LOGARITHMIC A/D CONVERTER, METHOD OF LOGARITHMIC A/D CONVERSION, LOGARITHMIC D/A CONVERTER, METHOD OF LOGARITHMIC D/A CONVERSION, AND SYSTEM FOR MEASURING PHYSICAL QUANTITY

摘要

An analog multiplier 11 raises a base reference voltage "Vref0" to the nth power so that a reference voltage "Vref1" is produced. Analog multipliers 12 and 13 sequentially raise the reference voltage "Vref1" to the nth power so that reference voltages "Vref2" and "Vref3" are produced. Switch groups 38-41 control the reference voltages "Vref0" to "Vref3", which are then sent to an analog multiplier 14 together with an input voltage "Vin". A comparator 14 sequentially compares a multiplication result "Vx" of the multiplier 14 with a voltage "Vout" outputted from a sensor circuit 2, so that a digital output value "Dout" is produced. The analog multiplier 14 is set as appropriate. <IMAGE>