Patents by Inventor Niels Knusen

Niels Knusen 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: 6232897
    Abstract: A system and method for calibrating an analog to digital (A/D) converter. The A/D converter includes an internal D/A converter, wherein the internal D/A converter includes a plurality of current generators, and wherein one or more of the current generators may produce linearity errors in the A/D converter. The A/D converter includes a switching element connected to the internal D/A converter. During calibration, the switching element operates to adjust connections to the current generators in the internal D/A converter one or more times according to different switching patterns, thereby causing different ones of the current generators to be stimulated by an input to the A/D converter. This avoids the necessity of using a complex and costly waveform generator input during calibration, which would normally be required to ensure that all of the current generators in the internal D/A converter are stimulated. Rather, a much simpler input can be used in calibrating the A/D converter, thereby reducing cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventor: Niels Knusen