Patent ID: 8605853

Claim:
An apparatus for counting pulses in a series of pulses representing an analog signal, the apparatus comprising: an integrated circuit comprising a plurality of unit cells, wherein at least one unit cell in the plurality of unit cells comprises: a plurality of counters operably configured to count at least one pulse in the series of pulses representing the analog signal, wherein at least one counter in the plurality of counters is configured to be switched from a first operating mode to a second operating mode independently of operating modes of the other counters in the plurality of counters; a converter to generate the series of pulses representing the analog signal; and at least one multiplexer operably coupled to the converter and the at least one counter in the plurality of counters to provide the series of pulses to each counter in the plurality of counters and to switch the at least one counter in the plurality of counters from a count mode to a shift register mode.