Voltage comparator circuit

• US 4,760,287 A
• Filed: 03/18/1987
• Issued: 07/26/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sahoda, Masayuki, Iida, Tetsuya, Goto, Junkei
• Primary Examiner(s): Zazworsky, John
• Application Number:
  US07/027,404
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 307/355, 307/356, 307/362
• US Class Current: 327/63
• CPC Class Codes: G06G 7/14 for addition or subtraction of vector quantities G06G7/22 ; computing the average by addition; differential amplifiers H03F3/45
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 5/249 using clock signals

Abstract

In the comparator circuit, the amplifier circuit is comprised of an inverting amplifier section having a high gain and a noninverting amplifier section having a low output impedance. Therefore, the comparator circuit has a high input sensitivity. The comparator circuit can also operate at a high speed.

Claims

1. A voltage comparator circuit comprising:

first and second switching means to whose input terminals first and second input signals are respectively input, output terminals of said first and second switching means being commonly connected;

a capacitive element;

an amplifier circuit comprising a cascade circuit of an inverting amplifier section having a high voltage gain and a non-inverting amplifier section having a low output impedance, a signal of a common connection terminal of said output terminals of the first and second switching means being input to the amplifier circuit via said capacitive element, said inverting amplifier section being constituted by a complementary type MOS inverter composed of a P-channel type MOS transistor and an N-channel type MOS transistor, and said non-inverting amplifier section being constituted by a cascade connection circuit composed of a source follower circuit of a P-channel type MOS transistor and a source follower circuit of an N-channel type MOS transistor; and

third switching means connected between input and output terminals of said amplifier circuit.

2. A voltage comparator circuit comprising:

first and second switching means to whose input terminals, first and second input signals are respectively input, output terminals of said first and second switching means being commonly connected;

a capacitive element;

an amplifier circuit comprising a cascade circuit of an inverting amplifier section having a high voltage gain and a non-inverting amplifier section having a low output impedance, a signal of a common connection terminal of said output terminals of the first and second switching means being input to the amplifier circuit via said capacitive element, said inverting amplifier section being constituted by a complementary type MOS inverter composed of a P-channel type MOS transistor and an N-channel type MOS transistor, and said non-inverting amplifier section being constituted by a cascade connection circuit composed of a source follower circuit of an N-channel type MOS transistor and a source follower circuit of a P-channel type MOS transistor; and

third switching means connected between input and output terminals of said amplifier circuit.

3. A voltage comparator circuit comprising:

first and second switching means to whose input terminals first and second input signals are respectively input, output terminals of said first and second switching means being commonly connected;

a capacitive element;

an amplifier circuit comprising a cascade circuit of an inverting amplifier section having a high voltage gain and a non-inverting amplifier section having a low output impedance, a signal of a common connection terminal of said output terminals of the first and second switching means being input to the amplifier circuit via said capacitive element, said inverting amplifier section being constituted by a complementary type MOS inverter of a P-channel type transistor and an N-channel MOS type transistor, and said non-inverting amplifier section being constituted in a manner such that a first P-channel type MOS transistor and a first N-channel type MOS transistor are serially connected between said first and second power sources, a second P-channel type MOS transistor and a second N-channel type MOS transistor are serially connected between said first and second power sources, the gate of said first N-channel type MOS transistor is commonly connected to the drain thereof and to the gate of said second N-channel type MOS transistor, the gate of said second P-channel MOS transistor is connected to the drain thereof, the gate of said first P-channel type MOS transistor is used as the input terminal, and the drain of said second P-channel type MOS transistor is used as the output terminal; and

third switching means connected between input and output terminals of said amplifier circuit.

4. A voltage comparator circuit comprising:

first and second switching means to whose input terminals first and second input signals are respectively input, output terminals of said first and second switching means being commonly connected;

a capacitive element;

an amplifier circuit comprising a cascade circuit of an inverting amplifier section having a high voltage gain and a non-inverting amplifier section having a low output impedance, a signal of a common connection terminal of said output terminals of the first and second switching means being input to the amplifier circuit via said capacitive element, said inverting amplifier section being constituted by a complementary type MOS inverter of a P-channel type MOS transistor and an N-channel type MOS transistor, and said non-inverting amplifier section being constituted in a manner such that a first P-channel type MOS transistor and a first N-channel type MOS transistor are serially connected between first and second power sources, a second P-channel type MOS transistor and a second N-channel MOS transistor are serially connected between said first and second power sources, the gate of said first P-channel type MOS transistor is commonly connected to the drain thereof and to the gate of said second P-channel type MOS transistor, the gate of said second N-channel type MOS transistor is connected to the drain thereof, the gate of said first N-channel type MOS transistor is used as the input terminal, and the drain of said second N-channel type MOS transistor is used as the output terminal; and

third switching means connected between input and output terminals of said amplifier circuit.