Patent · US Active

Frequency calibration for frequency synthesizers

US7474159B2 · kind B2 · utility

6Cited by
1References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 8, 2007
Grant dateJan 6, 2009
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 13, 2027

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03L7/18
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A calibration circuit (17) for calibrating a frequency synthesizer (10) having a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) (15) with a plurality of switched-capacitor arrays (CA1-CAn). The calibration circuit (17) counts a predetermined number of periods of the reference-clock signal (ref_clk) and divide-clock signal (div_clk) of the frequency synthesizer using a fast clock signal (fastclk). The fast-clock signal (fastclk) has a frequency greater than either the reference-clock signal (ref_clk) or the divide-clock signal (div_clk), enabling significantly faster calibration of the frequency synthesizer (10) than would be possible using the reference-clock signal (ref_clk). The calibration circuit (17) compares the count of the periods of the reference-clock signal (ref_clk) and the divide-clock signal (div_clk) and varies the tank signal of the VCO (VCO_tank_setting) until the count of the periods is substantially equal.

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