Ami Semiconductor, Inc.

Emma Mixed Signal C.v.

Christian Caduff

Alexandre Heubi

Régis Caillet

ADC circuitry has a first programmable gain amplifier to amplify an analog input, a first analog to digital converter coupled to an output of the first amplifier, a second programmable gain amplifier, to amplify the analog input, a second analog to digital converter coupled to an output of the second amplifier, and a digital circuit for deriving a digital output from the outputs of the first and second converters and a controller for controlling the gains of the first and second amplifiers, according to the outputs of the first and second converters. Such programmable gain pre amplifiers help enable effective dynamic range to be extended without unduly increasing the number of quantisation bits, or the number of components or the power dissipation. It can be used in applications sensitive to size and power, such as DSP based acoustic devices including hearing aids.

ADC with dynamic range extension

Disclosed is an Amplifier () comprising an output driver with a first output stage () and a second output stage (), where an input signal is applied non-inverted to the first output stage and inverted to the second output stage, characterized in that said input signal is applied with delay to one of the output stages ().

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Bern, Switzerland

Christian Caduff