Patent ID: 7161418

Claim:
An amplifier arrangement, comprising: a first programmable amplifier comprising an input, an output, and a programming input for setting a gain associated therewith; a second programmable amplifier comprising an input coupled to the output of the first programmable amplifier, an output, and a programming input for setting a gain associated therewith, wherein the first and second programmable amplifiers are configured to be programmable with a different amplifier gain step size; and a calibration path coupled between the output of the second programmable amplifier and the programming input of the first and second programmable amplifiers, wherein the calibration path comprises a signal strength level detector connected to the output of the second programmable amplifier, an analog/digital converter coupled to an output of the signal strength level detector, and an evaluation and control element coupled to an output of the analog/digital converter, wherein the signal strength level detector is configured to output an analog signal that is a function of a signal power at the output of the second programmable amplifier, wherein the analog/digital converter is configured to convert the analog signal to a digital word, and wherein the evaluation and control element is configured to output a control signal to the programming inputs of the first and second programmable amplifiers to set the gains thereof based on the digital word.