Patents by Inventor Johnny Bjornsen

Johnny Bjornsen has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7221299
    Abstract: An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) system that converts an analog input signal into a digital output circuit uses a method of shaping a pseudo-random signal such that the ADC system can be used with input signals having wider swings. The ADC system also includes a quantizer having a comparator offset of less than =/?¼ least significant bit (LSB) in a stage calibrated for gain errors. A method of operating an ADC circuit includes measuring an amplitude and polarity of an input signal voltage and changing characteristics of a pseudo-random signal to ensure that a subsequent stage of the ADC circuit is not saturated. An implementation of the ADC circuit alters the pseudo-random signal based on the amplitude of the input signal such that when the input signal goes close to a positive rail, the pseudo-random signal alternates between a first range, and when the input signal goes close to a negative rail, the pseudo-random signal alternates between a second range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignee: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventor: Johnny Bjornsen
  • Patent number: 7129866
    Abstract: An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) system that converts an analog input signal into a digital output circuit includes a first stage analog-to-digital converter circuit coupled with a second stage analog-to-digital converter circuit. The first stage analog-to-digital converter circuit includes a quantizer, comparator, integrator, and a feedback digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The second stage analog-to-digital converter circuit includes a backend ADC that further quantizes the integrator output. Furthermore, the first stage analog-to-digital converter circuit also includes redundancy that corrects comparator offsets and prevents nonlinearities and harmonic distortion in the second stage analog-to-digital converter circuit caused by uncorrected comparator offsets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2006
    Assignee: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventor: Johnny Bjornsen
  • Patent number: 7129874
    Abstract: An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuit that converts an analog input signal into a digital output circuit includes a noise shaping first stage cascaded with a pipelined second stage. The first stage includes a sample-and-hold circuit and a first order modulator, where the first order modulator includes a noise shaping filter, a FLASH ADC and a feedback DAC. A digital dither generator is used to provide a dither signal to the ADC circuit. The second stage includes a switching circuit and an ADC. A calibration filter connected to the second stage calibrates the ADC circuit. A first reconstruction filter and a second reconstruction filter are used to recombine outputs of the first stage and the second stage of the ADC circuit. The ADC circuit allows high resolution analog-to-digital conversion at a low over-sampling rate and low power dissipation levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2006
    Assignee: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventor: Johnny Bjornsen
  • Publication number: 20060022854
    Abstract: An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuit that converts an analog input signal into a digital output circuit includes a reduced block length correlator circuit and a digital subtractor circuit, where the digital subtractor circuit subtracts digital output of a calibrated stage of the ADC circuit from an overall output of the ADC circuit, and feeds the result of the subtraction to correlator circuit, reducing the magnitude of an input signal seen by the correlator and thereby increasing the signal to noise ratio (SNR) and the accuracy of the correlator. The ADC circuit also provides significant reduction of block length, die area and power dissipation related to the correlator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2005
    Publication date: February 2, 2006
    Inventor: Johnny Bjornsen
  • Publication number: 20050275577
    Abstract: An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuit that converts an analog input signal into a digital output circuit includes a noise shaping first stage cascaded with a pipelined second stage. The first stage includes a sample-and-hold circuit and a first order modulator, where the first order modulator includes a noise shaping filter, a FLASH ADC and a feedback DAC. A digital dither generator is used to provide a dither signal to the ADC circuit. The second stage includes a switching circuit and an ADC. A calibration filter connected to the second stage calibrates the ADC circuit. A first reconstruction filter and a second reconstruction filter are used to recombine outputs of the first stage and the second stage of the ADC circuit. The ADC circuit allows high resolution analog-to-digital conversion at a low over-sampling rate and low power dissipation levels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2005
    Publication date: December 15, 2005
    Inventor: Johnny Bjornsen
  • Publication number: 20050275572
    Abstract: An analog-to-digital (ADC) converter circuit that converts an analog input signal into a digital output circuit includes a calibration coefficient computation circuit for computing calibration coefficients of a calibration filter. The calibration coefficient computation circuit includes a switching device adapted to switch the analog input signal delivered to the ADC circuit between on and off states, and includes a pseudo-random signal generator adapted to input a pseudo-random signal to the ADC circuit. During a start-up phase of the ADC circuit, the ADC circuit, the switching device turns off the analog input signal to the ADC circuit, the pseudo-random signal generator inputs a pseudo-random signal into the ADC circuit, and the calibration coefficient computation circuit computes the calibration coefficients of the calibration filter. This ADC circuit configuration reduces startup time for the calibration filter to only a few clock cycles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2004
    Publication date: December 15, 2005
    Inventor: Johnny Bjornsen
  • Publication number: 20050275578
    Abstract: An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) system that converts an analog input signal into a digital output circuit uses a method of shaping a pseudo-random signal such that the ADC system can be used with input signals having wider swings. The ADC system also includes a quantizer having a comparator offset of less than =/?¼ least significant bit (LSB) in a stage calibrated for gain errors. A method of operating an ADC circuit includes measuring an amplitude and polarity of an input signal voltage and changing characteristics of a pseudo-random signal to ensure that a subsequent stage of the ADC circuit is not saturated. An implementation of the ADC circuit alters the pseudo-random signal based on the amplitude of the input signal such that when the input signal goes close to a positive rail, the pseudo-random signal alternates between a first range, and when the input signal goes close to a negative rail, the pseudo-random signal alternates between a second range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2005
    Publication date: December 15, 2005
    Inventor: Johnny Bjornsen
  • Publication number: 20050275571
    Abstract: An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) system that converts an analog input signal into a digital output circuit includes a first stage analog-to-digital converter circuit coupled with a second stage analog-to-digital converter circuit. The first stage analog-to-digital converter circuit includes a quantizer, comparator, integrator, and a feedback digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The second stage analog-to-digital converter circuit includes a backend ADC that further quantizes the integrator output. Furthermore, the first stage analog-to-digital converter circuit also includes redundancy that corrects comparator offsets and prevents nonlinearities and harmonic distortion in the second stage analog-to-digital converter circuit caused by uncorrected comparator offsets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2005
    Publication date: December 15, 2005
    Inventor: Johnny Bjornsen
  • Patent number: 6970120
    Abstract: An analog-to-digital (ADC) converter circuit that converts an analog input signal into a digital output circuit includes a calibration coefficient computation circuit for computing calibration coefficients of a calibration filter. The calibration coefficient computation circuit includes a switching device adapted to switch the analog input signal delivered to the ADC circuit between on and off states, and includes a pseudo-random signal generator adapted to input a pseudo-random signal to the ADC circuit. During a start-up phase of the ADC circuit, the ADC circuit, the switching device turns off the analog input signal to the ADC circuit, the pseudo-random signal generator inputs a pseudo-random signal into the ADC circuit, and the calibration coefficient computation circuit computes the calibration coefficients of the calibration filter. This ADC circuit configuration reduces startup time for the calibration filter to only a few clock cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: NORDIC Semiconductor ASA
    Inventor: Johnny Bjornsen