109results about "Continuously circulated pulse counters" patented technology

A method and circuitry for a delay lock loop useful in synchronizing the accessing of a memory array with a system clock is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, the delay lock loop includes a variable delay element. The delay of the variable delay element is initially set to a minimum delay value. The system clock is then frequency divided and sent to the variable delay element, the output of which will ultimately be used to access the memory array in a synchronized manner with the system clock. The frequency divided clock and the output of the variable delay element are input to a phase detector, which creates a control signal for adjusting the delay of the variable delay element. After the signals are determined to be locked by the phase detector, an undivided clock signal version of the clock signal is sent to the variable delay element, and a frequency divided version of the output of the variable delay element is sent to the phase detector in lieu of the previous output of the variable delay element.

Described is a compact, lower power gated ring oscillator time-to-digital converter that achieves first order noise shaping of quantization noise using a digital implementation. The gated ring oscillator time-to-digital converter includes a plurality of delay stages configured to enable propagation of a transitioning signal through the delay stages during an enabled state and configured to inhibit propagation of the transitioning signal through the delay stages during a disabled state. Delay stages are interconnected to allow sustained transitions to propagate through the delay stages during the enabled state and to preserve a state of the gated ring oscillator time-to-digital converter during the disabled state. The state represents a time resolution that is finer than the delay of at least one of the delay stages. A measurement module determines the number of transitions of the delay stages.

A system and method for slack determination in a logic integrated circuit. A launch pulse is input to a circular delay loop circuit. The leading edge of the launch pulse causes a pulse to circulate around the circular delay loop. The number of passes made through the loop by the circulating pulse is counted by a latch/counter circuit. A sample pulse is input to the latch/counter circuit to latch the number of pulse circulations at the leading edge of the sample pulse. The pulse circulation count provides delay information in the circuit that may subsequently be used to adjust a supply voltage in the integrated circuit.

A fractional frequency divider circuit with a small circuit scale that outputs a clock with a duty ratio of 50%, and a data transmission apparatus comprising same. The fractional frequency divider circuit is constituted by multiple master-slave flip-flops, and comprises an integer frequency divider circuit that frequency-divides a clock signal with a frequency-division ratio of 1/N(N is an integer), and a logic circuit into which multiple signals outputted from master stages and slave stages of the master-slave flip-flops are inputted and that outputs a signal with a duty ratio of 50% obtained by frequency-dividing the clock signal with a frequency-division ratio of 2/N. The data transmission apparatus is constituted such that it is possible to switch over between a frequency-multiplied clock outputted by a PLL and a clock obtained by frequency-dividing the frequency-multiplied clock with the fractional frequency divider circuit for each channel.

A phase locked loop includes a voltage controlled oscillator and a frequency divider or frequency multiplier. The voltage controlled oscillator and the frequency divider/multiplier are coupled together in a stacked configuration. A drive current is supplied to the voltage controlled oscillator. The drive current passes from the voltage controlled oscillator to the frequency divider/multiplier, thereby driving the frequency divider/multiplier with the same drive current that was supplied to the voltage controlled oscillator.

A system and method for multiple-phase clock generation is disclosed. In one embodiment, a multiple-stage voltage controlled oscillator ("VCO") transmits a plurality of clock phases to a clock divider circuit which produces the desired number of clock phase outputs. The clock divider circuit in this embodiment includes a state machine, e.g., a modified Johnson counter, that provides a plurality of divided down clock phases, each of which is connected to a separate modified shift register. Each modified shift register contains D-type flip-flops and each D-type flip-flop provides a separate clock phase output. In one embodiment the number of clock phase outputs of the multiple-phase clock is a function of the number of VCO clock phases times the number of desired states in the modified Johnson counter.

A frequency divider circuit for providing a divided clock signal having a frequency that is an odd integer factor less than the frequency of an incoming system clock signal. The frequency divider includes a clock generator circuit coupled to a delay circuit which operates in an active and a reset phase to provide a divided clock signal from the system clock signal. In the active phase, the clock generator circuit drives the divided clock signal to a first logic state until a reset signal is received. The delay circuit then generates the reset signal at a predetermined number of system clock edges after the divided clock signal is driven to the first logic state. In the reset phase, both the clock generator circuit and the delay circuit are reset in response to the reset signal such that the clock generator circuit immediately drives the divided clock signal to a second logic state, and the delay circuit disables the reset signal within the predetermined number of system clock edges. The delay circuit maintains a 50% duty cycle for the divided clock signal.

The embodiment of the invention discloses a frequency divider and a wireless communication device. The frequency divider comprises a shifting register unit and an output frequency synthesis unit, wherein the shifting register unit comprises multiple basic units cascaded circularly; each basic unit comprises 2N D flip-flops connected in series and a multi-path gating device, output of the 2N D flip-flops connected in series is connected into the multi-path gating device, and the output of the multi-path gating device is connected with input of the basic unit at a next level; the phase of clock signals connected into other 2N-1 D flip-flops except the first D flip-flop at the signal input end of the basic unit at each level is lagged than that of clock signals connected into the first D flip-flop by a M/2 clock period; the phase of clock signals connected to the first D flip-flop in the basic unit at the next level is lagged than that of clock signals connected into other 2N-1 D flip-flops in the basis unit at the previous level by three fourths clock period; output signals of the first D flip-flops in the basic units at all the levels are superposed through the output frequency synthesis unit to generate fractional frequency output signals.

A frequency divider circuit is disclosed that generates output signals having a frequency substantially half of the frequency of the input signal. The circuit comprises two D-Flip-Flop circuits wherein one employs the said input signal and the other one employs the complement of the said input signal, and each of the two D-Flip-Flop circuits consists of a pair of loading transistors, two regenerative pairs coupled with each others, and two common-gate switches.

A frequency divider circuit operable at high frequencies for producing an output signal having a frequency value equal to substantially half the frequency value of a clock signal from which the circuit operates. The circuit includes a first transistor branch, an inventor and a second transistor branch. The first transistor branch is connected to an input of the inventor and the second transistor branch is connected to an output of the inventor. The first transistor branch receives a plurality of input signals including the clock signal, a compliment of the clock signal, and the circuit output signal and produces an input signal which is provided to the inventor. The second transistor branch receives a plurality of inputs including the compliment of the clock signal, the clock signal and the inventor output signal, and produces the circuit output signal. The circuit is configured such that the next inventor state is always available for conveyance to the output signal upon a change in the clock signal.

A counter circuit, which is capable of operating at high speed and realizing a sequential binary count order, and a counting method thereof are provided. The counter circuit includes a first bit generation circuit, a second bit generation circuit, a third bit generation circuit, and a fourth bit generation circuit. The first bit generation circuit includes a D-flip-flop, inverts its output value every cycle of the clock signal, and generates a first bit output. The second bit generation circuit includes two D-flip-flops, inverts its output value every two cycles of the clock signal, and generates a second bit output. The third bit generation circuit includes four D-flip-flops, inverts its output value every four cycles of the clock signal, and generates a third bit output. The fourth bit generation circuit includes eight D-flip-flops, inverts its output value every eight cycles of the clock signal, and generates a fourth bit output. According to the counter circuit, bit outputs are generated with almost the same delay time within one cycle of a clock signal in a sequential binary count order. Thus, the operation of a system can be prevented from being delayed, and the performance of the system can be improved.

A synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) improves memory access time by incorporating into the column address path a bidirectional column factor counter.

A frequency divider, which has a cross-coupled inductor-capacitor (LC) structure or a ring structure, is inputted with a direct current (DC) control voltage from an input terminal. By doing so, the frequency divider can adjust an oscillation frequency; and further compensate the input power sensitivity, lower the power consumption and increase the division range. The frequency divider can be used in high-band/high-speed digital or analog communication systems.

An odd number factor frequency divider which generates a final output signal having a duty ratio of 1/2 is formed of a plurality of cascade-connected MSD-FFs (master-slave D-type flip-flops), operating from a common clock signal, with a single NOR gate being used to derive a signal expressing the negated logic sum of the respective Q-terminal logic outputs from the master D-type latch and the slave D-type latch which constitute the final-stage MSD-FF of the plurality of cascade-connected MSD-FFs, with that output signal from the NOR gate being applied to the D input terminal of the first-stage MSD-FF, while also being supplied to an output terminal as the final output signal from the frequency divider. Since a minimum number of circuit elements are employed, the overall circuit scale can be small, and current consumption low.

The present invention relates to a clock frequency division technology for an integrated circuit, in particular to a clock frequency division method based on a trigger ring and a clock frequency division circuit thereof. The method is to orderly connect data input ends and data output ends of a plurality of triggers to form a trigger ring circuit. The number of the triggers with set ends and reset ends in the trigger ring is selected according to the requirement of the frequency division circuit for a duty ratio. The positions of the triggers with set ends and reset ends are determined according to the requirement of a clock waveform. The trigger ring circuit accesses a system frequency division circuit, and a spare data output end of the last trigger is used as an output end of the trigger ring circuit so as to realize clock frequency division. The number of the frequency division of the method and the circuit structure thereof do not influence the highest frequency of the working circuit. The normal work of the frequency division circuit can be at a comparatively high clock frequency, and the clock frequency division can be realized in the manner of cascade connection of the frequency division circuit so that the scale of the circuit realization can be properly reduced.

A frequency divider providing an odd integer division factor comprising a binary counter (10) providing an even integer division factor, which is the first even number smaller than the odd division factor, the binary counter having a clock input for receiving a periodical clock signal (Ck) having a frequency. The circuit further comprises an end of count circuit (20) coupled to the binary counter and generating an End Of Count signal (EOC) for a clock (Ck) period after every even integer number periods of the clock signal (Ck), the end of count signal (EOC) being inputted to an input (IN) of the counter (10). The circuit further includes an output generator (30) coupled to the binary counter and to the clock signal (Ck), the output generator (30) generating an output signal (OUT) having a frequency which is substantially equal with the frequency of the frequency signal (Ck) divided by the odd division factor.

A latency counter of a semiconductor device comprises a single cyclic signal generator and a command delay circuit. The single cyclic signal generator cyclically produces 0-th to n-th base signals based on an internal clock signal. The command delay circuit comprises 0-th to n-th latch elements and latches an internal command by means of a p-th latch element (p is an integer; 0≦p≦n) in response to a q-th base signal (q is an integer; 0≦q≦n) and to output the latched internal command corresponding to the latency timeout signal therefrom in response to a r-th base signal (r is an integer; 0≦r≦n), where r=q+s if q+s≦n, while r=q+s−(n+1) if q+s>n, s being a natural number equal to or less than n.

A latch includes three circuits. The first circuit drives a first output (QB) to a first level when a first input (D) and a first clock phase (CK) are both low, to a second level when D and CK are both high, and provides high impedance (HI-Z) when different logic levels are applied to D and CK. The second circuit drives a second output (Q) to the first level when a third input (DB) and a complimentary clock phase (CKB) are both low, to the second level when DB and CKB are both high, and provides HI-Z when different logic levels are applied to DB and CKB. The third circuit maintains voltages of Q and QB when the first and second circuits provide HI-Z at Q and QB. Odd-number dividers constructed with such latches produce 50% duty cycle operation without restricting output pulse widths to integer multiples of input periods.

A fault state detector for a ring counter is formed from unit current sources each switched under the control of a different one of the outputs of the ring counter. The currents switched in that manner are passed through a unit resistance to generate a voltage signal proportional to the number of asserted outputs from the ring counter. The voltage signal is compared to boundary reference values for valid states of the ring counter outputs and, if the voltage signal is not between the boundary reference values, a fault state is indicated.