Patents by Inventor Timothy V. Kalthoff

Timothy V. Kalthoff 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: 8581770
    Abstract: A switched-capacitor circuit (10, 32 or 32A) samples a first signal (VIN+) onto a first capacitor (C1 or CIN1) by switching a top plate thereof via a summing conductor (13) to a first reference voltage (VSS) and switching a bottom plate thereof to the first signal. A second signal (VIN?) is sampled onto a second capacitor (C3 or CIN3) by switching a top plate thereof to the second signal and switching a bottom plate thereof to the first reference voltage. After the sampling, the top plate of the second capacitor is coupled to the top plate of the first capacitor. The bottom plate of the second capacitor is coupled to the first reference voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Yan Wang, Timothy V. Kalthoff, Michael A. Wu
  • Publication number: 20120280841
    Abstract: A switched-capacitor circuit (10, 32 or 32A) samples a first signal (VIN+) onto a first capacitor (C1 or CIN1) by switching a top plate thereof via a summing conductor (13) to a first reference voltage (VSS) and switching a bottom plate thereof to the first signal. A second signal (VIN?) is sampled onto a second capacitor (C3 or CIN3) by switching a top plate thereof to the second signal and switching a bottom plate thereof to the first reference voltage. After the sampling, the top plate of the second capacitor is coupled to the top plate of the first capacitor. The bottom plate of the second capacitor is coupled to the first reference voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2011
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Inventors: Yan Wang, Timothy V. Kalthoff, Michael A. Wu
  • Publication number: 20120200486
    Abstract: A system for generating tracking coordinate information in response to movement of an information-indicating element includes an array (55) of IR sensors (60-x,y) disposed along a surface (55A) of the array. Each IR sensor includes first (7) and second (8) thermopile junctions connected in series to form a thermopile (7,8) within a dielectric stack (3) of a radiation sensor chip (1). The first thermopile junction is more thermally insulated from a substrate (2) of the radiation sensor chip than the second thermopile junction. A sensor output signal between the first and second thermopile junctions is coupled to a bus (63). A processing device (64) is coupled to the bus for operating on information representing temperature differences between the first and second thermopile junctions of the various IR sensors, respectively, caused by the presence of the information-indicating element to produce the tracking coordinate information as the information-indicating element moves along the surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2011
    Publication date: August 9, 2012
    Inventors: Walter B. Meinel, Kalin V. Lazarov, Timothy V. Kalthoff
  • Publication number: 20110181258
    Abstract: A converter (10) for converting a first DC voltage (VDD) to a second DC voltage (VOUT) includes an output stage (40) for producing the second DC voltage (VOUT) in response to both the first DC voltage (VDD) and an output of an error amplifier (20). A sampling circuit (15) periodically energizes a voltage divider (R0,R1) by periodically coupling a first terminal thereof to the second DC voltage and periodically coupling an output (14) of the energized voltage divider to a feedback conductor (7) to refresh a feed back capacitor (C0) coupled between the second DC voltage and the feedback conductor. The feedback conductor is coupled to an input of the error amplifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2010
    Publication date: July 28, 2011
    Inventors: Vadim V. Ivanov, Timothy V. Kalthoff
  • Patent number: 7796060
    Abstract: Circuits and methods to minimize nonlinearity errors in interpolating circuits are described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Ralph G. Oberhuber, Timothy V. Kalthoff
  • Publication number: 20100033356
    Abstract: Circuits and methods to minimize nonlinearity errors in interpolating circuits are described herein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2008
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Inventors: Ralph G. Oberhuber, Timothy V. Kalthoff
  • Patent number: 7047263
    Abstract: A technique and circuit is provided for facilitating a faster settling time for a digital filter for use with an analog-to-digital converter. An exemplary technique utilizes a composite filter for a faster settling, lower noise resolution filter in a parallel configuration with a slower settling, higher noise resolution filter. As a result, valid data can be received faster for processing by the analog-to-digital converter. In addition, a composite digital filter circuit can include a three filter configuration including a fast-settling, low resolution first filter, a slower-settling, higher resolution second filter, and an even slower-settling, even higher resolution third filter, each of the filters configured in a parallel arrangement. Additional or fewer filters can also be provided. Moreover, the gain of each filter path can be suitably matched to the gain of any other filter path in the digital filter circuit to provide a filter output having an equalized gain regardless of the filter path selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: James L. Todsen, Ka Y. Leung, Timothy V. Kalthoff
  • Publication number: 20030037083
    Abstract: A technique and circuit is provided for facilitating a faster settling time for a digital filter for use with an analog-to-digital converter. An exemplary technique utilizes a composite filter comprising a faster settling, lower noise resolution filter in a parallel configuration with a slower settling, higher noise resolution filter. As a result, valid data can be received faster for processing by the analog-to-digital converter. In addition, a composite digital filter circuit can comprise a three filter configuration comprising a fast-settling, low resolution first filter, a slower-settling, higher resolution second filter, and an even slower-settling, even higher resolution third filter, each of the filters configured in a parallel arrangement. Additional or fewer filters can also be provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2001
    Publication date: February 20, 2003
    Inventors: James L. Todsen, Ka Y. Leung, Timothy V. Kalthoff
  • Patent number: 6404376
    Abstract: A capacitor array is configured to negate or cancel the voltage coefficient of the capacitors within the array, and thus reduce and/or eliminate the voltage coefficient non-linearities present within the A/D converter. In the capacitor array, a first capacitor is suitably configured with at least one additional capacitor in the array such that the charge across the array is linear with respect to an input voltage applied to the input of the array. In addition, the voltage coefficient non-linearities of the first capacitor can be suitably canceled by the inverse voltage coefficient non-linearities of any additional capacitors within the balance of the array, thereby reducing the potential for non-linearities within the A/D converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Timothy V. Kalthoff, Bernd M. Rundel
  • Patent number: 6246394
    Abstract: A touch screen digitizing system includes a touch screen unit including a first resistive sheet with opposed x+ and x− terminals and a second resistive sheet with opposed y+ and y− terminals, and an ADC having first and second reference input terminals. A first switch is coupled between a first reference voltage and the x− terminal, and a second switch is coupled between the x+ terminal and a second reference voltage for energizing the first resistive sheet. A third switch is coupled between the first reference voltage and the y− terminal, and a fourth switch is coupled between the y+ terminal and the second reference voltage for energizing the second resistive sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Burr-Brown Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy V. Kalthoff, Bernd M. Rundel
  • Patent number: 6150971
    Abstract: A digital-to-analog converter includes a resistive divider network including a plurality of series resistors of resistance R and a plurality of shunt resistors of resistance 2R' and a circuit for switching a shunt resistor of the resistive divider network in the digital-to-analog converter to either of first and second reference voltages. The switching circuit includes a first switch MOSFET coupling the low reference voltage to the shunt resistor, and a second switch MOSFET coupling the shunt resistor to the high reference voltage. First and second switch control circuits adjust the on resistances of the first and second switch MOSFETs to be proportional to the resistances of first and second reference resistors, which have the same temperature coefficient as the resistors of which the divider network is composed. The on resistance of each of the first and second switch MOSFETs is equal to R.sub.ONi, and the resistance 2R' is equal to 2R-R.sub.ONi. The on resistances do not need to be binarily scaled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Assignee: Burr-Brown Corporation
    Inventors: Jimmy R. Naylor, Timothy V. Kalthoff, Mark A. Shill, Jeffrey D. Johnson
  • Patent number: 6037887
    Abstract: A programmable gain delta sigma analog-to-digital converter includes an analog input terminal receiving an analog input voltage, a charge summing conductor, an input capacitive switching circuit, and a feedback reference capacitive switching circuit coupled to the charge summing conductor. An integrator is coupled between the charge summing conductor and a comparator which supplies a stream of digital pulses to a digital filter that produces a digital number representing the analog input voltage. The feedback reference capacitive switching circuit includes a plurality of reference sampling capacitors, selectively coupling charge between a feedback reference voltage source and an integrating capacitor of the integration in response to a programmable gain control circuit so as to provide a selected gain for the analog-to-digital converter. The sampling rate of the capacitive switching circuits is adjusted proportionally to the selected gain to improve the dynamic range of the analog-to-digital converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2000
    Assignee: Burr-Brown Corporation
    Inventors: Miaochen Wu, Timothy V. Kalthoff, Binan Wang
  • Patent number: 5905398
    Abstract: A programmable integrated circuit capacitor array includes a plurality of binarily weighted capacitors (16) and a plurality of switches (18) selectively coupling the capacitors in parallel between first and second terminals. A control circuit (10) responds to a plurality of capacitance selection inputs (CS0,1,2) in conjunction with a plurality of trim inputs (TR0,1) and a sign input (TRS) to produce a plurality of selection signals (SEL0,1 . . . 7) on control electrodes of the switches to couple one or more of the capacitors and thereby provide an accurate value of the desired capacitance between the first and second terminals despite any manufacturing deviations in capacitance per unit area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Burr-Brown Corporation
    Inventors: James L. Todsen, Timothy V. Kalthoff
  • Patent number: 5841310
    Abstract: An integrating circuit includes an operational amplifier and an integrating capacitor which is decoupled from the output of the operational amplifier and precharged to a positive reference voltage before each integration cycle. During each integration cycle the operational amplifier output decreases from the reference voltage toward but not below ground. This allows the operational amplifier to be included as a front-end integrator to a delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter that is powered only by a single power supply. In the described embodiment, the output is coupled to an input of an auto-zeroing stage which provides negative feedback to stabilize the operational amplifier when the integrating capacitor is disconnected during precharging and a bandwidth control input which couples a larger compensation capacitance to reduce the bandwidth during integration to reduce RMS noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Assignee: Burr-Brown Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy V. Kalthoff, James L. Todsen
  • Patent number: 5703589
    Abstract: A switched capacitor input sampling circuit in a chopper stabilized delta sigma modulator includes first and second input terminals adapted to receive a differential analog input voltage therebetween and first and second terminals coupled to first and second charge summing conductors, respectively, of the delta sigma modulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 30, 1997
    Assignee: Burr-Brown Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy V. Kalthoff, Binan Wang, Miaochen Wu
  • Patent number: 5691720
    Abstract: Programmable resolution/bias current control circuitry is provided in a delta sigma analog-to-digital converter including an input sampling circuit, a feedback reference sampling circuit, an integrator including an operational amplifier, a comparator, and a digital filter, the input sampling circuit and the feedback reference sampling circuit being coupled to a first input of the operational amplifier, an output of the operational amplifier being coupled to an input of the comparator, an output of the comparator being coupled to an input of the digital filter. The programmable resolution/bias control circuitry includes a clock generator circuit supplying a clock signal to the input sampling circuit and the feedback sampling circuit at a sampling frequency determined by a sampling frequency control signal. A bias current generator circuit supplies a bias current to the operational amplifier to control the settling time of an output step voltage signal produced by the operational amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1997
    Assignee: Burr- Brown Corporation
    Inventors: Binan Wang, Timothy V. Kalthoff, Miaochen Wu
  • Patent number: 5367302
    Abstract: A current integrating analog-to-digital converter includes a comparator having a non-inverting input coupled to receive a ground voltage and an inverting input coupled to an input conductor, with an input current flowing through the input conductor, an integrating capacitor having a first terminal coupled by an isolation switch to the input conductor. A reset circuit is coupled to the integrating capacitor and is operative to reset the integrating capacitor before each integrating cycle. A digital-to-analog converter, which may be a CDAC, has an output coupled to a second terminal of the integrating capacitor, which may constitute the capacitors of the CDAC. An input of a tracking circuit is coupled to an output of the comparator to produce digital signals on digital inputs of the digital-to-analog converter to maintain the input of the comparator close to a virtual ground voltage, a digital signal on the inputs of the digital-to-analog converter representing the integral of the input current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1994
    Assignee: Burr-Brown Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy V. Kalthoff, Gregory S. Waterfall
  • Patent number: 5103230
    Abstract: A current-integrating analog-to-digital converter includes a comparator having a non-inverting input coupled to a ground voltage and an inverting input coupled to an input conductor carrying an analog input current. An integrating capacitor having one terminal coupled to the input conductor and another terminal coupled to an output of a digital-to-analog converter. A tracking circuit is coupled to an output of the comparator to apply digital signals to inputs of the digital-to-analog converter to maintain the inverting input close to a virtual ground voltage. A digital filter filters the digital signals to produce a digital output signal that precisely represents the input current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1992
    Assignee: Burr-Brown Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy V. Kalthoff, Rodney T. Burt
  • Patent number: 4999585
    Abstract: Circuitry for reducing harmonic distortion in an amplifier includes a first transistor having a first non-linear collector-to-substrate capacitance, a first load device coupled to a collector of the first transistor, a first current source coupled to an emitter of the first transistor, a first conductor conducting an input voltage coupled to a base of the first transistor, and a second conductor coupled to the first load device and conducting an output voltage of the amplifier. The first transistor produces a first non-linear current in the first non-linear collector-to-substrate capacitance in response to the input voltage. A second transistor has a second non-linear collector-to-substrate capacitance. A second current source is coupled to an emitter of the second transistor. The first conductor is coupled to apply the input voltage to a base of the second transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1991
    Assignee: Burr-Brown Corporation
    Inventors: Rodney T. Burt, Timothy V. Kalthoff, David A. Heisley, R. Mark Stitt, II
  • Patent number: 4954769
    Abstract: A stable, low noise, low output impedance CMOS reference voltage circuit includes a CMOS/bipolar band gap circuit producing a reference voltage on the source of a source follower transistor driven by an output of a CMOS differential amplifier which maintains a V.sub.THERMAL voltage across the bases of a pair of emitter follower transistors driving the inputs of the CMOS differential amplifier. A power supply noise rejection circuit includes a cascode MOSFET coupling the drain of the source follower output transistor to a positive power supply voltage conductor. A current mirror circuit greatly attenuates any power supply voltage perturbations before they reach the gate of the cascode MOSFET. A unity gain buffer includes a CMOS differential amplifier input stage with one input coupled to the output of the source follower transistor and an output driving a CMOS operational transconductance amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 4, 1990
    Assignee: Burr-Brown Corporation
    Inventor: Timothy V. Kalthoff