Abstract: An analog-to-digital converter which is supervised by a microprocessor and includes means for digitally compensating for initial gain and offset errors and gain and offset drift errors due to temperature variations. An analog input voltage is applied to a first analog-to-digital converter, the output of which is both stored in the microprocessor and applied to a linear digital-to-analog converter. The output of the linear converter is summed with the original analog input voltage and the difference applied to the conversion apparatus as an unknown input signal. This process is continued to achieve a desired resolution. The output of a differential temperature sensor is similarly processed to determine the proper amount of compensation for gain and offset drift. The microprocessor provides both control and computation capabilities.

Abstract: A system for automatically calibrating a main digital to analog converter (DAC) includes first and second adjustment DAC's, an offset DAC, a difference amplifier, an analog to digital converter (ADC), a microprocessor, and an analog switch. To calibrate the offset of the main DAC, the microprocessor causes "zeros" to be applied to the digital inputs of the main DAC and the offset DAC. The output of the offset DAC is coupled to an input of the difference amplifier. The microprocessor causes a ground voltage to be applied to the second input of the difference amplifier via the analog switch. The output of the difference amplifier is inputted to the ADC, which produces a first word. The first word is stored by the microprocessor. The analog switch is activated to apply the analog output voltage of the main DAC to the second input of the difference amplifier. The ADC produces a second word which is compared to the first word.