Patents by Inventor Michael R. Elliott
Michael R. Elliott 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).
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Patent number: 9899965Abstract: Disclosed herein are differential amplifiers for improved slew performance. In some embodiments, a differential amplifier may receive positive and negative input signals at first and second transistor branches, respectively; provide a dynamic bias current to the first and second transistor branches, responsive to the positive and negative input signals; and provide positive and negative output signals at the second and first transistor branches, respectively.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 2015Date of Patent: February 20, 2018Assignee: ANALOG DEVICES, INC.Inventors: Michael R. Elliott, Joseph M. Hensley
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Publication number: 20170093349Abstract: Disclosed herein are differential amplifiers for improved slew performance. In some embodiments, a differential amplifier may receive positive and negative input signals at first and second transistor branches, respectively; provide a dynamic bias current to the first and second transistor branches, responsive to the positive and negative input signals; and provide positive and negative output signals at the second and first transistor branches, respectively.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 24, 2015Publication date: March 30, 2017Applicant: ANALOG DEVICES, INC.Inventors: Michael R. Elliott, JOSEPH M. HENSLEY
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Patent number: 9276468Abstract: In one aspect, a current source is provided to limit noise and offset. In one embodiment, a source transistor is provided, with current sourced at the drain. A feedback network runs from the source node to the gate. The feedback network produces voltage gain by a transconductance, such as a transistor. Appropriate capacitors are also provided, and two pairs of switches are disposed to provide offset cancellation by toggling between gain and clamp modes in the switched capacitor architecture.Type: GrantFiled: August 13, 2013Date of Patent: March 1, 2016Assignee: ANALOG DEVICES, INC.Inventors: William T. Boles, Michael R. Elliott
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Publication number: 20150048892Abstract: In one example embodiment, a current source is provided to limit noise and offset. In one embodiment, a source transistor is provided, with current sourced at the drain. A feedback network runs from the source node to the gate. The feedback network produces voltage gain by a transconductance, such as a transistor. Appropriate capacitors are also provided, and two pairs of switches are disposed to provide offset cancellation by toggling between gain and clamp modes in the switched capacitor architecture.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 13, 2013Publication date: February 19, 2015Applicant: ANALOG DEVICES, INC.Inventors: William T. Boles, Michael R. Elliott
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Patent number: 8854096Abstract: A transmission system may include an oscillator, a serializer, and a driver. The oscillator may generate at least two clock signals. The serializer may modulate a plurality of data streams based upon the at least two clock signals and a plurality of channels of data. The driver may receive and combine the plurality of data streams into a single output data stream, wherein the single output data stream has a clock frequency higher than frequency of each of the at least two clock signals.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2013Date of Patent: October 7, 2014Assignee: Analog Devices TechnologyInventors: Michael R. Elliott, Brad P. Jeffries, Michael D. Keane, Johan H. Mansson, Axel Zafra Petersson
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Patent number: 8836549Abstract: A system and method are described herein that provide for the calibration of the offset of a comparator on a per-comparator basis. An injection is made to the comparator at determined injection points using a low-power DAC, to calibrate the offset of the comparator. The DAC can be selectively controlled by a digital codeword that is generated based on an output of the comparator and the comparator's offset. Further embodiments of the invention present a system and method for calibrating the offset of a comparator of a flash ADC in each stage of a pipeline ADC. The system and method may provide for the calibration in a manner without affecting the speed of the pipeline ADC or adding significant power to the pipeline ADC.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2011Date of Patent: September 16, 2014Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.Inventors: Robert Schell, Michael R. Elliott
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Patent number: 8803721Abstract: A multiplying analog-to-digital converter (“MDAC”) that reduces the power consumption of the MDAC by at least 2.3 times by improving the feedback factor. The amplifier may include a feed forward approach in which the input capacitor (also referred to as “sampling capacitor”) is buffered by a common gate amplifier to improve bandwidth by removing input and parasitic capacitance terms from the global feedback loss. THe amplifier may also use an alternate form of local compensation, for example, cascode compensation. The amplifier may also further include an alternate way to reduce parasitic capacitance with a buffer.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2013Date of Patent: August 12, 2014Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.Inventors: William T. Boles, Michael R. Elliott
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Patent number: 8547134Abstract: A system provides for a serial transmitter with multiplexing and driving functionality that is combined into a single stage to increase the overall speed of the serial transmitter. The single stage includes a dynamic impedance that is configured in parallel with a multiplexing driver to reduce the input capacitance and set the correct output impedance. The single stage can be implemented as a stacked or cross-coupled XOR logic circuit or a stacked or cross-coupled multiplexer (“mux”) as the multiplexing driver. In an embodiment where a mux is used as the multiplexing driver, a clock can be injected into the mux driver to overcome inter-symbol interference.Type: GrantFiled: July 24, 2012Date of Patent: October 1, 2013Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.Inventors: Axel Zafra-Petersson, Johan H. Mansson, Michael R. Elliott, Brad P. Jeffries
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Publication number: 20130154860Abstract: A system and method are described herein that provide for the calibration of the offset of a comparator on a per-comparator basis. An injection is made to the comparator at determined injection points using a low-power DAC, to calibrate the offset of the comparator. The DAC can be selectively controlled by a digital codeword that is generated based on an output of the comparator and the comparator's offset. Further embodiments of the invention present a system and method for calibrating the offset of a comparator of a flash ADC in each stage of a pipeline ADC. The system and method may provide for the calibration in a manner without affecting the speed of the pipeline ADC or adding significant power to the pipeline ADC.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 20, 2011Publication date: June 20, 2013Applicant: ANALOG DEVICES, INC.Inventors: Robert Schell, Michael R. Elliott
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Patent number: 7974589Abstract: Data transmitter embodiments are provided which are particularly useful as interface devices for accurate and reliable transmittal of data from high-speed data system devices such as analog-to-digital converters. Transmitter embodiments have been found to provide excellent fidelity of data transfer at high data rates (e.g., 4 gigabits/second) while consuming only a portion of the power of many conventional transmitters and requiring only a portion of the layout area of these transmitters. Transmitter embodiments provide effective control of transmitter parameters such as matched impedances, data symmetry, common-mode level, data eye and current drain.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2008Date of Patent: July 5, 2011Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.Inventors: Brad Porcher Jeffries, Michael R. Elliott
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Patent number: 7623051Abstract: Signal converter systems are provided which reduce degradation of system bit error rate that is caused by metastable conversion errors which generally occur when analog input signals are near reference thresholds Vth of system comparators. When operating correctly, the comparators generate a corresponding converter code when the input signals cross the threshold. Metastability, however, may cause the comparators to fail to generate the corresponding converter code. In system embodiments, logic is provided to sense the absence of comparator decisions at the end of a predetermined decision period. In response to this absence, the system is configured to substitute the corresponding converter code. In another embodiment, the system is configured to substitute the corresponding converter code when it lies outside a predetermined digital code window.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 2008Date of Patent: November 24, 2009Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.Inventors: Franklin M. Murden, Michael R. Elliott
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Publication number: 20090267815Abstract: Signal converter systems are provided which reduce degradation of system bit error rate that is caused by metastable conversion errors which generally occur when analog input signals are near reference thresholds Vth of system comparators. When operating correctly, the comparators generate a corresponding converter code when the input signals cross the threshold. Metastability, however, may cause the comparators to fail to generate the corresponding converter code. In system embodiments, logic is provided to sense the absence of comparator decisions at the end of a predetermined decision period. In response to this absence, the system is configured to substitute the corresponding converter code. In another embodiment, the system is configured to substitute the corresponding converter code when it lies outside a predetermined digital code window.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 29, 2008Publication date: October 29, 2009Inventors: Franklin M. Murden, Michael R. Elliott
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Publication number: 20090203333Abstract: Data transmitter embodiments are provided which are particularly useful as interface devices for accurate and reliable transmittal of data from high-speed data system devices such as analog-to-digital converters. Transmitter embodiments have been found to provide excellent fidelity of data transfer at high data rates (e.g., 4 gigabits/second) while consuming only a portion of the power of many conventional transmitters and requiring only a portion of the layout area of these transmitters. Transmitter embodiments provide effective control of transmitter parameters such as matched impedances, data symmetry, common-mode level, data eye and current drain.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 13, 2008Publication date: August 13, 2009Inventors: Brad Porcher Jeffries, Michael R. Elliott
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Patent number: 7405625Abstract: Control structures are provided to accurately maintain amplifier common-mode levels at the predetermined level of a common-mode reference voltage Vcm. The disclosed control structures provide amplifier feedback along a first feedback path that is configured to provide high gain and low bandwidth to closely maintain amplifier common-mode level at the predetermined level of a common-mode reference voltage Vcm. They also provide amplifier feedback along a second feedback path that is configured to provide wide bandwidth to substantially reduce perturbations of the common-mode level that would have otherwise been induced by input signal transients. In an important amplifier feature, these controls are obtained without use of structures (e.g., capacitors and switching transistors) that use substantial current which reduces amplifier efficiency.Type: GrantFiled: April 25, 2007Date of Patent: July 29, 2008Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.Inventors: Joseph Michael Hensley, Michael R. Elliott
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Patent number: 7311744Abstract: A separator placed in a mist collection system prior to a final air cleaning stage, and is configured to remove a substantial portion of the mist from the air. The separator includes stationary vanes in a cylindrical housing to establish a cyclonic flow therethrough, an annular flow restriction collar to establish a liquid collection area at the downstream end of the housing, a drain for discharge of the liquid from the collection area, and a flow interrupter to direct the swirling liquid into the drain.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2003Date of Patent: December 25, 2007Inventor: Michael R. Elliott
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Patent number: 6587065Abstract: Current-control reference systems are provided in which stabliity is realized with sensors that shift clamp windows in response to a reference's current-control signal to thereby maintain feedback control in the reference under steady-state and transient operating conditions.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 2002Date of Patent: July 1, 2003Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.Inventors: Joseph Michael Hensley, Michael R. Elliott
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Publication number: 20030033791Abstract: A separator adapted to be placed in a mist collection system prior to the final air cleaning stage, and adapted to remove a substantial portion of the mist from the air, includes stationary vanes in a cylindrical housing to establish a cyclonic flow therethrough, an annular flow restriction collar to establish a liquid collection area at the downstream end of the housing, a drain for discharge of the liquid from the collection area, and a flow interrupter to direct the swirling liquid into the drain.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 15, 2001Publication date: February 20, 2003Inventor: Michael R. Elliott
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Patent number: 6246353Abstract: Integrated-circuit structures and methods are provided for generating an error signal that represents temperature and process-induced signal changes in transistor parameters. In particular, a reference transistor and a sense transistor are biased to each generate a substantially temperature-insensitive minority-carrier current. The reference transistor is provided with a substantially constant voltage across its current terminals to convert its minority-carrier current into a substantially temperature-insensitive reference current IR. In contrast, the sense transistor is provided with a temperature-varying voltage across its current terminals to convert its minority-carrier current into a temperature-varying sense current IS. The reference current and the sense current are then differenced to realize an error signal IE that contains information that describes temperature and process-induced signal errors in integrated-circuit transistor stages.Type: GrantFiled: September 13, 1999Date of Patent: June 12, 2001Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.Inventors: Michael R. Elliott, Frank Murden
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Patent number: 6191619Abstract: High-speed signal translators are provided to convert differential input signals (e.g., ECL signals) to single-ended output signals (e.g., CMOS signals). An exemplary translator is formed with first and second current mirrors, first and second complimentary differential pairs of transistors, a complimentary transistor output stage and first and second current-diverting transistors. The complimentary output stage initially generates the single-ended output signal in response to currents received from the complimentary differential pairs. When the output signal has been established, the current-diverting transistors respond by carrying at least portions of the currents supplied by the complimentary differential pairs. The current-diverting transistors also drive the current mirrors to divert other portions of these currents away from the complimentary output stage. Stored charges in the output stage are accordingly reduced and its response time enhanced.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 1999Date of Patent: February 20, 2001Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.Inventors: Carl W. Moreland, Michael R. Elliott
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Patent number: 6172636Abstract: Structures and methods are provided that linearize and stabilize the gain of adjustable-gain folding amplifiers. Accordingly, these folding amplifiers are suited for use in various compound ADCs where they improve the performance of subsequent folding amplifier stages, increase the number of allowed subsequent stages and replace the functions of other portions of compound ADCs (e.g., subranging ADCs).Type: GrantFiled: July 13, 1999Date of Patent: January 9, 2001Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.Inventors: Frank Murden, Michael R. Elliott