Multiplier circuit

• US 5,151,624 A
• Filed: 11/05/1991
• Issued: 09/29/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Pfaffel, Bruno, Stegherr, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Stanley D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, SINH N
• Application Number:
  US07/773,556
• Time in Patent Office: 329 Days
• Field of Search: 307/254, 307/529, 307/355, 307/498, 307/241, 307/242, 307/243, 307/490, 328/158, 328/160
• US Class Current: 327/356
• CPC Class Codes: G06G 7/163 using a variable impedance controlled by one of the input signals, variable amplification or transfer function G06G7/161, G06G7/162 take precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to a multiplier circuit which is constructed from two multiplier cells according to the prior art. The disadvantage of different signal transit times in the emitter followers and the differential stages for the two input signals to be treated identically is overcome by arranging the transmission paths symmetrically. The limiting frequency of the arrangement according to the invention is no longer limited by the phase error, but solely by the switching time of the bipolar transistors employed, and is therefore higher than in a multiplier circuit according to the prior art. For all frequencies below the limiting frequency, given a phase difference of 90° the output signal lies exactly in the middle of the modulation range.

Claims

1. A multiplier circuit having a first pair and a second pair of input terminals and first and second output terminals comprising:

at least first and second multiplier cells;

the second multiplier cell having a lower circuit level and a downstream upper circuit level, a first pair of input terminals of the second multiplier cell assigned to the upper circuit level thereof and connected to the first pair of input terminals of the multiplier circuit, and a second pair of input terminals assigned to the lower circuit level thereof and connected to the second pair of input terminals of the multiplier circuit, the second multiplier cell connected to a first voltage terminal, the first output terminal of the multiplier circuit connected via a first resistance element to a second voltage terminal, and the second output terminal of the multiplier circuit connected to the second voltage terminal via a second resistance element, the first multiplier cell having a lower circuit level and a downstream upper circuit level, a first pair of input terminals of the first multiplier cell assigned to the upper circuit level thereof and connected to the second pair of input terminals of the second multiplier cell, and a second pair of input terminals of the first multiplier cell, assigned to the lower circuit level thereof and connected to the first pair of input terminals of the second multiplier cell, the first multiplier cell connected to the first voltage terminal, and a first output terminal of the second multiplier cell and a first output terminal of the first multiplier cell connected together and forming the first output terminal of the multiplier circuit, and a second output terminal of the second multiplier cell and a second output terminal of the first multiplier cell connected together and forming the second output terminal of the multiplier circuit.

2. The multiplier circuit according to claim 1, wherein the second multiplier cell and the first multiplier cell are constructed identically and wherein each of the first and second multiplier cells has in the lower circuit level an emitter-coupled transistor pair with first and second bipolar transistors and in the upper circuit level two emitter-coupled transistors pairs with third, fourth and fifth and sixth bipolar transistors, wherein a base terminal of the first bipolar transistor and a base terminal of the second bipolar transistor form the second pair of input terminals of the respective multiplier cell, wherein an emitter terminal of the first bipolar transistor and an emitter terminal of the second bipolar transistor are connected via a current source to the first voltage terminal, wherein a collector terminal of the first bipolar transistor is connected to the emitter terminal of the third bipolar transistor and to the emitter terminal of the fourth bipolar transistor, and a collector terminal of the second bipolar transistor is connected to an emitter terminal of the fifth bipolar transistor and to an emitter terminal of the sixth bipolar transistor, wherein a gate terminal of the third bipolar transistor together with a gate terminal of the sixth bipolar transistor and a gate terminal of the fourth bipolar transistor together with a gate terminal of the fifth bipolar transistor form the first pair of input terminals of the respective multiplier cell, and wherein a collector terminal of the third bipolar transistor together with a collector terminal of the fifth bipolar transistor and a collector terminal of the fourth bipolar transistor together with a collector terminal of the sixth bipolar transistor form the first and second output terminals of the respective multiplier cell.

3. The multiplier circuit according to claim 2, wherein for each multiplier cell, the second pair of input terminals has a first input terminal connected to the base terminal of the first bipolar transistor of the respective multiplier cell, and a second input terminal connected to the base terminal of the second bipolar transistor of the respective multiplier cell and the first pair of input terminals of the respective multiplier cell has a first input terminal connected to the base terminal of the third and sixth bipolar transistors of the respective multiplier cell, and a second input terminal connected to the base terminal of the fourth and fifth bipolar transistors of the respective multiplier cell, and wherein the first input terminal and the second input terminal of the second pair of input terminals of the first multiplier cell are connected, respectively, to the first input terminal and the second input terminal of the first pair of input terminals of the second multiplier cell, and the first input terminal and the second input terminal of the first pair of input terminals of the first multiplier cell are connected, respectively, to the second input terminal and the first input terminal of the second pair of input terminals of the second multiplier cell.

4. The multiplier circuit according to claim 1, wherein level-shift stages of a first type are connected between the first pair of input terminals of the second multiplier cell and the first pair of input terminals of the multiplier circuit, and also between the first pair of input terminals of the first multiplier cell and the second pair of input terminals of the multiplier circuit, and wherein level-shift stages of a second type are connected between the second pair of input terminals of the second multiplier cell and the second pair of input terminals of the multiplier circuit, and also between the second pair of input terminals of the first multiplier cell and the first pair of input terminals of the multiplier circuit.

5. The multiplier circuit according to claim 4, wherein each level-shift stage of the second type contains three series-connected level-shift stages of the first type.

6. The multiplier circuit according to claim 4, wherein each of the level-shift stages of the first type contains a further bipolar transistor and a resistance element, wherein a base terminal of the further bipolar transistor is an input of the respective level-shift stage of the first type and an emitter terminal of the further bipolar transistor is an output of the respective level-shift stage of the first type, wherein the emitter terminal of the further bipolar transistor is connected via the resistance element to the first voltage terminal and a collector terminal of the further bipolar transistor is connected to the second voltage terminal.

7. The multiplier circuit according to claim 2, wherein the bipolar transistors are npn transistors, and the first voltage terminal is connected to a negative pole of a voltage source and the second voltage terminal is connected to a reference potential of the voltage source.

8. The multiplier circuit according to claim 6, wherein the bipolar transistors are npn transistors, and the first voltage terminal is connected to a negative pole of a voltage source and the second voltage terminal is connected to a reference potential of the voltage source.