Abstract:
A read and analog-to-digital data conversion channel comprising preamplifying circuits (Pre-Amp), automatic gain control circuits (VGA), harmonics filters (MRA), equalizing low pass filters (LPF), a time interleaved analog-to-digital converter (INTERLEAVED ATOD) including a pair of identical analog/digital converters (ATOD_EVEN, ATOD_ODD) functioning in parallel and at a half clock frequency, subdividing the signal path into two parallel paths through said two identical converters, one for even bits and the other for odd bits, and a digital post-processing block (DIGITAL Post Processing) fed by two output streams of said time interleaved converter (INTERLEAVED ATOD) and outputting a reconstructed data stream (DATA) and controlling said circuits, through dedicated digital-to-analog converters (DAC_VGA, DAC_MRA, DAC_FC, DAC_BOOST), means for compensating the offset of the digital-to-analog converters contained in said pair of identical analog-to-digital converters (ATOD_EVEN, ATOD_ODD) of said time interleaved converter (INTERLEAVED ATOD), controlled by said post-processing block (DIGITAL Post Processing) through a digital-to-analog converter, further comprises two distinct offset compensating circuits, each composed of an offset compensating stage (OFFSET_EVEN_STAGE, OFFSET_ODD_STAGE) independently controlled by said digital post-processing block through a dedicated digital-to-analog converter (DAC_OFF_E, DAC_OFF_O), preventing appearance of spurious patterns in frequency domain.
Abstract:
A method of delaying by a certain time interval (Δwp) a transition in a digital data stream (O) fed to a write head of a mass storage device when said transition occurs at a clock phase following the one during which a preceding transition has occurred, for pre-compensating intersymbolic nonlinear interference effects suffered when reading the stored data, comprises feeding to a first circuit (CC1) a digital data stream (I) to be stored and a clock signal (Ck) and outputting from said first circuit (CC1) a pair of digital streams (N, R), a first stream (N) assuming a first logic value every time a transition of said input stream occurs during a clock phase not successive to a clock phase during which a transition of said input stream (I) has occurred, the second stream (R) assuming said first logic value every time a transition of said input stream (I) occurs during a clock phase following a clock phase during which a transition has taken place in said input stream (I); feeding said two digital stream (N, R) and said clock signal (Ck) to as many inputs of a second circuit (DC1) and outputting from said second circuit said digital data stream (O) directed to the write head, in which the transitions immediately following a preceding transition are delayed by said pre-established time interval (Δwp), by sampling the two digital streams (N, R) with a pair of flip-flops (FN2, FR2), each of which is respectively timed by clock signals respectively delayed by a certain different time interval (Δn, Δr) and such that the difference between said different delay intervals is equal to said pre-established time interval ( Δn-Δr=Δwp ) and recombining the signals output from said pair of flip-flops (FN2, FR2) through an logic XOR gate (X1) into said digital data stream (O).
Abstract:
A flash analog-to-digital converter comprising a bank of comparators (COMPi) with a differential output, generating a thermometric code and a bank of three-input (A,B,C) logic NOR gates (NORj) for correcting errors in said thermometric code, has enhanced immunity to noise and reduced imprecisions, especially at high conversion rates upon occurence of metastability within the comparators, by providing for a passive interface constituted by a plurality of voltage dividers (Ra-Rb), each connected between the noninverted output (out_p) of a respective comparator (COMPi) and the inverted output (out_n) of the comparator of higher order (COMPi+1) of said bank; a corresponding logic NOR gate (NORj) of said bank having a first input (A) coupled to the inverted output (out_n) of said respective comparator (COMPi-1), a second input (B) coupled to the noninverted output (out_p) of said comparator (COMPi) of higher order and a third input (C) coupled to an intermediate tap of said voltage divider (Ra-Rb).