Patent · US Active

Time-to-digital converter and conversion method

US10671025B2 · kind B2 · utility

4Cited by

1References

18Claims

0Family size

Assignee

AMS AG · AT

Inventors

Christian Mautner · Graz, AT
Friedrich Bahnmueller · Karlsruhe, DE
Friedrich Laengauer · Wildon, AT
Robert Kappel · Sinsheim, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Dec 8, 2017
Grant date	Jun 2, 2020
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Dec 8, 2037

Classification

Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
CPC primaryH03M1/12
WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A time-to-digital converter arrangement has a ring oscillator with a plurality of inverting elements and a first and a second counter coupled to the ring oscillator. The first counter is configured to increment a first counter value if a positive edge transition is present at one of the inverting elements. The second counter is configured to increment a second counter value if a negative edge transition is present at the one of the inverting elements. A storage element stores the first and the second counter value and logical states of the plurality of inverting elements. A decoder coupled to the storage element selects one of the first and the second counter value as a valid value based on an evaluation of the stored logical states, and outputs a total counter value based on the valid value and the stored logical states.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.