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:
Jul. 27, 2004
Filed:
Nov. 13, 2002
Kenneth A. Maher, Cork, IE;
Anthony Blake, Co. Cork, IE;
Cypress Semiconductor Corp., San Jose, CA (US);
Abstract
An improved communication system, receiver, and method are provided that can reduce input voltages received by the receiver whenever those voltages extend upward to the maximum common-mode voltage range. A detect circuit determines whether the input voltages are at or near the maximum range. If so, the detect circuit sends a control signal to a level shift circuit which will reduce the input voltages by a predefined amount. The reduced voltages can then be forwarded to a sense circuit which preferably operates at a power supply voltage that is less than the maximum differential input voltage (i.e., the maximum voltage on the differential pair of signals), or less than the maximum common-mode voltage of the differential input signals. The sense circuit can thereby operate at a relatively wide common-mode voltage range, and utilizes a lower power supply voltage. The sense circuit can also be made up of a relatively simple differential pair of transistors with corresponding resistor loads in order to sense a differential input voltage range of, for example, 800 millivolts to 2.4 volts prior to voltage reduction, and 800 millivolts to 2.0 volts after voltage reduction.