Method and system using computational sigma-delta modulators

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9722626-B2
Application number	US-201514589484-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 5, 2015
Priority date	Jan 5, 2015
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is provided includes a first sigma-delta modulator (SDM) electrically coupled to a first signal input. The first SDM includes a first summing junction configured to receive a plurality of inputs to the first SDM. The ADC further includes a second sigma-delta modulator (SDM) electrically coupled to a second signal input. The second SDM includes a second summing junction configured to receive a plurality of inputs to the second SDM. The first SDM also includes a cross-coupled feedback loop from an output of the first SDM to a negative input of the first summing junction and to a positive input of the second summing junction. The second SDM also includes a cross-coupled feedback loop from an output of the second SDM to a negative input of the first summing junction and to a negative input of the second summing junction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) comprising:
a first sigma-delta modulator (SDM) electrically coupled to a first signal input, said first SDM comprising a first summing junction configured to receive a plurality of inputs to said first SDM;
a second sigma-delta modulator (SDM) electrically coupled to a second signal input, said second SDM comprising a second summing junction configured to receive a plurality of inputs to said second SDM, said first SDM comprising a cross-coupled feedback loop extending from an output of said first SDM to a negative input of said first summing junction and to a positive input of said second summing junction, said second SDM comprising a cross-coupled feedback loop extending from an output of said second SDM to a negative input of said first summing junction and to a negative input of said second summing junction; and
a first gain amplifier and a second gain amplifier that selectively adjust a computational weight of the cross-coupled feedback to at least one of the first SDM and the second SDM to change the average weights of the first SDM and the second SDM.

2. The ADC of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first SDM and said second SDM comprises a plurality of cascaded SDMs.

3. The ADC of claim 2 , wherein said plurality of cascaded SDMs comprises an output of a first quantizer section electrically coupled in series with an input of a second quantizer section.

4. The ADC of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first SDM and said second SDM comprises a plurality of quantizer stages.

5. The ADC of claim 1 , wherein the output of said first SDM is given by:

D
2

=

D
⁡

(

V
A

-

V
B

2

)

,
where

D 1 represents a digital output of said first SDM,
D represents a constant,
V A represents an analog input of said first SDM, and
V B represents an analog input of said second SDM.

6. The ADC of claim 1 , wherein the output of said second SDM is given by:

D
1

=

D
⁡

(

V
A

+

V
B

2

)

,
where

D 2 represents a digital output of said second SDM,
D represents a constant,
V A represents an analog input of said first SDM, and
V B represents an analog input of said second SDM.

7. The ADC of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first summing junction and said second summing junction is configured to combine an analog input signal with a plurality of digital feedback signals.

8. The ADC of claim 1 , wherein said first SDM and said second SDM are electrically coupled to respective output coils of a linear voltage differential transformer (LVDT).

9. A method of computing a plurality of signals using a reduced set of computational components, said method comprising:
receiving a first signal of a plurality of signals at an input of a first sigma-delta modulator (SDM);
receiving a second signal of the plurality of signals at an input of a second SDM;
combining the first signal with a first feedback signal from an output of the first SDM and a second feedback signal from an output of the second SDM; and
combining the second signal with the first feedback signal and the second feedback signal, wherein combining the second signal with the first feedback signal and the second feedback signal comprises combining, in a second summing junction, the second signal with the first feedback signal applied to an additive input to the second summing junction, further comprising selectively adjusting a computational weight of the cross-coupled feedback to at least one of the first SDM and the second SDM to change the average weights of the first SDM and the second SDM.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein at least one of combining the first signal and combining the second signal comprises combining an analog input signal with a plurality of digital feedback signals.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein combining the first signal with a first feedback signal from an output of the first SDM a second feedback signal from an output of the second SDM comprises combining, in a first summing junction, the first signal with the first feedback signal applied to a subtractive input to the first summing junction.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein combining the first signal with a first feedback signal from an output of the first SDM and a second feedback signal from an output of the second SDM comprises combining, in the first summing junction, the first signal with the second feedback signal applied to a subtractive input to the first summing junction.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein combining the second signal with the first feedback signal and the second feedback signal comprises combining, in the second summing junction, the second signal with the second feedback signal applied to a subtractive input to the second summing junction.

14. A position indicating system comprising:
a linear voltage differential transformer (LVDT) comprising:
an excitation winding, configured to receive an electrical excitation current;
a secondary winding comprising a first and a second coil coupled in electrical series and wound differentially; and
a movable core configured to translate along a path of travel, the movable core configured to magnetically couple said excitation winding and said secondary winding based on a position of the movable core;

a first sigma-delta modulator (SDM) electrically coupled to said first coil, said first SDM comprising a first summing junction configured to receive a plurality of inputs to said first SDM;
a second sigma-delta modulator (SDM) electrically coupled to said second coil, said second SDM comprising a second summing junction configured to receive a plurality of inputs to said second SDM, said first SDM comprising a cross-coupled feedback loop extending from an output of said first SDM to a negative input of said first summing junction and to a positive input of said second summing junction, said second SDM comprising a cross-coupled feedback loop extending from an output of said second SDM to a negative input of said first summing junction and to a negative input of said second summing junction; and
a first gain amplif

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Gore Amit Satish
• Andarawis Emad Andarawis
• Rao Naresh Kesavan

Classifications

• G01D5/2291

  Linear or rotary variable differential transformers (LVDTs/RVDTs) having a single primary coil and two secondary coils · CPC title

• H03M3/35 Primary

  using redundancy · CPC title

• H03M3/466

  Multiplexed conversion systems · CPC title