AI Patent Summary

Patent Document
#US6016019A
United States Patent 115
Abstract
A capacitor array layout technique for improving capacitor array matching. A capacitor array is laid out in a geometrical configuration wherein the geometrical configuration has a centerpoint. The geometrical configuration is divided into a plurality of first sections wherein each of the plurality of first sections have a corresponding second section diagonally located from and at an approximately equal distance from the centerpoint as said first section. Each of the of second sections house a capacitor set of a predetermined value wherein each of the plurality of first sections house a capacitor set of an equal value as the corresponding second section.
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Patent Classification & AI Product Mapping
Authoritative patent classification definitions mapped to real-world technology domains and commercial product categories.
CPC H03M1/00
Confidence: High
Official Definition
Analogue/digital conversion; Digital/analogue conversion
ELECTRICITY > ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY > CODING; DECODING; CODE CONVERSION IN GENERAL
AI Technology & Product Mapping
Technology Domain:
Analog and Mixed-Signal Integrated Circuits
Product Category:
Data Converters (ADCs and DACs)
Plain-English Summary:
General systems, methods, and circuits for converting signals between analog (continuous wave) and digital (binary) formats.
Relation to Claims:
The patent addresses capacitor array layout techniques, which are foundational building blocks used heavily in switched-capacitor analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters to achieve high precision.
CPC H03M1/12
Confidence: High
Official Definition
Analogue/digital converters
ELECTRICITY > ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY > CODING; DECODING; CODE CONVERSION IN GENERAL
AI Technology & Product Mapping
Technology Domain:
Analog and Mixed-Signal Integrated Circuits
Product Category:
Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs)
Plain-English Summary:
Circuits and devices that translate continuous analog electrical signals into discrete digital numbers.
Relation to Claims:
Capacitor matching is critical in Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) to ensure linearity and reduce conversion errors, directly aligning with the patent's focus on capacitor array layout for improved matching.
CPC H03M1/34
Confidence: Medium
Official Definition
Analogue value compared with reference values
ELECTRICITY > ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY > CODING; DECODING; CODE CONVERSION IN GENERAL
AI Technology & Product Mapping
Technology Domain:
Analog and Mixed-Signal Integrated Circuits
Product Category:
Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs)
Plain-English Summary:
Conversion techniques that determine a digital value by comparing an unknown analog input signal against known reference values.
Relation to Claims:
Capacitor arrays in DAC-based comparison architectures rely heavily on accurate matching of capacitor sets to correctly compare analog inputs against reference values.
CPC H03M1/38
Confidence: High
Official Definition
Analogue value compared with reference values sequentially only, e.g. successive approximation type
ELECTRICITY > ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY > CODING; DECODING; CODE CONVERSION IN GENERAL
AI Technology & Product Mapping
Technology Domain:
Successive Approximation Register (SAR) ADCs
Product Category:
High-Precision SAR ADCs
Plain-English Summary:
Successive approximation (SAR) analog-to-digital conversion, where bits are determined sequentially in a step-by-step comparison process.
Relation to Claims:
SAR ADCs utilize a capacitive DAC array to generate reference voltages sequentially; precise capacitor matching via symmetrical layout techniques directly improves SAR ADC integral and differential nonlinearity.
CPC H03M1/46
Confidence: High
Official Definition
Analogue value compared with reference values sequentially only, e.g. successive approximation type with digital/analogue converter for supplying reference values to converter
ELECTRICITY > ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY > CODING; DECODING; CODE CONVERSION IN GENERAL
AI Technology & Product Mapping
Technology Domain:
Capacitive DAC-based SAR ADCs
Product Category:
Integrated Microcontroller ADCs and Standalone SAR ADCs
Plain-English Summary:
Successive approximation analog-to-digital converters that incorporate an internal digital-to-analog converter (typically a capacitor DAC array) to supply the reference values during the conversion process.
Relation to Claims:
The patent explicitly details a geometrical configuration of a capacitor array with a centerpoint and diagonally placed equal-valued sections, which is the quintessential physical layout solution for capacitive DACs used in SAR ADCs.