REGULATOR OF A DIGITAL-TO-ANALOG CONVERTER AND RELATED CONVERTER

Abstract

A regulator for a digital-to-analog converter having in input a digital signal and suitable for providing an analog signal in output, the regulator including at least one pair of buffers having in input the digital signal and the outputs connected to a pair of circuit branches connected to the output of the regulator; each of the at least two circuit branches having at least one resistance. To at least one of the at least one pair of buffers a variable resistance is associated, and the regulator includes a circuit having in input the analog signal and adapted for measuring its waveform and acting on the variable resistance in response to its possible anomalous waveform compared to a desired waveform.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The characteristics of the present invention will appear evident from the following description of an embodiment thereof, illustrated as non-limiting example in the enclosed drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of the regulator of a digital-to-analog converter in accordance with known technique;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the voltage steps in output from the converter of the regulator in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a regulator for a digital-to-analog converter in accordance with the present invention with only two circuit branches;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a device which is a part of the regulator in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a regulator for a digital-to-analog converter in accordance with this invention with n circuit branches;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a device which is part of the regulator in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a part of the device in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is another part of the device in FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a diagram of the signals involved in the device in FIG. 4;

FIG. 10 is a diagram of the voltage steps in output from the regulator in FIG. 5 in the case of seven circuit branches.

Claims

1. A regulator of a digital-to-analog converter having in input a digital signal and being suitable for providing an analog signal in output, the regulator comprising: at least one pair of buffers having in input said digital signal and outputs connected to a pair of circuit branches that are connected to the output of the regulator, each of said at least two circuit branches comprising at least one resistance, a variable resistance associated with at least one buffer of said at least one pair of buffers, and means having in input said analog signal and adapted to measure the analog signal waveform and acting on said variable resistance in response to an anomalous waveform of said analog signal compared to the desired waveform.

2. The regulator of claim 1, wherein said means is suitable for acting on said variable resistance if with two successive increments by one bit of the digital signal in input, the difference between the values of the corresponding increments of said analog signal exceeds in absolute value a reference value.

3. The regulator of claim 1, comprising a number of buffers and circuit branches equal to the number of bits of the digital signal in input, each buffer and each respective circuit branch having a bit of said digital signal in input, and wherein said means is adapted to act on the variable resistance associated with the buffer in which a transition of the type of input bit has occurred.

4. The regulator of claim 2 wherein said means comprises at least one differential amplifier of the charge partition type, said amplifier adapted to provide a first output signal and a second output signal, and other means associated with each variable resistance and having in input said first output signal and second output signal of the differential amplifier and suitable for acting on the variable resistances in response to the values assumed by said first output signal and second output signal of the at least one differential amplifier.

5. The regulator of claim 4, wherein said other means comprise memory for storing the bits suitable for the configuration of the associated variable resistance.

6. The regulator of claim 5, wherein said other means comprise a further means of memory in which a group of predetermined resistance values are stored, said first output signal and second output signal from at least one differential amplifier acting on said other means to chose a value of said group of resistance values of said further means of memory for the configuration of the associated variable resistance.

7. The regulator of claim 4, wherein said means comprise two differential amplifiers of the charge partition type suitable for providing said first signal and second signal.

8. The regulator of claim 4 wherein said at least one differential amplifier of the charge partition type comprises an operational amplifier coupled to the inverting terminal of which are associated first means suitable for producing at said inverting terminal a signal proportional to a first increment in the analog signal due to a first increment by a bit of the digital signal in input and to the non-inverting terminal of which is associated second means capable of producing a signal proportional to a second increment in the analog signal due to a second increment by one bit of the digital signal in input, said second increment of the input signal being successive to the first increment.

9. The regulator of claim 7, comprising a single amplifier suitable for providing said first signal on a first occasion and a second signal on a second occasion, said differential amplifier comprising a reference value at said non-inverting terminal, said means comprising means for storing said first signal.

10. The regulator of claim 8, wherein the differential amplifier is configured to provide the first signal comprising a reference value at said non-inverting terminal and the differential amplifier suitable for providing the second signal comprising a reference value at said non-inverting terminal.

11. The regulator of claim 1, wherein the at least one buffer with said variable resistance comprises an inverter located between a reference voltage independent of temperature and earth, the output of said inverter connected to said variable resistance, the output of said variable resistance connected to said resistive circuit branch.

12. The regulator of claim 1, comprising the type R-2R.

13. (canceled)

14. A method of calibrating a regulator for a converter of a digital signal into an analog signal, the regulator including at least one pair of buffers having in input said digital signal and the outputs connected to a pair of circuit branches connected to the output of the regulator, each of said at least two circuit branches having at least one resistance, the regulator including a variable resistance associated with at least one buffer of said at least one pair of buffers, and said method comprising; measuring the waveform of the analog signal in output from the regulator, and varying the variable resistance in response to an anomalous waveform compared to a desired waveform.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said measuring of the signal in output from the regulator comprises a measuring of an increment of said analog signal due to an increase in the digital signal in input and measuring the increment of said analog signal due to a successive increment in the digital signal in input, said measuring the variation of the resistance carried out when the difference between the values of the corresponding increments of the analog signal exceeds in absolute value a reference value.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said regulator comprises a number of circuit branches, with n being a whole number, and a plurality n of buffers of which a plurality m of buffers, with m being a whole number less than n, have a variable resistance associated, said measuring step and varying of the variable resistance step carried out for each variable resistance associated with one of the m buffers.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said regulator includes means associated with each variable resistance, said means including a group of resistance values for each variable resistance, said measuring step and said varying step associated with a variable resistance being repeated until the resistance value is selected from said group of values so that the difference between the values of the corresponding increments of the analog signal from the regulator does not exceed or approach in absolute value a reference value.

18. A circuit, comprising: at least two circuit branches coupled to an output terminal, each circuit branch comprising: first and second series-coupled buffers, the first buffer having a digital signal input, and at least one resistance coupled between an output of the second buffer and the output terminal, at least one of the two circuit branches comprising a variable resistance coupled between the at least one resistance and the output of the corresponding buffer, and a calibration circuit coupled to the variable resistance.

19. The circuit of claim 18, wherein the first and second branches have their outputs coupled together by a second resistance.

20. The circuit of claim 18, wherein the calibration circuit comprises at least one differential amplifier and a memory having stored therein resistance values for controlling the variable resistance.

21. The circuit of claim 18, wherein the first and second buffers comprise first and second inverters, respectively, and the second inverter is coupled between a reference voltage independent of temperature and ground.

22. The circuit of claim 18, further comprising a resistance branch coupled between ground and the output of the first branch.

23. A regulator circuit for a digital-to-analog converter that receives at an input a digital signal and outputs an analog signal, the regulator comprising: at least two circuit branches coupled to an output terminal, each circuit branch comprising: first and second series-coupled inverters, the first inverter having an input to receive the digital signal, and at least one resistance coupled between an output of the second inverter and an output of the branch;a variable resistance coupled between the at least one resistance and the output of the second buffer in the second circuit branch, and a calibration circuit coupled to the variable resistance, the calibration circuit receiving on an input the analog output signal from the converter; anda second resistance coupled between the outputs of the at least two circuit branches and a resistance branch coupled between ground and the output of the first circuit branch.

24. The regulator of claim 23, wherein the calibration circuit comprises at least one differential amplifier receiving the digital signal and coupled to a memory having stored therein resistance values for controlling the variable resistance.

25. The regulator of claim 24, wherein the at least one differential amplifier comprises an operational amplifier having an inverting terminal at which is produced a signal proportional to a first increment in the analog signal due to a first increment by a bit of the digital signal in input, and producing at the non-inverting terminal a signal proportional to a second increment in the analog signal due to a second increment by one bit of the digital input signal, the second increment being successive to the first increment.