a set of control signals; and
a multiple reference generator generating, by use of a single feedback control loop, a center voltage to track the common mode voltage and generating the multiple variable voltages based on the set of control signals and the center voltage.
16. The system of claim 15 wherein the multiple reference generator comprises:
a first voltage generator generating a first high voltage that is a positive first offset amount from the center voltage and a first low voltage that is a negative first offset amount from the center voltage, wherein the first offset amount is determined by a first subset of the set of control signals; and
a second voltage generator generating a second high voltage that is a positive second offset amount from the center voltage and a second low voltage that is a negative second offset amount from the center voltage, wherein the second offset amount is determined by a second subset of the set of control signals.
17. The system of claim 16 wherein the acquisition subsystem comprises:
a latch array having a plurality of latches, wherein each latch in a first subset of latches receives the differential output and receives the first high voltage and the first low voltage to be used for discriminating the differential output and each latch in a second subset of latches receives the differential output and the second high voltage and the second low voltage to be used for discriminating the differential output.
18. A method of generating multiple variable voltages, the method comprising:
generating a center voltage by utilizing a feedback control loop to force the center voltage to track a voltage reference input; and
generating a first high voltage related to the center voltage plus a first offset voltage, a first low voltage related to the center voltage minus the first offset voltage, a second high voltage related to the center voltage plus a second offset voltage, and a second low voltage related to the center voltage minus the second offset voltage, wherein the first offset voltage is determined by a first control input and the second offset voltage is determined by a second control input.
19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:
coupling the center voltage to a first voltage generator and to a second voltage generator;
coupling an op-amp output of the feedback control loop to the first voltage generator and to the second voltage generator; and
receiving the first control input in the first voltage generator and the second control input in the second voltage generator.
20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:
responding to the op-amp output in the first voltage generator to pull down the first low voltage, wherein the first low voltage is acquired at the bottom of a resistor divider having the center voltage at the midpoint of the resistor divider and the first high voltage acquired at the top of the resistor divider; and
responding to the op-amp output in the second voltage generator to pull down the second low voltage, wherein the second low voltage is acquired at the bottom of a resistor divider having the center voltage at the midpoint of the resistor divider and the second high voltage acquired at the top of the resistor divider.