Digital phase locked loop having coarse and fine stepsize variable delay lines
US5604775A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 29, 1995 |
| Grant date | Feb 18, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 29, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03L7/0818
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In a digital phase locked loop, a coarse stepsize variable delay line and a fine stepsize variable delay line are connected in series for receiving a reference clock pulse and imparting thereto variable delays in accordance with higher significant bits and lower significant bits. The delayed clock pulse is delivered to the input of a clock tree through which the clock pulse propagates and are supplied to various parts of an integrated circuit chip. A phase detector provides a phase comparison between the reference clock pulse and a delayed clock pulse appearing at one of the outputs of the clock tree. A delay controller counts the reference clock pulse to produce a count value, and increments or decrements the count value in accordance with the output of the phase detector. The up-down count value is supplied as the higher and lower significant bits to the coarse and fine stepsize variable delay lines at such longer intervals than the intervals at which the reference clock pulse occurs, so that the delayed clock pulse is allowed a sufficient time to propagate through the clock tree.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.