Patent ID: 6567031
Filing Date: 2003-05-20
Classification: H03M

Abstract:
A multi-channel analog-to-digital converter for digitizing a plurality of analog information channels each of which exhibit a corresponding highest frequency component of interest at least two of which differ from one another, and the multi-channel analog-to-digital converter comprising:at least one multiplexer with a plurality of inputs each coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of analog information channels, and the at least one multiplexer switchably coupled to each of the plurality of inputs to provide a multiplexed sequence of pre-samples and samples from the plurality of analog information channels; a channel selector coupled to the at least one multiplexer to drive selection thereby of sequential ones of the plurality of analog information channels to generate the multiplexed sequence of at least one pre-sample and the sample for each of the plurality of analog information channels at rates corresponding with at least twice a highest frequency component of interest within each of the plurality of analog information channels; at least two analog-to-digital conversion stages pipeline coupled to one another for pipelined analog-to-digital conversion of the multiplexed sequence from the at least one multiplexer with a first of the at least two analog-to-digital conversion stages converting each at least one pre-sample from the plurality analog information channels to at least one significant bit and a second of the at least two analog-to-digital conversion stages utilizing the at least one significant bit from the first of the at least two analog-to-digital stages to convert each corresponding sample from the plurality of analog information channels to at least a successive significant bit; and logic coupled to the at least two analog-to-digital conversion stages to repetitively combine each at least one significant bit from each corresponding at least one pre-sample with the at least successive significant bit from each corresponding sample to form composite digital samples for each of the plurality of analog information channels.