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:
Nov. 23, 2004
Filed:
Aug. 14, 2002
Shalom Kattan, Campbell, CA (US);
Guide Technology, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Abstract
An improved method for calibrating threshold voltage levels on comparators corresponds to providing a dithered DC signal to one input and adjusting the threshold voltage on the other input in response to the comparator output. Such calibration may be necessary for comparator circuitry associated with measurement devices. A circuit to generate a dithered DC signal sums a precise DC value with a time-varying signal that has been modified, such as a rectified AC signal. During the calibration procedure, the internal threshold voltage is varied until no timing measurements are present. The difference between the determined optimum threshold voltage and the ideal voltage is stored in a system computer associated with the measurement device and used later in the measurement process to produce a precise threshold voltage input.