Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for compensating a spread spectrum clock generator

US6292507A · kind A · utility

59Cited by
11References
34Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 1, 1999
Grant dateSep 18, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 1, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04B2215/067
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An improved spread spectrum clock generator circuit is provided which automatically compensates for variations in passive component values and system gain and charge pump current in a Phase Locked Loop circuit. The pulse widths of the UP and DOWN outputs of the Phase Frequency Detector are monitored at particular intervals to determine the deviation error of these UP and DOWN signals, as compared to typical or nominal pulse-width durations. After an error is determined in the actual values of the pulse-width durations, the Phase Locked Loop (PLL) system is adjusted depending upon the magnitude and direction of the error signal. Changes in the PLL gain parameters, especially the VCO gain and charge pump current, have a significant effect on the PFD outputs, such that the width of the UP and DOWN signals vary as the frequency changes along the spread spectrum profile. At one portion of the spread spectrum profile, the "peak" (i.e., maximum) pulse width of these UP and DOWN signals will be a function of the spread spectrum's modulation profile and the PLL parameters. In addition to sampling for maximum pulse widths at the profile locations exhibiting peaks and valleys, the actual erro…

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