comparator

In electronics, a comparator is a device that compares two voltages or currents and outputs a digital signal indicating which is larger. It has two analog input terminals




V

+




{\displaystyle V_{+}}
and




V

−




{\displaystyle V_{-}}
and one binary digital output




V

o




{\displaystyle V_{\text{o}}}
. The output is ideally





V

o


=


{



1
,



if


V

+


>

V

−


,




0
,



if


V

+


<

V

−


.








{\displaystyle V_{\text{o}}={\begin{cases}1,&{\text{if }}V_{+}>V_{-},\\0,&{\text{if }}V_{+}<V_{-}.\end{cases}}}
A comparator consists of a specialized high-gain differential amplifier. They are commonly used in devices that measure and digitize analog signals, such as analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), as well as relaxation oscillators.

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