Clock generation circuit and electronic apparatus

• US 20120038402A1
• Filed: 06/17/2011
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Naoki
• Application Number:
  US13/067,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20120038402A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 327/157
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/0995 the oscillator comprising a ring oscillator

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a clock generation circuit, including a current-controlled oscillation section including a plurality of delay circuits, which include a plurality of current-controlled delay circuits adapted to delay a signal by a delay amount corresponding to current supplied thereto, connected so as to form a closed loop and adapted to output a clock signal formed by the closed loop; a phase controlling section including a comparator adapted to compare the clock signal with a reference signal and adapted to output controlling current, which varies so as to decrease the phase difference between the clock signal and the reference signal, to the current-controlled delay circuits; and a spread current generation section adapted to supply spread spectrum current of a current value different from that of the controlling current in place of the controlling current to a particular one or ones of the current-controlled delay circuits.

Claims

1. A clock generation circuit, comprising:

a current-controlled oscillation section including a plurality of delay circuits, which include a plurality of current-controlled delay circuits adapted to delay a signal by a delay amount corresponding to current supplied thereto, connected so as to form a closed loop and adapted to output a clock signal formed by said closed loop;

a phase controlling section including a comparator adapted to compare the clock signal with a reference signal and adapted to output controlling current, which varies so as to decrease the phase difference between the clock signal and the reference signal, to said current-controlled delay circuits; and

a spread current generation section adapted to supply spread spectrum current of a current value different from that of the controlling current in place of the controlling current to a particular one or ones of said current-controlled delay circuits.

2. The clock generation circuit according to claim 1, wherein the controlling current and the spread spectrum current are supplied time-divisionally to the particular one or ones of said current-controlled delay circuits.

3. The clock generation circuit according to claim 1, wherein said phase controlling section outputs a plurality of controlling currents adapted to be individually supplied to said current-controlled delay circuits, and

said spread current generation section is connected between the particular one or ones of said current-controlled delay circuits and said phase controlling section and time-divisionally supplies the controlling currents and the spread spectrum current to the particular one or ones of said current-controlled delay circuits.

4. The clock generation circuit according to claim 3, wherein

said phase controlling section outputs, as the controlling current to be supplied to each of said current-controlled delay circuits, first controlling current which varies so as to decrease the phase difference between the clock signal and the reference signal, and

said spread current generation section includes:

a current DA converter connected between the particular one or ones of said current-controlled delay circuits and said phase controlling section; and

a modulation controlling section adapted to control said current DA converter;

said modulation controlling section controlling the first controlling current and the spread spectrum current so as to be time-divisionally supplied to the particular one or ones of said current-controlled delay circuits which are connected to said current DA converter such that

the first controlling current or the spread spectrum current is supplied time-divisionally to the particular one or ones of said current-controlled delay circuits to which said spread current generation section is connected

while the first controlling current is supplied to the remaining ones of said current-controlled delay circuits to which said spread current generation section is not connected.

5. The clock generation circuit according to claim 3, wherein

said phase controlling section outputs, as the controlling current to be supplied to each of said current-controlled delay circuits, first controlling current which varies so as to decrease the phase difference between the clock signal and the reference signal and second controlling current, and

said spread current generation section includes:

a current DA converter connected between the particular one or ones of said current-controlled delay circuits and said phase controlling section; and

a modulation controlling section adapted to control said current DA converter;

said modulation controlling section time-divisionally supplying the first controlling current and the spread spectrum current to the particular one or ones of said current-controlled delay circuits which are connected to said current DA converter such that

the first controlling current or the spread spectrum current is supplied time-divisionally together with the second controlling current to the particular one or ones of said current-controlled delay circuits to which said spread current generation section is connected

while the first controlling current and the second controlling current are supplied to the remaining ones of said current-controlled delay circuits to which said spread current generation section is not connected.

6. The clock generation circuit according to claim 3, wherein said spread current generation section changes over the current-controlled delay circuit to which the spread spectrum current is supplied time-divisionally between said current-controlled delay circuits.

7. The clock generation circuit according to claim 3, wherein said spread current generation section includes:

a plurality of first changeover sections individually connected to said current-controlled delay circuits;

a plurality of second changeover sections individually connected to said first changeover sections and adapted to receive the controlling current as an input thereto from said phase controlling section;

a changeover controlling section adapted to control said first changeover sections and said second changeover sections;

a current DA converter connected to said first changeover sections and said second changeover sections and adapted to vary the controlling current inputted thereto from said second changeover sections at a ratio in accordance with a set value to generate spread spectrum current to be outputted to said first changeover sections; and

a modulation controlling section adapted to control said current DA converter;

said changeover controlling section carrying out changeover control of each of sets of said first changeover sections and said second changeover sections connected to each other such that said spread current generation section is time-divisionally connected in order to a particular one or ones of said current-controlled delay circuits,

said modulation controlling section time-divisionally changing over the set value of said current DA converter so that the controlling current and the spread spectrum current are generated time-divisionally.

8. The clock generation circuit according to claim 1, wherein said phase controlling section includes, in addition to said comparator adapted to compare the clock signal with the reference signal:

a charge pump adapted to output a voltage in response to an output signal of said comparator;

a loop filter adapted to smooth an output voltage of said charge pump; and

a plurality of voltage-current conversion circuits adapted to convert the output voltage smoothed by said loop filter into the controlling current.

9. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a clock generation circuit adapted to generate a clock signal having a phase synchronized with that of a reference signal; and

an inputted section to which the clock signal is inputted;

said clock generation circuit including

a current-controlled oscillation section including a plurality of delay circuits, which include a plurality of current-controlled delay circuits adapted to delay a signal by a delay amount corresponding to current supplied thereto, connected so as to form a closed loop and adapted to output a clock signal formed by said closed loop,

a phase controlling section including a comparator adapted to compare the clock signal with a reference signal and adapted to output controlling current, which varies so as to decrease the phase difference between the clock signal and the reference signal, to said current-controlled delay circuits, and

a spread current generation section adapted to supply spread spectrum current of a current value different from that of the controlling current in place of the controlling current to a particular one or ones of said current-controlled delay circuits.