DIGITAL DISCRETE-TIME NON-FOSTER CIRCUITS AND ELEMENTS

• US 20170041010A1
• Filed: 10/07/2016
• Published: 02/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of North Carolina At Charlotte (University of North Carolina System)
• Original Assignee: University of North Carolina At Charlotte (University of North Carolina System)
• Inventors: WELDON, Thomas P.
• Granted Patent: US 10,073,812 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/10 Complex mathematical operations function generation by table look-up G06F1/03; evaluation of elementary functions by calculation G06F7/544
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/00 Details of semiconductor or other solid state devices H01L25/00 takes precedence ; structural arrangements for testing or measuring during manufacture or treatment, or for reliability measurements H01L22/00; arrangements for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies, or methods related thereto H01L24/00; finger print sensors G06V40/12
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 1/12 Analogue/digital converters H03M1/001 – H03M1/10 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 1/66 Digital/analogue converters H03M1/001 – H03M1/10 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/18 Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H

Abstract

A method to implement circuits and circuit elements having one or more ports may include digitizing, using analog-to-digital converters, continuous-time input signals received from one or more ports of a circuit to form discrete-time input signals. At a digital signal processor, the discrete-time input signals are received and the discrete-time input signals are processed to calculate a desired discrete-time output signals. Using digital-to-analog converters, the calculated desired discrete-time output signal are calculated to form outputs of continuous-time output signals at the one or more ports of the circuit. The continuous-time output signals are output to the same one or more ports that receive the continuous-time input signals; and producing, thereby, a desired relationship between the continuous-time output signals and the continuous-time input signals at the one or more ports.

Claims

1. A method to implement circuits and circuit elements having one or more ports, comprising:

digitizing, using analog-to-digital converters, continuous-time input signals received from one or more ports of a circuit to form discrete-time input signals;

receiving, at a digital signal processor, the discrete-time input signals and processing the discrete-time input signals to calculate a desired discrete-time output signals;

converting, using digital-to-analog converters, the calculated desired discrete-time output signal to form outputs of continuous-time output signals at the one or more ports of the circuit;

outputting the continuous-time output signals to the same one or more ports that receive the continuous-time input signals; and

producing, thereby, a desired relationship between the continuous-time output signals and the continuous-time input signals at the one or more ports.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital signal processor performs processing having functionality of at least one of convolution, difference equations, admittance matrices, impedance matrices, nonlinearity, adaptive control, adaptive stabilization, and time-variance.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein:

said digitizing comprises digitizing the continuous-time input voltage at the port of a component having only one port to form discrete-time input signal v[n];

said processing comprises calculating the desired discrete-time output signal i[n] that determines current for the one port;

said processing to include functionality comprising convolution or difference equations; and

said converting comprises converting the discrete-time output signal i[n] to form a continuous-time output signal current—

at said one port.

4. The method of claim 3 where:

said functionality comprises at least one of;

a difference equation i[n]=C(v[n]−

v[n−

1])/T for a preferentially negative capacitance C, relating desired discrete-time output signal port current i[n] to digitized discrete-time input signal port voltage v[n], when the sampling period is T for both the digital-to-analog converter and the analog-to-digital converter;

a difference equation i[n]=i[n−

1]+Tv[n]/L for a preferentially negative inductance L, relating desired discrete-time output signal port current i[n] to digitized discrete-time input signal port voltage v[n], when the sampling period is T for both the digital-to-analog converter and the analog-to-digital converter;

a convolution relating desired discrete-time output signal port current i[n] to digitized discrete-time input signal port voltage v[n], where i[n]=v[n]*h[n], with * denoting convolution, where impulse response h[n] has z-transform H(z), and where H(z)=2C(z−

1)/{(z+1)T} for a preferentially negative capacitance C, when the sampling period is T for both the digital-to-analog converter and the analog-to-digital converter;

a convolution relating desired discrete-time output signal port current i[n] to digitized discrete-time input signal port voltage v[n], where i[n]=v[n]*h[n], with * denoting convolution, where impulse response h[n] has z-transform H(z), and where H(z)=T(z+1)/{2L(z−

1)} for a preferentially negative inductance L, when the sampling period is T for both the digital-to-analog converter and the analog-to-digital converter;

an adaptive method for determining the initial external impedance Z,(s) seen by the port by first generating a current impulse using said digital-to-analog converter, measuring the impulse response voltage using said analog-to-digital converter, taking Z_e(s)=Σ

v(nT)e<sup>−

nsT</sup>, then computing desired processing functionality H(z)={(Z_e(s)−

Z_T(s))/(Z_e(s)Z_T(s))}|<sub>s=(2/T)(z−

1)/(z+1)</sub>, where Z_T(s) is the desired the total impedance at the port.

5. The method of claim 4 where:

said functionality includes an adaptive method for determining the external impedance Ze(s) seen by the port by using a pseudorandom current instead of said current impulse.

6. The method of claim 2 where:

said digitizing consists of digitizing the continuous-time input current at the port of a component having only one port to form discrete-time input signal i[n];

said processing consists of calculating the desired discrete-time output signal v[n] that determines voltage at said one port;

said processing to include functionality comprising convolution or difference equations; and

said converting, comprises converting the discrete-time output signal v[n] to form a continuous-time output signal voltage at said one port.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said functionality comprises one of:

a difference equation v[n]=L(i[n]−

i[n−

1])/T for a preferentially negative inductance L, relating desired discrete-time output signal port voltage v[n] to digitized discrete-time input signal port current i[n], when the sampling period is T for both the digital-to-analog converter and the analog-to-digital converter.

a difference equation v[n]=v[n−

1]+Ti[n]/C for a preferentially negative capacitance C, relating desired discrete-time output signal port voltage v[n] to digitized discrete-time input signal port current i[n], when the sampling period is T for both the digital-to-analog converter and the analog-to-digital converter;

a convolution relating desired discrete-time output signal port voltage v[n] to digitized discrete-time input signal port current i[n], where v[n]=i[n]*h[n], with * denoting convolution, where impulse response h[n] has z-transform H(z), and where H(z)=2L(z−

1)/{(z 30

     1)T} for a preferentially negative inductance L, when the sampling period is T for both the digital-to-analog converter and the analog-to-digital converter;

a convolution relating desired discrete-time output signal port voltage v[n] to digitized discrete-time input signal port current i[n], where v[n]=i[n]*h[n], with * denoting convolution, where impulse response h[n] has z-transform H(z), and where H(z)=T(z+1)/{2C(z−

1)} for a preferentially negative capacitance C, when the sampling period is T for both the digital-to-analog converter and the analog-to-digital converter; and

an adaptive method for determining the initial external impedance Z_e(s) seen by the port by first generating a voltage impulse using said digital-to-analog converter, measuring the impulse response current using said analog-to-digital converter, then computing desired processing functionality H(z).

8. The method of claim 2 where:

said digitizing consists of digitizing the continuous-time input voltages at every port of a circuit to form discrete-time input signals wherein the at least one or more ports comprises at least two or more ports;

said processing consists of calculating the desired discrete-time output signals that determine currents at every one of said two or more ports;

said processing to include functionality comprising an z-transform admittance matrix Y(z); and

said converting, comprises converting the discrete-time output signals to form a continuous-time output signal currents at every one of said two or more ports.

9. The method of claim 2 where:

said digitizing consists of digitizing the continuous-time input currents at every port of the circuit to form discrete-time input signals wherein the one or more ports comprises two or more ports;

said processing consists of calculating the desired discrete-time output signals that determine voltages at every one of said two or more ports;

said processing to include functionality comprising a z-transform impedance matrix Z(z); and

said converting, I comprises converting the discrete-time output signals to form a continuous-time output signal voltages at every one of said two or more ports.

10. The method of claim 8 where:

said functionality comprises any difference equation relating desired discrete-time output currents i[n] to digitized discrete-time input voltages v[n], when the sampling period is T for both the digital-to-analog converter and the analog-to-digital converter.

11. The method of claim 8 where:

said functionality comprises one of;

any desired z-transform admittance matrix Y(z) and any desired z-transform impedance matrix Z(z).

12. The method of claim 11 where:

said functionality includes an adaptive method for determining the initial external impedance Z_e(s) seen by one or more ports by first generating a current impulse using said digital-to-analog converters, measuring the impulse response current using said analog-to-digital converters, then computing desired processing functionality Y(z).

13. The method of claim 8 where:

said functionality comprises at least one of;

a z-transform admittance matrix Y(z) with

14. The method of claim 2 where:

said functionality includes an adaptive method for determining the initial external impedance Z_e(s) seen by one or more ports by first generating a voltage impulse using said digital-to-analog converters, measuring the impulse response current using said analog-to-digital converters, then computing desired processing functionality Z(z).

15. The method of claim 14 where:

said functionality includes an adaptive method for determining the external impedance Ze(s) seen by the port by using a pseudorandom current instead of said current impulse.

16. The method of claim 2 where:

said functionality comprises at least one of;

any desired z-transform admittance matrix Y(z).

any desired z-transform impedance matrix Z(z).

any difference equation relating desired port current i[n] to digitized port voltage v[n], when the sampling period is T for all of the digital-to-analog converters and the analog-to-digital converters.

17. The method of claim 9 where:

said functionality comprises at least one of;

a z-transform impedance matrix Z(z) with

18. The method of claim 2 where:

said functionality includes an adaptive method for determining the initial external impedance Z_e(s) seen by one or more ports by first generating a current or voltage impulse using said digital-to-analog converters, measuring the impulse response currents or voltages using said analog-to-digital converters, then computing desired processing functionality Y(z) or Z(z).

19. The method of claim 1 wherein:

at least one of the signals comprises forces, temperatures, pressures, velocity, position, torque, or flow rate.

20. An apparatus to implement circuits and circuit elements having one or more ports, comprising:

analog-to-digital converters at every port to convert continuous-time input signals received from each port of a circuit into corresponding discrete-time input signals;

a digital signal processor to process and compute desired discrete-time output signals for each port from the said discrete-time input signals;

digital-to-analog converters at each port to convert the desired discrete-time output signals to continuous-time output signals at each port; and

outputs of said digital-to-analog converters connected to the inputs of said analog-to-digital converters at every port; and

where said continuous time output signals are currents when said continuous-time input signals are voltages, and where said continuous time output signals are voltages when said continuous-time input signals are currents.