Digital clock recovery circuit with phase interpolation

• US 6,122,336 A
• Filed: 09/11/1997
• Issued: 09/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LSI Logic Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Anderson, Michael B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARK, ALBERT C
• Application Number:
  US08/927,947
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 375/371, 375/375, 375/376, 375/327, 327/144, 327/153, 327/161, 327/237, 327/263, 331/57, 331/186
• US Class Current: 375/371
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/07 using several loops, e.g. for redundant clock signal generation
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/0814 the phase shifting device being digitally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/0996 Selecting a signal among the plurality of phase-shifted signals produced by the ring oscillator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0337 Selecting between two or more discretely delayed clocks or selecting between two or more discretely delayed received code signals

Abstract

The present invention provides a digital clock recovery circuit, which includes a frequency synthesizer generating a number of clock phase signals. The digital clock recovery circuit also includes a phase interpolation unit, which interpolates the clock phase signals from the frequency synthesizer to increase the number of clock phase signals. Additionally, the digital clock recovery circuit also includes a phase detector, a digital filter, and a phase selection unit. The phase detector has an output connected to a digital filter, which is connected to the phase selection unit. The phase detector sends signals filtered through the digital filter to select clock phase signals input into the phase selection unit from the phase interpolation unit. The output of the phase selector provides the recovered clock signal and also connected to the input phase detector.

Claims

1. A method for recovering a clock signal, the method comprising:

receiving a reference clock signal;

generating a plurality of clock signals from the clock signal, the plurality of clock signals having a plurality of phases with a first phase difference between phases within the plurality of phases;

interpolating the plurality of clock signals to generate a second plurality of clock signals, wherein the second plurality of clock signals has a second plurality of phases with a second phase difference between phases within the plurality of phases; and

selecting a clock signal from the second plurality of clock signals, wherein the clock signal forms a recovered clock signal.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a data signal;

comparing the data signal to the recovered clock signal;

selecting another clock signal from the second plurality of clock signals in response to the recovered clock signal leading the data signal to form a new recovered clock signal; and

selecting another clock signal from the second plurality of clock signals in response to the recovered clock signal lagging the data signal to form a new recovered clock signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data signal has an optimal sampling instance and wherein the step of comparing the data signal to the recovered clock signal comprises:

comparing the optimal sampling instance of the data signal to an edge of the recovered clock signal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of selecting another clock signal from the second plurality of clock signals in response to the recovered clock signal leading the data signal to form a new recovered clock signal comprises:

selecting another clock signal, from the second plurality of clock signals, having an edge closest to the optimal sampling instance.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of selecting another clock signal from the second plurality of clock signals in response to the recovered clock signal lagging the data signal to form a new recovered clock signal comprises:

selecting another clock signal, from the second plurality of clock signals, having an edge closest to the optimal sampling instance.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating a plurality of clock signals from the clock signal comprises:

generating a plurality of clock signals from the clock signal using a ring oscillator, the plurality of clock signals having a plurality of phases with a first phase difference between phases within the plurality of phases.

7. A digital clock recovery circuit comprising:

a phase detector having a first input, a second input, a first output, and a second output, wherein the first input is configured to receive a data signal;

a digital filter having a first input, a second output, a first output, and a second output, wherein the first input and the second input of the digital filter are connected to the first output and the second output of the phase detector;

a phase selection unit having a first input, a second input, a third input, and an output, wherein the first input and the second input of the phase selector are connected to the first output and the second output of the digital filter and wherein the output of the phase selection unit is connected to the second input of the phase detector;

a frequency synthesizer having an input and an output, wherein the input of the frequency synthesizer is configured to receive a timing reference signal and wherein the frequency synthesizer creates a first number clock output signals at the output, each clock output signal having a phase difference from another output clock signal within the first number of clock output signals, wherein a first number of clock phases for the plurality of clock output signals are generated; and

a phase interpolation unit having an input and an output, the input of the phase interpolation unit being connected to the output of the frequency synthesizer and the output of the phase interpolation unit being connected to the third input of the phase selection unit, wherein the phase interpolation unit increases the first number of clock output signals generated by the frequency synthesizer to generate a second number of clock output signals, each clock output signal in the second number of clock output signals having a phase difference from another output clock signal within the second number of clock output signals and wherein the phase selection unit selects a clock output signal from the second number of clock output signals.

8. The digital clock recovery circuit of claim 7, wherein the frequency synthesizer comprises four differential delay cells, each of the four differential delay cells having a pair of outputs to form eight outputs and wherein the phase interpolation unit comprises an array of eight phase interpolators, wherein each of the eight phase interpolators are connected to one of the eight outputs.

9. The digital clock recovery circuit of claim 7, wherein the phase interpolation unit comprises two arrays of phase interpolators.

10. The digital clock recovery circuit of claim 9, wherein the second number of clock signals is four times the number of clock signals.

11. The digital clock recovery circuit of claim 7, wherein the frequency synthesizer comprises:

a phase detector having a first input, a second input, and an output, wherein the first input is configured to receive a timing reference signal;

a voltage controlled oscillator including a plurality of delay units, the voltage controlled oscillator having an input and an output, the input of the voltage controlled oscillator being connected to the output of the phase detector; and

a divide by N circuit having an input and an output, the input of the divide by N circuit being connected to the output of the voltage controlled oscillator and the output of the divide by N circuit being connected to the second input of the phase detector.

12. The digital clock recovery circuit of claim 11, wherein the frequency synthesizer further comprises:

a loop filter, the loop filter having an input connected to the output of the phase detector and having an output connected to the input of the voltage controlled oscillator, wherein the loop filter connects the output of the phase detector to the input of the voltage controlled oscillator.

13. An apparatus for recovering a clock signal, the apparatus comprising:

reception means for receiving a reference clock signal;

clock generation means for generating a plurality of clock signals from the reference clock signal using a ring oscillator having a plurality of phases with a first phase difference between phases within the plurality of phases;

interpolation means for interpolating the plurality of clock signals to generate a second plurality of clock signals, wherein the second plurality of clock signals has a second plurality of phases with a second phase difference between phases within the plurality of phases; and

selection means for selecting a clock signal from the second plurality of clock signals, wherein the clock signal forms a recovered clock signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising:

data reception means for receiving a data signal;

comparison means comparing the data signal to the recovered clock signal;

second selection means for selecting another clock signal from the second plurality of clock signals in response to the recovered clock signal leading the data signal to form a new recovered clock signal; and

third selection means for selecting another clock signal from the second plurality of clock signals in response to the recovered clock signal lagging the data signal to form a new recovered clock signal.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the data signal has an optimal sampling instance and wherein the step of comparing the data signal to the clock signal comprises:

comparing the optimal sampling instance of the data signal to an edge of the recovered clock signal.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second selection means comprises means for selecting another clock signal, from the second plurality of clock signals, having an edge closest to the optimal sampling instance.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the third selection means comprises means for selecting another clock signal, from the second plurality of clock signals, having an edge closest to the optimal sampling instance.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the clock generation means comprises a plurality of delay cells.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the plurality of delay cells is a ring oscillator.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the comparison means is a phase detector.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the phase interpolation means comprises an array of phase interpolators.

22. A clock recovery circuit comprising:

a plurality of delay cells coupled in series and having an input and an output, the input being connected to a first of the plurality of delay cells, the input being configured to receive a reference clock signal, wherein the plurality of delay cells generate a plurality of clock signals having a plurality of phases at the output;

phase interpolation means having an input and an output, the input of the phase interpolation means being coupled to the output of the plurality of delay cells, wherein the phase interpolation means generates a second plurality of clock signals having a second plurality of phases at the output of the phase interpolation means; and

phase selection means for selecting a clock signal from the plurality of clock signals.

23. The clock recovery circuit of claim 22, wherein the plurality of delay cells comprises a plurality of differential delay cells in a ring configuration.