Frequency synthesizer

• US 8,193,842 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2012
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Min, Byung Hun, Yu, Hyun Kyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan, Lincoln
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOUSTON, ADAM D
• Application Number:
  US13/344,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20120105116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 152 Days
• Field of Search: 327/147, 327/156
• US Class Current: 327/156
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 2207/06 Phase locked loops with a controlled oscillator having at least two frequency control terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 2207/50 All digital phase-locked loop
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/085 concerning mainly the frequency- or phase-detection arrangement including the filtering or amplification of its output signal H03L7/10 takes precedence; circuits for comparing the phase or frequency of two mutually-independent oscillations H03D13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/091 the phase or frequency detector using a sampling device H03L7/087 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/107 using a variable transfer function for the loop, e.g. low pass filter having a variable bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/1075 by changing characteristics of the loop filter, e.g. changing the gain, changing the bandwidth H03L7/1072 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/183 a time difference being used for locking the loop, the counter counting between fixed numbers or the frequency divider dividing by a fixed number H03L7/1806 takes precedence

Abstract

There is provided a frequency synthesizer. The frequency synthesizer includes a frequency oscillator adjusting an output frequency according to a control bit; a programmable divider having a preset minimum division ratio, the programming divider dividing the output frequency of the frequency oscillator at a variable division ratio; a counter unit receiving an output signal of the programmable divider and a reference frequency to generate a count value by counting rising edges of the output signal of the programmable divider during one cycle of the reference frequency, and outputting a first hit signal when the count value is 1, and outputting a second hit signal when the count value is 2; and a phase detection unit outputting a control bit obtained by subtracting a fractional error of the output signal of the programmable divider from a fractional error at a locked phase obtained from the count value and the reference frequency.

Claims

1. A frequency synthesizer comprising:

a frequency oscillator adjusting an output frequency according to a control bit;

a programmable divider having a minimum division ratio, the programming divider dividing the output frequency of the frequency oscillator at a variable division ratio;

a counter unit receiving an output signal of the programmable divider and a reference frequency to generate a count value by counting rising edges of the output signal of the programmable divider during one cycle of the reference frequency, and outputting a first hit signal when the count value is 1, and outputting a second hit signal when the count value is 2;

a frequency detector outputting a first control bit obtained by subtracting the count value of the counter unit from an integer value of a value obtained when a frequency channel word (FCW) command value is divided by the minimum division ratio, the FCW command value being a bit value inputted in order to obtain a desired output frequency;

a phase detection unit outputting a second control bit obtained by subtracting a fractional error of the output signal of the programmable divider from a fractional error at a locked phase obtained from the count value and the reference frequency;

a mode change block connected to the frequency detector and the phase detection unit to selectively output the first control bit or the second control bit; and

a loop filter unit connected between the mode change block and the frequency oscillator.

2. The frequency synthesizer of claim 1, wherein the phase detection unit comprises:

a time-to-digital converter converting a phase difference between the reference frequency and the first hit signal into a first digital bit, and converting a phase difference between the first hit signal and the second hit signal into a second digital bit;

an error normalization block outputting a value obtained when the first digital bit is divided by the second digital bit; and

a phase detector outputting the control bit obtained when an output value of the error normalization block is subtracted from the fractional error at the locked phase obtained from the count value and the reference frequency.

3. The frequency synthesizer of claim 2, wherein the control bit (φ

_P[K]) outputted from the phase detector is expressed as;

p·

f=FCW/n,

mod_c=c/n,

Φ

_P[K]=(Σ

(p·

f−

(cnk[K]+mod_c)))−

Φ

_PN[K]

where FCW is a frequency channel word, n is the minimum division ratio, p·

f is a reference comparison value (where p is an integer value, and f is a fractional value), c is a remainder value when the p is divided by the n, cnk[K] is the count value obtained by counting rising edges of the output signal of the programmable divider during one cycle of the reference frequency, and φ

_PN[K] is the output value of the error normalization block.

4. The frequency synthesizer of claim 1, wherein the mode change block counts number of successive 0s in the frequency detector output value in synchronization with reference frequency clocks, and changes a connection of the frequency detector and the loop filter unit to a connection of the phase detection unit and the loop filter unit when the count value is equal to a preset value, the preset value being a value obtained by multiplying the reference frequency (f_ref) by the minimum division ratio (n) and dividing a resulting value by an allowable error frequency (Δ

f) at which the phase locked loop is lockable.

5. The frequency synthesizer of claim 3, wherein the programmable divider divides the output signal of the frequency oscillator one time at a division ratio of n+c, and the others at a division ratio of n within one cycle of the reference frequency.

6. The frequency synthesizer of claim 1, wherein the counter unit comprises:

a flip-flop receiving the reference frequency and the output signal of the programmable divider;

a counter receiving an output signal of the flip-flop as a reset signal, and the output signal of the programmable divider as a clock signal; and

a latch receiving the count value outputted from the counter and the reference frequency to output number of clocks.

7. The frequency synthesizer of claim 1, wherein the loop filter unit comprises:

a first loop filter averaging first control bit values outputted from the frequency detector; and

a second loop filter averaging second control bit values outputted from the phase detection unit.