Abstract: Converter system embodiments are formed with signal-processing stages which include successive signal converters and a preceding signal sampler wherein all but a last one of the stages provides an output signal to a succeeding one of the stages and all of said signal converters generate a corresponding digital code. The system embodiments generally address a selected one of the stages and include controllers which are configured to process, at a process rate less than the system's sample rate, a digital error signal and the back-end digital code of back-end ones of signal converters that succeed the selected stage to thereby adjust at least one of the back-end digital code and a control voltage in the selected stage to enhance the accuracy of the system digital code. Once the processes of these embodiments have been applied to the selected stage, they may be successively applied to preceding stages. System embodiments are also directed to nonlinear amplifier gain by including approximations (e.g.

Abstract: An apparatus for biasing a transistor, comprising: a controllable bias generator; a test circuit; a digital Mth order differentiator responsive to an output of the test circuit; and a controller responsive to the digital Mth order differentiator for controlling the controllable bias generator; wherein the test circuit is configured to calculate an Lth order derivative of the transistor's performance.

Abstract: A rapid response measurement is accomplished by providing to a programmable gain amplifier an input to be measured, providing to an analog to digital converter having a predetermined output rate, the output from the programmable gain amplifier, determining when the output is greater than full scale input range of the analog to digital converter in an interval shorter than the period of the predetermined output rate of the analog to digital converter and adjusting the gain of the programmable gain amplifier to reduce the output below the full scale of the analog to digital converter at a rate faster than the predetermined output rate of the ADC.

Abstract: A packet detection technique is disclosed in which an average correlation signal is generated representative of the match between a repetitive sequence of symbols; an average power signal is generated representative of the average power in the sequence of symbols; a scaled magnitude of the average correlation signal scaled by a first predetermined scale factor is produced; and one of the average power signal and scaled magnitude of the average correlation signal are multiplied by the second scale factor and compared to determine whether there is a match between a repetitive sequence of symbols.

Abstract: Reference network embodiments are disclosed that provide reference signals to, for example, switched-capacitor multiplying digital-to-analog converters (MDACs) in pipelined analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). These embodiments are configured to maintain accuracy of the levels of the reference signals in the presence of high speed charge-injection and charge-extraction currents which are presented by the MDACs.

Abstract: A reconfigurable input Galois field linear transformer system includes a Galois field linear transformer including a matrix of cells; a plurality of storage planes for storing control patterns representing a number of different functions; a storage plane selector circuit for selecting a storage plane representing a function for enabling the cells of the matrix which defines that function; and a reconfigurable input circuit for delivering input data to the enabled cells to apply that function to the input data.

Abstract: Amplifier systems are provided with bias generators that substantially stabilize operating points of system parameters (e.g., drain current and transconductance) over PVT variations, substantially reduce body effects and Early effects, and substantially reduce system output noise. These advantages are realized without significantly increasing system size and/or power consumption.

Abstract: A serial digital communication system includes a master device and a plurality of slave devices connected serially between the master device's output and input—thereby forming a closed chain. Each slave device transmits a predetermined number of PWM pulses to the device following it in the chain upon receipt of an end-of-transmission (EOT) signal from the device preceding it in the chain, and transmits an EOT signal when the transmission of its PWM pulses is completed. The master device transmits an EOT signal to initiate the transmission of PWM pulses from each slave device. Each slave device passively buffers PWM pulses received from the preceding device, such that PWM pulses are transmitted in one direction sequentially to the input of the master device via the intervening slave device.

Abstract: A margin tracking cascode current mirror system including a current mirror circuit having a current source device having a predetermined operating voltage for providing a current to a load, a cascode circuit interconnected between the current mirror and the load for controlling the output impedance of the system and for establishing a current control voltage, a cascode bias circuit for providing a forward bias to the cascode circuit, and a compound cascode bias circuit for independently controlling the slope and the offset of the current control voltage to track the predetermined operating voltage with a predetermined margin.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for branch prediction in a digital processor. A method includes providing a branch target buffer having a tag array and a data array, wherein each entry in the tag array provides an index to a corresponding entry in the data array, storing in a selected entry in the tag array information representative of a branch target of a current branch instruction, storing in a corresponding entry in the data array information representative of a branch target of a next branch instruction, and providing the information representative of the branch target of the next branch instruction in response to a match to an entry in the tag array. The information representative of the branch target of the next branch instruction may include a taken branch target address of the next branch instruction and an offset value. The offset value may represent an address of a next sequential instruction following the next branch instruction.

Abstract: A multiple differential amplifier system and method for transconductance mismatch compensation which in a first phase connects to a differential switched input of a null amplifier, the differential signal input of the main amplifier, inverted, for compensating for offset errors and transconductance mismatches in the null amplifier; and storing in a null storage device connected to an auxiliary input of the null amplifier the output of the null amplifier representing the compensation for the offset error and transconductance mismatch of the null amplifier; and in a second phase connecting the differential switched input of the null amplifier to the differential feedback input of the main amplifier and storing in the main storage device connected to an auxiliary input of the main amplifier the output of the null amplifier representing the compensation for the main amplifier offset error and transconductance mismatch.

Abstract: One embodiment of the invention is directed to a method, comprising acts of generating a plurality of delay signals, and processing at least first and second delay signals of the plurality of delay signals to generate a first timing signal. Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a timing signal generator to generate a plurality of timing signals. The circuit comprises a delay signal generator to generate a plurality of delay signals, and a clock synthesizer to generate the timing signals based on selected ones of the delay signals.

Abstract: Although DC offset reduction schemes can be applied in the analog domain, the residual static DCO in baseband is still present, significantly influencing the performance of high-level modulation schemes employed by recent high-data-rate wireless communications standards. In order to achieve satisfactory performance, DCO compensation algorithms are required in the digital domain. One such algorithm was developed which is based on joint estimation of the Channel Impulse Response (CIR) and the static DCO and ensures satisfactory performance of EDGE modem with direct conversion radio architectures. A further modification of the joint estimation algorithm, the so-called “perturbed joint L”, results in further improvement in the performance of the EDGE equalizer in critical fading channels.

Abstract: A cache memory preprocessor prepares a cache memory for use by a processor. The processor accesses a main memory via a cache memory, which serves a data cache for the main memory. The cache memory preprocessor consists of a command inputter, which receives a multiple-way cache memory processing command from the processor, and a command implementer. The command implementer performs background processing upon multiple ways of the cache memory in order to implement the cache memory processing command received by the command inputter.

Abstract: In one aspect, a resistor process invariant transconductor is provided. The transconductor comprises a voltage input configured to receive at least one voltage signal, a current output configured to provide at least one current signal, wherein a ratio between the at least one voltage signal and the least one current signal forms a total transconductance for the transconductor, and a circuit including at least one integrated resistor connected between the voltage input and the current output, the circuit adapted to maintain the total transconductance substantially constant across variation of the at least one integrated resistor.

Abstract: Phase-locked loop structures are provided that facilitate enhanced stability of loop-generated signals. They include an oscillator network, a feedback loop and a controller. The oscillator network generates a loop output signal with a frequency that varies in response to a control voltage and to a frequency-determining parameter, the feedback loop generates the control voltage in response to the loop output signal and a reference signal and the controller increments the frequency-determining parameter to maintain the control voltage within a predetermined control-voltage range. These structures enhance signal stability by facilitating the use of low-gain oscillator structures and they simplify and shorten loop operations because the structures operate in a closed-loop condition at all times.

Abstract: An improved quadrature bandpass ?? converter includes a loop filter, an ADC responsive to the loop filter, and a first feedback DAC responsive to the ADC; a first summing circuit is responsive to the first DAC and an analog input for providing an input to the loop filter; a second feedback DAC is responsive to the ADC for providing an input to the loop filter; the loop filter includes a plurality of signal resonators, at least one image resonator, a second summing circuit, and a feed forward circuit connecting at least two of the resonators to the second summing circuit for reducing the quantization noise from the ADC; the image resonator is responsive to the second DAC for reducing the image quantization noise.

Abstract: A state machine circuit may be used to control a multiplexing circuit that selects and provides respective ones of multiple input clock signals to a clock-synthesizing circuit that generates a synthesized clock signal in response to such input clock signals. The state machine circuit may, for example, be configured so that the synthesized clock signal is a spread-spectrum clock signal and/or a clock signal having a nominal frequency that is greater than a nominal frequency of each of the input clock signals.

Abstract: Described is a closed-loop power detector/controller for wireless systems employing a non-constant amplitude envelope modulation scheme. Any AM component in the feedback signal resulting from non-constant amplitude envelope signals is eliminated via feed-forward cancellation of the envelope signal. Generally, a signal representative of the AM variation in the non-constant amplitude envelope signals prior to amplification is obtained. This AM variation signal is then used to cancel any AM component in the feedback signal resulting from the non-constant envelope to create a power amplifier control signal without any AM variation, only the desired ramp profile.

Abstract: A digital to analog converter system is disclosed for receiving an input signal and a sign bit signal that is indicative of the sign of the input signal. The digital to analog converter system includes first and second pairs of resistor strings, and first and second switching networks. A first one of the first pair of resistor strings is adapted for coupling between a first voltage potential and an intermediate node. The first switching network is adapted to couple a voltage produced across a selected one of resistors in the first string across the second one of the resistor strings. The resistors in the second resistor string producing voltages in response to current passing from the first resistor string to the second resistor string through the first switching network. A third one of the second pair of resistor strings is adapted for coupling between a second voltage potential and the intermediate node.