Open loop oscillator time-to-digital conversion
US10454483B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 24, 2016 |
| Grant date | Oct 22, 2019 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 23, 2037 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L7/0337
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A time-to-digital converter (TDC) detects a timing relationship between signals representing two temporal events. Several samples are acquired over a certain time period for each event, and the signals related to the different events are digitized or quantized either by separate TDCs or by a single TDC in a time-sequential manner. The quantized results are then processed, for example added to/subtracted from one another, and used to determine the phase or time difference between the two events. When information being quantized is quasi-static over time periods where the measurement is performed, the instantaneous or “one shot” accuracy of a TDC need not be as good as or better than the desired time resolution. Digitally processing the signals and averaging the results moves an otherwise difficult analog quantizer problem to the digital domain where savings in power and chip area can be easily achieved without sacrificing accuracy.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.