Patent ID: 11936398
Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
Field: Basic communication processes (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H  G | IPC G  H

Claim 0:
1. A system for performing analog-to-digital conversion, the system comprising:
a probe having a first ASIC, wherein the first ASIC is adapted to:
receive an analog signal; and
output a binary bit-stream comprising asynchronous time-domain pulses;

a processing unit having a second ASIC, wherein the second ASIC comprises a time-to-digital converter adapted to:
receive the binary bit-stream; and
generate a digital output from the binary bit-stream based on time-to-digital conversion; and

a data channel adapted to propagate the binary bit-stream from the first ASIC to the second ASIC, wherein the first and second ASICs are spatially separated,
wherein the time-to-digital converter comprises a pipeline time-to-digital converter, the pipeline time-to-digital converter comprising:
a coarse time-to-digital converter, wherein the coarse time-to-digital converter is adapted to:
receive the binary bit-stream; and
output:
a coarse digital output; and
a coarse residue time; and

a fine time-to-digital converter block, adapted to receive the coarse residue time, wherein the fine time-to-digital converter block comprises:
one or more fine time-to-digital converters connected in series, each adapted to:
receive an incoming residue time from the previous fine, or coarse, time-to-digital converter in the series;
output an outgoing residue time to the subsequent fine time-to-digital converter in the series; and
output a fine digital output.