Patents by Inventor Robert M. R. Neff

Robert M. R. Neff 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: 7148828
    Abstract: A method for calibrating time interleaved samplers comprising applying a calibration signal to a time-interleaved sampling device, wherein the signal is coherent with at least one sample clock on the device and is periodic and has a predetermined spectral content and frequency, sampling, by said time-interleaved sampling device, the calibration signal at a plurality of phases to form samples, averaging the formed samples, and calculating the phase error of each sample based on the average calibration signal sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2006
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew D. Fernandez, Vamsi K. Srikantam, Robert M. R. Neff, Kenneth D. Poulton
  • Patent number: 6956423
    Abstract: The interleaved clock generator generates N interleaved clock signals in response to an input clock signal. The interleaved clock generator comprises an interleaved clock generator of a first type for receiving the input clock signal and for generating M interleaved intermediate clock signals in response to the input clock signal. The interleaved clock generator of the first type includes either a multi-stage serial-delay circuit or a ring counter circuit. The interleaved clock generator additionally comprises M interleaved clock generators of a second type, each of which is each for receiving a respective one of the intermediate clock signals from the clock generator of the first type and for generating N/M of the N interleaved clock signals in response to the respective one of the intermediate clock signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2005
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert M. R. Neff
  • Patent number: 6933862
    Abstract: A source signal is provided. The source signal is XORed with a scrambling random signal to generate a scrambled signal. The scrambled signal is transmitted through the digital logic circuit. The scrambled signal is XORed with the descrambling random signal logically identical to the scrambling random signal to produce a descrambled signal identical to the source signal. In one embodiment, the scrambling random signal is transmitted through the digital logic circuit and used as the descrambling random signal. In another embodiment, the scrambling random signal and descrambling random signal are generated independently using pseudo-random number generators. In yet another embodiment, the scrambling random signal is self-synchronizing and is contained within the pattern of the scrambled signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert M. R. Neff
  • Patent number: 6909310
    Abstract: A line driver fabricated from CMOS devices that provides a substantially constant output impedance over a significant range of a time-varying input voltage includes a time-varying current source, a pair of CMOS output loads, and a pair of biasing circuits. Each CMOS output load includes a NMOS transistor and a PMOS transistor connected in parallel and each biased into a linear range of operation. In response to a time-varying input voltage, the time-varying current source draws current from the pair of CMOS output loads in a manner that operates each CMOS output load to collectively establish a time-varying output voltage component at an associated output terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth D. Poulton, Robert M. R. Neff, Jorge A. Pernillo, Mehrdad Heshami
  • Publication number: 20040150432
    Abstract: A line driver fabricated from CMOS devices that provides a substantially constant output impedance over a significant range of a time-varying input voltage includes a time-varying current source, a pair of CMOS output loads, and a pair of biasing circuits. Each CMOS output load includes a NMOS transistor and a PMOS transistor connected in parallel and each biased into a linear range of operation. In response to a time-varying input voltage, the time-varying current source draws current from the pair of CMOS output loads in a manner that operates each CMOS output load to collectively establish a time-varying output voltage component at an associated output terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2003
    Publication date: August 5, 2004
    Inventors: Kenneth D. Poulton, Robert M. R. Neff, Jorge A. Pernillo, Mehrdad Heshami
  • Patent number: 6720895
    Abstract: A method of calibrating a high-speed analog to digital converter and an ADC that implements the method. Multiple linear regression analysis is used to calibrate the stages of a pipeline ADC to compensate for variations in gain from stage to stage and optionally to compensate for harmonic distortion. Current amplifiers each having gain of about 1.6 are used for low power consumption, minimal surface area requirements, and rapid sampling speed. Weighting factors are stored in lookup tables to minimize the number of adders required to generate the output digital word.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth D. Poulton, Robert M. R. Neff, Matthew S. Holcomb, James Kang
  • Patent number: 6707411
    Abstract: The analog-to-digital conversion system comprises an analog-to-digital converter that includes a digital output, memory having a data input and a data output, an output port, an input data bus that extends from the digital output of the analog-to-digital converter to the data input of the memory and an output data bus that extends from the data output of the memory to the output port. The analog-to-digital converter is structured to generate digital samples at a sampling rate. The input data bus is structured to operate at the sampling rate of the ADC. At least one of the data output of the memory, the output data bus and the output port is structured to operate at a maximum rate less than the sampling rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth D. Poulton, Thomas E. Kopley, Robert M. R. Neff
  • Publication number: 20030151441
    Abstract: The interleaved clock generator generates N interleaved clock signals in response to an input clock signal. The interleaved clock generator comprises an interleaved clock generator of a first type for receiving the input clock signal and for generating M interleaved intermediate clock signals in response to the input clock signal. The interleaved clock generator of the first type includes either a multi-stage serial-delay circuit or a ring counter circuit. The interleaved clock generator additionally comprises M interleaved clock generators of a second type, each of which is each for receiving a respective one of the intermediate clock signals from the clock generator of the first type and for generating N/M of the N interleaved clock signals in response to the respective one of the intermediate clock signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2002
    Publication date: August 14, 2003
    Inventor: Robert M.R. Neff
  • Publication number: 20030146861
    Abstract: A method of calibrating a high-speed analog to digital converter and an ADC that implements the method. Multiple linear regression analysis is used to calibrate the stages of a pipeline ADC to compensate for variations in gain from stage to stage and optionally to compensate for harmonic distortion. Current amplifiers each having gain of about 1.6 are used for low power consumption, minimal surface area requirements, and rapid sampling speed. Weighting factors are stored in lookup tables to minimize the number of adders required to generate the output digital word.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2002
    Publication date: August 7, 2003
    Inventors: Kenneth D. Poulton, Robert M. R. Neff, Matthew S. Holcomb, James Kang
  • Patent number: 6259281
    Abstract: The analog sampling circuit samples an analog input signal at intervals of time precisely defined by a master clock signal. The analog sampling circuit comprises N track-and-hold circuits and a clock signal generator. Each of the track-and-hold circuits includes a clock signal input. The clock signal generator includes a clock window signal generator and N gate circuits. The clock window signal generator comprises an input connected to receive the master clock signal, and N outputs, derives clock window signals from the master clock signal and feeds one of the clock window signals to each of the outputs. The clock window signals have imprecisely-timed edges. Each of the N gate circuits generates a sub-sampling clock signal with logic states defined by one of the clock window signals and with edge timings defined by the master clock signal independently of the imprecisely-timed edges of the clock window signal, and comprises a first input, a second input and an output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert M. R. Neff