Applications of comparators from "summary" of Electronics - Circuits and Systems by Owen Bishop
Comparators are widely used in electronic circuits for a variety of applications. One common use of comparators is as voltage detectors. In this application, the comparator is used to compare a reference voltage with an input voltage. When the input voltage exceeds the reference voltage, the comparator output changes state. This can be used to trigger other circuits, such as alarms or control systems. Another important application of comparators is in waveform generation. By using a comparator in conjunction with a voltage-controlled oscillator, it is possible to generate square waves of varying frequencies. This can be useful in applications such as pulse-width modulation (PWM) circuits and frequency synthesizers. Comparators are also commonly used in analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). In this application, the comparator is used to compare an analog input voltage with a reference voltage. By using a series of comparators with varying reference voltages, it is possible to convert an analog signal into a digital representation. In addition to these applications, comparators are also used in window detectors, where they are used to monitor whether a signal falls within a certain range of values. They can also be used in zero-crossing detectors, where they are used to detect the point at which a signal crosses zero.- Comparators are versatile devices that find use in a wide range of electronic circuits. Their simplicity and reliability make them a popular choice for many different applications in electronics.
