Chapter 2: Autocalibration and compensation techniques 19 they are not applicable directly because the system must be disconnected from the signal path during offset and noise sampling. This problem can be over- come by using the ping-pong technique. The principle is to duplicate the signal processing circuit, in this case an amplifier. One of them is calibrated, while the other is amplifying the input signal [11]. When calibration is done, the role of both amplifiers is reversed: The just calibrated amplifier is used for signal amplification, and the second is calibrated. The same procedure goes on and on, hence the name “ping-pong”. Figure 15 presents an improved ping-pong technique [12] that reduces the glitches during the transition from one amplifier to another. On the left, amplifier A amplifies the signal and A’ is under calibration. During the transi- tion phase in the middle, amplifier A’ copies the amplified output of A. This prevents the system from generating an important transient spike as if A‘ directly replaces A. On the right, the roles of both amplifiers are exchanged: A’ processes the signal and A is calibrated. Sl. a p> p- [oe bl. Figure 15, Ping-pong amplifier system Left: A* calibration; Middle: Transition; Right: A calibration Even if the transition between both amplifiers is done cautiously, there still remain two undesirable effects as presented in figure 16 [13]. First, the amplitude of the spike at the instant of swapping towap is reduced by using an intermediate phase, but not removed completely. Second, since the offset voltages Voie, 4 aNd Vorger 4’ of both amplifiers A and A’ are not exactly equal when the amplifiers are swapped, the output signal is slightly shifted after the transition by: A Voorvet. a‘( swap) Vortset, ACswap) @N) The amplitude of the step A can be reduced by increasing the precision of the offset correction. But if the time interval between two successive swaps is long, the offset of the active amplifier can drift, or the low-frequency noise