Patent ID: 7002408

Claim:
An apparatus including data signal amplification and processing circuitry with multiple signal gains, comprising: a signal node to convey an input signal having an input signal value; amplification circuitry coupled to said signal node, including a variable signal gain responsive to at least one gain control signal having a plurality of values, and responsive to said input signal by providing an intermediate signal having a plurality of values corresponding to said plurality of gain control signal values; sampling circuitry coupled to said amplification circuitry and responsive to a sampling control signal by sampling said intermediate signal to provide a sample signal having a plurality of values which include at least a maximum and a minimum, and correspond to said plurality of intermediate signal values; and processing circuitry coupled to said sampling circuitry and responsive to one or more processing control signals by processing said sample signal to provide a processed signal having a value corresponding to said input signal value, wherein said processed signal value represents said maximum sample signal value when said maximum value fails to traverse a predetermined lower threshold, said minimum sample signal value when an adjacent larger one of said plurality of sample signal values traverses a predetermined higher threshold, a smaller of mutually adjacent ones of a pair of said plurality of sample signal values when a larger one of said pair of sample signal values traverses said predetermined higher threshold and said smaller value fails to traverse said predetermined lower threshold, and a combination of said smaller and larger ones of said pair of sample signal values when said larger value traverses said predetermined lower threshold and fails to traverse said predetermined higher threshold.