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Abstract

A voltage-to-frequency converter having an analog-to-digital converter, based on analog components, for converting samples of an analog signal into corresponding digital words and a digital-to-frequency converter, based on digital components, for converting the digital words into a train of pulses having a pulse repetition frequency related to the analog signal. With such an arrangement, the digital-to-frequency converter and the analog-to-digital converter are adapted to operate at different rates. Therefore, the analog-to-digital converter may be optimized at one operating rate while the digital-to-frequency converter is adapted to operate at a higher operating rate and over a wide range of operating rates. This arrangement thereby enables a slower, analog component based, analog-to-digital converter to be used fabricated with CMOS technology along with the higher, variable operating rate, digital component based, digital-to-frequency converter. The digital-to-frequency converter includes a register and an adder for summing the digital words with contents stored in the register to produce a sum thereof. The sum is stored in the register. An interpolator is provided between the analog-to-digital converter and the digital-to-frequency converter for providing digital words for the digital-to-frequency converter at a rate greater than the operating rate of the analog-to-digital converter.

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