Patent ID: 7345614
Filing Date: 2008-03-18
Classification: G04F,H03M

Abstract:
1. An analog to digital converter, comprising: a pulse transit unit having a plurality of inverting elements serially connected with one another, each inverting element receiving an analog voltage signal as a power source voltage and converting a pulse signal in an inversion operation time, the inversion operation time being changeable in dependent on the analog voltage signal, the inverting elements including a starting inverting element from which the transmission of the pulse signal is started, a detecting unit which detects a transit position of the pulse signal in the pulse transit unit; and a control unit which controls the pulse transit unit to start the transmission of the pulse signal from the starting inverting element at a start time, controls the detecting unit to detect the transit position of the pulse signal at a detection time later than the start time by a predetermined time, calculates a digital value indicating a level of the analog voltage signal from the detected transit position of the pulse signal, and outputs the digital value, wherein the pulse transit unit further has a plurality of delay elements so as to alternately dispose the inverting elements and the delay elements to delay the transmission of the pulse signal.