Frequency scaling method, circuit and associated all-digital phase-locked loop

• US 9,621,171 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Tsai, Tsung-Hsien, Chang, Chih-Hsien
• Primary Examiner(s): Hernandez, William
• Application Number:
  US14/871,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20170093411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 327105, 327106, 327107, 327113, 327114, 327115, 327116, 327117, 327119, 327150, 327159
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 7/06 Frequency or rate modulation, i.e. PFM or PRM
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 2207/50 All digital phase-locked loop
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/0994 comprising an accumulator

Abstract

A frequency scaling method is disclosed. The method is used for changing an output frequency of an all-digital phase-locked loop (ADPLL) from a first frequency to a second frequency different from the first frequency. The method includes: stopping a feeding of a first oscillator tuning word (OTW) to a digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) of the ADPLL, wherein the first OTW is generated based on a phase detecting result obtained with respect to the first frequency; feeding a second OTW to the DCO in order to change the output frequency from the first frequency to the second frequency; and performing a zero phase restart (ZPR) operation to produce the phase detecting result according to the second frequency. An associated ADPLL and a frequency scaling circuit are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A frequency scaling method for changing an output frequency of an all-digital phase-locked loop (ADPLL) from a first frequency to a second frequency different from the first frequency, the method comprising:

stopping feeding a first oscillator tuning word (OTW) to a digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) of the ADPLL, wherein the first OTW is generated based on a phase detecting result obtained with respect to the first frequency;

feeding a second OTW to the DCO to change the output frequency from the first frequency to the second frequency; and

performing a zero phase restart (ZPR) operation to produce a phase detecting result according to the second frequency.

2. The frequency scaling method of claim 1, wherein the ADPLL includes a time-to-digitally converter (TDC) based ADPLL.

3. The frequency scaling method of claim 1, wherein the performing of the ZPR operation to produce the phase detecting result according to the second frequency comprises:

performing the ZPR operation to produce the phase detecting result according to the second frequency and a frequency command word (FCW) with respect to the second frequency.

4. The frequency scaling method of claim 1, wherein the performing of the ZPR operation to produce the phase detecting result according to the second frequency comprises:

performing the ZPR operation to produce the phase detecting result according to the second frequency for a specified time period.

5. The frequency scaling method of claim 4, further comprising:

when the ZPR operation is performed for a specified time period, feeding the first OTW to the DCO and stopping the feeding of the second OTW to the DCO.

6. The frequency scaling method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the second OTW based on the first OTW and an OTW difference.

7. The frequency scaling method of claim 6, wherein the OTW difference is obtained based on a frequency difference between the first frequency and the second frequency.

8. An all-digital phase-locked loop (ADPLL), comprising:

a phase detecting circuit configured to detect a phase difference between an output frequency of a digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) and a reference frequency, and generating a phase detecting result based on the detected phase difference;

a DCO coupled to the phase detecting circuit, and the DCO being configured to generate the output frequency responsive to the phase detecting result; and

a frequency scaling circuit coupled to the phase detecting circuit and the DCO, and the frequency scaling circuit being configured to selectively feed a first oscillator tuning word (OTW) generated based on the phase detecting result or a second OTW to the DCO, so as to change the output frequency of the DCO from a first frequency to a second frequency.

9. The ADPLL of claim 8, wherein the phase detecting circuit comprises a zero phase restart (ZPR) circuit configured to perform a ZPR.

10. The ADPLL of claim 9, wherein the ZPR operation is performed responsive to a control of the frequency scaling circuit.

11. The ADPLL of claim 10, wherein when the frequency scaling circuit is requested to perform a frequency scaling operation, the frequency scaling circuit activates the ZPR operation for a specified time period.

12. The ADPLL of claim 9, wherein the phase detecting circuit further comprises:

a time-to-digital converter (TDC) configured to detect a phase difference between the reference frequency and the output frequency of the DCO;

a reference phase accumulator configured to accumulate a phase of a frequency command word (FCW); and

a variable phase accumulator configured to accumulate a phase of the output frequency of the DCO.

13. The ADPLL of claim 8, further comprising a loop filter coupled between the phase detecting circuit and the DCO.

14. The ADPLL of claim 13, further comprising a binary code to thermal code converter coupled between the loop filter and the DCO.

15. The ADPLL of claim 8, further comprising a lock detector coupled between the phase detecting circuit and the frequency scaling circuit.

16. The ADPLL of claim 8, wherein when the frequency scaling circuit is requested to perform a frequency scaling operation, and the frequency scaling circuit feeds the second OTW to the DCO.

17. The ADPLL of claim 8, wherein the frequency scaling circuit comprises an OTW injector, the OTW injector is configured to generate the second OTW based on the first OTW and an OTW difference, and the OTW difference is obtained based on a frequency difference between the first frequency and the second frequency.

18. A frequency scaling circuit for controlling a phase detecting circuit and a digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) in order to change an output frequency from a first frequency to a second frequency, comprising:

a control pulse generator configured to selectively feed a first oscillator tuning word (OTW) generated based on a phase detecting result by the phase detecting circuit or a second OTW to the DCO; and

an OTW injector configured to generate the second OTW.

19. The frequency scaling circuit of claim 18, wherein the control pulse generator further controls activation of a zero phase restart (ZPR) operation of the phase detecting circuit.

20. The frequency scaling circuit of claim 18, wherein the OTW injector generates the second OTW based on the first OTW and an OTW difference, and the OTW difference is obtained based on a frequency difference between the first frequency and the second frequency.