Segmented digital-to-analog converter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10250276-B2
Application number	US-201816023816-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2018
Priority date	Jun 21, 2017
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed examples include a segmented DAC circuit, including an R-2R resistor DAC to convert a first subword to a first analog output signal, an interpolation DAC to offset the first analog output signal based on an N-bit digital interpolation code signal to provide the analog output signal, and a Sigma Delta modulator to modulate a modulator code to provide the N-bit digital interpolation code signal that represents a value of second and third subwords.

First claim

The following is claimed:

1. A segmented digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuit to generate an analog output signal that represents a value of a K-bit digital input signal, the digital input signal including a first subword having an integer number M bits including a most significant bit of the digital input signal, a second subword having an integer number I bits of the digital input signal, and a third subword having an integer number L bits including a least significant bit of the digital input signal, where M, I and L are each greater than 1, and where K=M+I+L, the segmented DAC circuit comprising:
a resistor DAC to convert the first subword to a first analog output signal that represents a value of the first subword, the resistor DAC including:
a first converter output to provide the first analog output signal,
a resistive voltage divider with an input to receive a reference voltage signal, a plurality of resistors, and a plurality of tap nodes, and
a first switching circuit, including a plurality of switches individually connected between a corresponding one of the tap nodes and the input of the resistive voltage divider, the individual switches operative to selectively connect the corresponding one of the tap nodes with the input of the resistive voltage divider based on a corresponding bit of the first subword;

an interpolation DAC to offset the first analog output signal based on an N-bit digital interpolation code signal to provide the analog output signal; and
a Sigma Delta modulator (SDM) to modulate a modulator code to provide the N-bit digital interpolation code signal that represents a value of the second and third subwords, where N is less than I+L.

2. The DAC circuit of claim 1 , further comprising:
a calibration memory to store:
a first set of K×M bits of calibration data for calibration of the first subword,
a second set of K×M bits of calibration data for calibration of the second subword, and
a third set of K×M bits of calibration data for calibration of the third subword
the calibration memory configured to provide a calibration code from the calibration data based on the digital input signal; and

a calibration circuit configured to provide the modulator code based on:
the calibration code,
and the second and third subwords.

3. The DAC circuit of claim 2 , wherein the resistor DAC is a resistor-two-resistor (R-2R) DAC.

4. The DAC circuit of claim 3 , wherein the resistor DAC further comprises:
a resistive ordered element matching (OEM) circuit, including a plurality of sets of OEM resistor elements;
an OEM switching circuit, including a plurality of OEM switches to selectively connect a corresponding one of the OEM resistor elements between the input of the resistive voltage divider and the first converter output based on a OEM code; and
a thermocouple decoder to provide the OEM code based on a plurality of least significant bits of the first subword.

5. The DAC circuit of claim 4 , wherein the resistor DAC further comprises:
a resistive chopper circuit, including a plurality of chopper resistors; and
a chopper switching circuit, including a plurality of chopper switches to selectively connect a corresponding one of the chopper resistors to the input of the resistive voltage divider based on a chopper code.

6. The DAC circuit of claim 3 , wherein the resistor DAC further comprises:
a resistive chopper circuit, including a plurality of chopper resistors; and
a chopper switching circuit, including a plurality of chopper switches to selectively connect a corresponding one of the chopper resistors to the input of the resistive voltage divider based on a chopper code.

7. The DAC circuit of claim 2 ,
wherein the resistor DAC is a matrix DAC, including the plurality of resistors configured in a matrix of resistors with a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns;
wherein a first set of the plurality of switches of the first switching circuit are configured in the matrix to selectively connect a corresponding one of the tap nodes with a corresponding column line of the matrix based on one of a first set of switching control signals along a corresponding row line of the matrix;
wherein a second set of the plurality of switches of the first switching circuit are configured in the matrix to selectively connect a corresponding one of the row lines to the first converter output based on a corresponding one of a set of second switching control signals;
wherein the resistor DAC further comprises:
a first decoder to provide the first set of switching control signals based on a most significant set of bits of the first subword, and
a second decoder to provide the second set of switching control signals based on a least significant set of bits of the first subword.

8. The DAC circuit of claim 2 , wherein the divider circuit is a resistor ladder circuit, including an integer number 2 M resistors connected in series with one another to define the tap nodes between adjacent ones of the resistors.

9. The DAC circuit of claim 8 , wherein the resistor DAC further comprises a resistive chopper circuit, including a plurality of chopper resistors, and a plurality of chopper switches to selectively connect a corresponding one of the chopper resistors to the input of the resistive voltage divider based on a chopper code.

10. The DAC circuit of claim 1 , wherein the resistor DAC is a resistor-two-resistor (R-2R) DAC.

11. The DAC circuit of claim 1 , wherein the resistor DAC further comprises:
a resistive ordered element matching (OEM) circuit, including a plurality of sets of OEM resistor elements;
an OEM switching circuit, including a plurality of OEM switches to selectively connect a corresponding one of the OEM resistor elements between the input of the resistive voltage divider and the first converter output based on an OEM code; and
a thermocouple decoder to provide the OEM code based on a plurality of least significant bits of the first subword.

12. The DAC circuit of claim 1 , wherein the resistor DAC further comprises:
a resistive chopper circuit, including a plurality of chopper resistors; and
a chopper switching circuit, including a plurality of chopper switches to selectively connect a corresponding one of the chopper resistors to the input of the resistive voltage divider based on a chopper code.

13. The DAC circuit of claim 1 ,
wherein the resistor DAC is a matrix DAC, including the plurality of resistors configured in a matrix of resistors with a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns;
wherein a first set of the plurality of switches of the first switching circuit are configured in the matrix to selectively connect a corresponding one of the tap nodes with a corresponding column line of the matrix based on one of a first set of switching control signals along a corresponding row line of the matrix;
wherein a second set of the plurality of switches of the first switching circuit are configured in the matrix to selectively connect a corresponding one of the row lines to the first converter output based on a corresponding one of a set of second switching control signals;
wherein the resistor DAC further comprises:
a first decoder to provide the first set of switching control signals based on a most significant set of bits of the first subword, and
a second decoder to provide the second set of switching control signals based on a least significant set of bits of the first subword.

14. The DAC circuit of claim 1 , wherein the divider circuit is a resistor ladder circuit, including an integer number M−1 resistors connected in series with one another to define the ta

Assignees

• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Zhang Jun

Classifications

• H03M1/1061

  using digitally programmable trimming circuits · CPC title

• H03M1/785

  using resistors, i.e. R-2R ladders · CPC title

• H03M3/34

  by chopping · CPC title

• H03M1/661

  Improving the reconstruction of the analogue output signal beyond the resolution of the digital input signal, e.g. by interpolation, by curve-fitting, by smoothing · CPC title

• H03M1/066

  by continuously permuting the elements used, i.e. dynamic element matching · CPC title