Patent ID: 6873372

Claim:
A clipping circuit comprising: a clipper for clipping a target signal fed thereto within a range of data values set for the target signal; a subtractor for subtracting, from a data value of the target signal to be clipped by the clipper, each of data values of adjacent signals located a predetermined interval away from the target signal before and after the target signal; a minimum value setter for setting, as a minimum value of the range of data values for the target signal, the data value of one of the two adjacent signals that, when subtracted from the data value of the target signal, yields a difference greater than a first threshold value; and a maximum value setter for setting, as a maximum value of the range of data values for the target signal, the data value of one of the two adjacent signals that, when subtracted from the data value of the target signal, yields a difference smaller than a second threshold value, wherein, when the data value of the target signal fed to the clipper falls within the range of data values set for the target signal by the maximum value and minimum value setters, the target signal is output intact, when the data value of the target signal fed to the clipper is smaller than the minimum value, the target signal is output after being clipped at the minimum value, and, when the data value of the target signal fed to the clipper is greater than the maximum value, the target signal is output after being clipped at the maximum value.