Pulse or digital communications – Synchronizers – Phase displacement – slip or jitter correction
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-04
2002-11-19
Pham, Chi (Department: 2631)
Pulse or digital communications
Synchronizers
Phase displacement, slip or jitter correction
C375S374000, C375S375000, C327S157000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06483886
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to phase-locked loop circuitry for programmable logic devices. More particularly, this invention relates to a phase-locked loop circuit for a programmable logic device having greater flexibility in adjusting both frequency and phase of the output signal relative to those of the input signal.
Programmable logic devices are well known. Commonly, a programmable logic device has a plurality of substantially identical logic elements, each of which can be programmed to perform certain desired logic functions. The logic elements have access to a programmable interconnect structure that allows a user to interconnect the various logic elements in almost any desired configuration. Finally, the interconnect structure also provides access to a plurality of input/output (“I/O”) pins, with the connections of the pins to the interconnect structure also being programmable.
At one time, programmable logic devices of the type just described were implemented almost exclusively using transistor-transistor logic (“TTL”), in which a logical “high” signal was nominally at 5 volts, while a logical “low” signal was nominally at ground potential, or 0 volts. More recently, however, other logic standards have come into general use, some of which use different signalling schemes, such as LVTTL (Low Voltage TTL), PCI (Peripheral Component Interface), SSTL (Series Stub Terminated Logic, which has several variants), GTL (Gunning Transceiver Logic) or GTL+, HSTL (High Speed Transceiver Logic, which has several variants), LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signalling), and others. Some of these signalling schemes, and particularly LVDS, require high-frequency clock signals with precise phase relationships for proper operation.
It is known to include phase-locked loop circuitry on programmable logic devices to help counteract “skew” and excessive delay in clock signals propagating on the device (see, for example, Jefferson U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,020 and Reddy et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,617, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties). For example, phase-locked loop circuitry may be used to produce a clock signal which is advanced in time relative to a clock signal applied to the programmable logic device. The advanced clock signal is propagated to portions of the device that are relatively distant from the applied clock signal so that the propagation delay of the advanced clock signal brings it back into synchronism with the applied clock signal when it reaches the distant portions of the device. In this way all portions of the device receive synchronous clock signals and clock signal “skew” (different amounts of delay in different portions of the device) is reduced.
However, while phase-locked loops are accurate sources of clock signals, they generally are limited in the frequencies they can provide, both in terms of adjustability, and in terms of the absolute range of frequencies that can be generated. Moreover, the ability to adjust the phase of the output clock signal relative to the input clock signal is limited.
It would be desirable to be able to provide a phase-locked loop circuit that is adjustable in phase and can generate a wide range of frequencies.
It would be particularly desirable to be able to provide such a phase-locked loop circuit on a programmable logic device, especially to provide a clock signal for a high-speed signalling scheme, such as LVDS.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to attempt to provide a phase-locked loop circuit that is adjustable and can generate a wide range of frequencies.
It is a particular object of this invention to attempt to provide such a phase-locked loop circuit on a programmable logic device, especially to provide a clock signal for a high-speed signalling scheme, such as LVDS.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a phase-locked loop circuit having an input terminal for accepting an input clock signal, a phase/frequency detector having a signal input connected to the input terminal, a phase/frequency detection input and a signal output, a charge pump having a pump input connected to the signal output of the phase/frequency detector and having a pump output, and a voltage-controlled oscillator having an oscillator input connected to the pump output, an oscillator output, and a plurality of signal taps. The signal taps are separated from one another in phase by substantially uniform delays. A feedback loop feeds back to the phase detection input a signal from one of the signal taps. The feedback loop has a feedback multiplexer for selecting that one of the signal taps to feed back. An output multiplexer selects one of the signal taps as an output signal of the phase-locked loop. When the output multiplexer selects a first signal tap and the feedback multiplexer selects a subsequent one of the signal taps separated from the first signal tap by an odd number of signal taps, the output signal has a phase that is advanced relative to the input clock signal by an even multiple (specifically, one more than the odd number of signal taps) of the substantially uniform delay. When the feedback multiplexer selects a first signal tap and the output multiplexer selects a subsequent one of the signal taps separated from the first signal tap by an odd number of signal taps, the output signal has a phase that is retarded relative to the input clock signal by an even multiple (specifically, one more than the odd number of signal taps) of the substantially uniform delay.
In addition, either with or without the feedback and output multiplexers, the phase-locked loop includes a programmable pre-scale counter at the input terminal, a programmable post-scale counter downstream of the output multiplexer and a programmable feedback-scale counter downstream of the feedback multiplexer in the feedback loop. Each of the counters is loadable or programmable with an integer value. The pre-scale counter divides the frequency of the output signal by the integer value programmed therein, the post-scale counter divides the frequency of the output signal by the integer value programmed therein, and the feedback-scale counter multiplies the frequency of the output signal by the integer value programmed therein.
Such a phase-locked loop circuit can be adjusted to provide almost any rational multiple of the input frequency by correctly choosing the integers loaded into the various counters. If the feedback-scale counter is loaded with integer M, the pre-scale counter is loaded with integer N and the post-scale counter is loaded with integer K, then the output frequency equals the input frequency multiplied by M/(NK). Thus, the phase-locked loop circuit can be used as a general purpose frequency synthesizer.
The voltage-controlled oscillator preferably is a ring oscillator having an odd number of stages each of which is essentially an inverter. The phase delay that is characteristic of the operation of a phase-locked loop derives from the cumulative delays of the inverters. Therefore, the relative phase of the output signal can be adjusted by tapping the voltage-controlled oscillator for feedback and output signals at the correct stages.
Thus, if the two signals are tapped from two stages having one stage between them, the output signal will differ in phase from the input signal by the phase delay of two stages. This is the minimum possible phase shift unit, because while the outputs of two adjacent taps differ by the delay of one stage, they are also inverted relative to one another, adding 180° to the phase shift between them. For example, if the output of one stage is a rising edge, the output of the next stage, though delayed by only one additional delay, would be a falling edge.
Whether the output signal leads or lags the input signal in phase is determined by whether the feedback signal is tapped upstream or downstream of where the output signal is tapped. When the output signal is tapped from a first signal tap and the feedback signal is tapped from a subsequent t
Cliff Richard G.
Huang Joseph
Sung Chiakang
Wang Bonnie I.
Altera Corporation
Fish & Neave
Ingerman Jeffrey H.
Pham Chi
Tran Khanh Cong
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