Patent ID: 7183811

Claim:
A comparator comprising: a first input terminal; a second input terminal; an output terminal; a differential amplifier including a first differential input transistor, a second differential input transistor connected thereto and a load circuit connected to the first differential input transistor and the second differential input transistor; an amplifier connected between the differential amplifier and the output terminal; an input signal switching circuit connected to the first input terminal and the second input terminal the input signal switching circuit configured to: switchably supply, in accordance with a polarity switching signal, a first signal to one of the first differential input transistor and the second differential input transistor, the first signal being inputted to the first input terminal, and switchably supply, in accordance with the polarity switching signal, a second signal to the other of the first differential input transistor and the second differential input transistor, the second signal being inputted to the second input terminal; and an output signal switching circuit configured to: receive a first output signal outputted from the first differential input transistor and a second output signal outputted from the second differential input transistor, and switchably provide one of the first and second output signals to the amplifier in accordance with the polarity switching signal.