The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 28, 1999
Filed:
Sep. 16, 1997
Fred Sterzer, Princeton, NJ (US);
Other;
Abstract
An N-bit analog to biphase-encoded analog-to digital converter, which comprises (1) a biphase amplitude modulator responsive to an analog signal and a microwave pump carrier frequency f.sub.c for deriving a biphase-encoded carrier signal having a phase value determined by the current polarity of the analog signal and a peak amplitude determined by the current magnitude of the analog signal, and (2) an ordinally-arranged group of comparators. The modulator and the comparators, in order, derive fixed-amplitude, biphase-encoded output signals, each having a phase value indicative of a separate one of the most significant bit (MSB) to the Nth MSB in response to a biphase-encoded, modulated-carrier signal and the pump carrier frequency f.sub.c applied as inputs to each of the ordinally-arranged comparators. A corresponding ordinally-arranged group of sample and hold circuits, each responsive to an applied periodically-occurring sample clock from a sample clock circuit, are used to sample and then hold for a sample period the then-current phase of each of the MSB to Nth MSB output signals from comparators. Alternatively, a sample latch included in each of the group of comparators can replace the sample and hold circuits. Doubly-balanced mixers, each operating as either a modulator or a demodulator, are used to implement the biphase amplitude modulator, each of the comparators, each of the sample and hold circuits and sample clock circuit.